Then a Gotham maid, who was not afraid
Of his lordship, raised her bead.
And her eyes gleamed bright with a cutting light,
But she ever so calmly said :
"Why, of course; that's due to your point of view,
For I judge you were thinking then
Of its old-time use, when it cooked your goose.
And roasted yau Englishmen."
HOW TO COOK A TURKEY.
A successfully roasted turkey requires three things:
The bird must be young and tender; it must be care-
fully drawn, stuffed and trussed, and it must be
roasted by a hot fire. Select a young turkey. One
that does not weigh over six or seven pounds is gener-
ally the best. Heavy birds are apt to be old and coarse
in flavor. The turkey should be drawn the day it
is killed, and hung in a cold place at least twenty-four
hours after it is killed. All the layers of fat under the
skin of the breast and on the inside of the bird that can
be reached must be taken out. If it is left in, it gives
a strong flavor to the flesh. It is not of any use to the
66 The Complete Cook Book.
cook, but may be tried out for soap fat. Chicken fat,
on the other hand, though it should be removed from
the bird when it is cooked, can be tried out for cooking
potatoes and other articles, and is a very fair substitute
for olive oil in a salad dressing. The removal of the oil
bag in the tail of the bird is also necessary, to prepare
it for roasting. This is a matter often forgotten, but
even this small portion of oil imparts an unpleasant
flavor to the turkey if it is left in. Eemove the tendons
from the drumsticks. Wipe the bird off carefully, and
prepare a stuffing of dry bread crumbs. This is now
preferred, as more delicious and more wholesome than
the moist dressing of olden times. Take about two
medium-sized loaves of stale bread. Rub them, after
breaking them apart, on a coarse grater, until the inside
is evenly crumbled. Lay aside the cuter dry crusts for
drying and sifting for dried bread crumbs to be used
for breading meats and croquettes. Take the soft inner
crumbs. They should make a heaping quart. Add a
tablespoonful of salt, an even teaspoonful of pepper, an
even teaspoonful of sage, two of summer savory, and a
large teaspoonful of minced parsley. Rub all these
ingredients in the bread crumbs, and add half a cupful
of butter. Rub this in and fill the inside and crop of
the turkey. Skewer the bird carefullly. If this is
done properly it will not be necessary to use a trussing
needle to sew it up. Rub the bird thickly with butter,
dredge it with salt and pepper and then thickly with
flour. Put it in a very hot oven on a meat rack.
Dredge a little flour in the pan. When this browns,
pour a pint of hot water under the turkey. Turn the
turkey, to brown it evenly, and every fifteen minutes
baste it with the liquor in the bottom of the pan. As
this liquor boils away, add water from the teakettle.
It will take about an hour and three-quarters for a
seven-pound turkey to roast. The best gravy is made
by boihng the giblets slowly while the turkey is roast-
ing, and by mixing the liquor from them with the drip-
pings in the pan. The liver is the only portion of the
giblets saved. Chop the liver and add it to the gravy
after skimming and seasoning it and thickening it with
a tablespoonful of fionr.
The Complete Cook Book. 67
HOW TO COOK AND CARVE THE THANKS-
GIVING TURKEY.
If the man who doesn't know the slightest thing
about the art of carving a holiday turkey will study
the directions here given, he can go to the home of
his prospective mother-in-law next Thanksgiving, and
with a light heart offer his services for the partition
of the bird. ✪ Roast Turkey
Page 29 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1900. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Then a Gotham maid, who was not afraid
Of his lordship, raised her bead. And her eyes gleamed bright with a cutting light,
But she ever so calmly said :
"Why, of course; that's due to your point of view, For I judge you were thinking then
Of its old-time use, when it cooked your goose. And roasted yau Englishmen."
HOW TO COOK A TURKEY.
A successfully roasted turkey requires three things: The bird must be young and tender; it must be carefully drawn, stuffed and trussed, and it must be roasted by a hot fire. Select a young turkey. One that does not weigh over six or seven pounds is generally the best. Heavy birds are apt to be old and coarse in flavor. The turkey should be drawn the day it is killed, and hung in a cold place at least twenty-four hours after it is killed. All the layers of fat under the skin of the breast and on the inside of the bird that can be reached must be taken out. If it is left in, it gives a strong flavor to the flesh. It is not of any use to the
66 The Complete Cook Book.
cook, but may be tried out for soap fat. Chicken fat, on the other hand, though it should be removed from the bird when it is cooked, can be tried out for cooking potatoes and other articles, and is a very fair substitute for olive oil in a salad dressing. The removal of the oil bag in the tail of the bird is also necessary, to prepare it for roasting. This is a matter often forgotten, but even this small portion of oil imparts an unpleasant flavor to the turkey if it is left in. Remove the tendons from the drumsticks. Wipe the bird off carefully, and prepare a stuffing of dry bread crumbs. This is now preferred, as more delicious and more wholesome than the moist dressing of olden times. Take about two medium-sized loaves of stale bread. Rub them, after breaking them apart, on a coarse grater, until the inside is evenly crumbled. Lay aside the cuter dry crusts for drying and sifting for dried bread crumbs to be used for breading meats and croquettes. Take the soft inner crumbs. They should make a heaping quart. Add a tablespoonful of salt, an even teaspoonful of pepper, an even teaspoonful of sage, two of summer savory, and a large teaspoonful of minced parsley. Rub all these ingredients in the bread crumbs, and add half a cupful of butter. Rub this in and fill the inside and crop of the turkey. Skewer the bird carefully. If this is done properly it will not be necessary to use a trussing needle to sew it up. Rub the bird thickly with butter, dredge it with salt and pepper and then thickly with flour. Put it in a very hot oven on a meat rack. Dredge a little flour in the pan. When this browns, pour a pint of hot water under the turkey. Turn the turkey, to brown it evenly, and every fifteen minutes baste it with the liquor in the bottom of the pan. As this liquor boils away, add water from the teakettle. It will take about an hour and three-quarters for a seven-pound turkey to roast. The best gravy is made by boiling the giblets slowly while the turkey is roasting, and by mixing the liquor from them with the drippings in the pan. The liver is the only portion of the giblets saved. Chop the liver and add it to the gravy after skimming and seasoning it and thickening it with a tablespoonful of flour.
The Complete Cook Book. 67
HOW TO COOK AND CARVE THE THANKS- GIVING TURKEY.
If the man who doesn't know the slightest thing about the art of carving a holiday turkey will study the directions here given, he can go to the home of his prospective mother-in-law next Thanksgiving, and with a light heart offer his services for the partition of the bird.
Records on this page
Roast Turkey