How times have changed. Turkey, once viewed as exotic, graced only the tables of the well-to-do for years from Europe to America; and the larger the bird, the more festive the occasion was considered. The most decadent in Renaissance Europe would serve several birds, including peacock, swan, goose and quail, developing the practice of stuffing one inside the other. Today, compared with the festive season brought to life in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, the tables have turned and goose is now the elitist bird, while turkey is eaten by everyone, regardless of social status.
David Campbell, head chef of Grand Hyatt Steakhouse, says turkey is now the cheapest form of meat protein available. But in spite of its egalitarian status, turkey, as well as being the centrepiece of the Thanksgiving dinner table, is practically synonymous with Christmas. Campbell comments that in Atlanta turkeys are deep-fried - 'awesome, if unhealthy' - and cook beautifully in less than an hour. But most of us roast these festive birds in the oven.
'Get an oven thermometer,' says Campbell, noting that the typical domestic oven is probably 10 degrees hotter or cooler than the temperature indicated on the dial. And don't stuff the bird, he warns, because ingredients like under-cooked pork sausage meat could make you very sick indeed. 'And if the stuffing is cooked through, you'll choke on the turkey instead!' Campbell says, alluding to ultimately dried-out meat.
His favourite stuffing, cooked separately, is based on chestnut, white breadcrumbs, apple and sausage.
But Uwe Opocensky, executive chef at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, advises to stuff the turkey - with a piping hot stuffing (of cornbread, apple, nuts and herbs, moistened with milk and fat and bound with duck egg).
Later we learn that this stuffing is not to be eaten, but he says, by having two heat sources, including this internal one, the turkey cooks more evenly. The stuffing for consumption is a firmer version of the above. Opocensky also takes the view that ovens vary, but for the usual 4-5-kilo bird, he says about four hours should do the trick. The bird should be cooked slowly, at about 150 degrees, with the heat cranked up later to 250 degrees to crisp the skin. 'The tricky part is the legs,' Opocensky says. 'I normally take the legs off because the breast will always cook sooner.' Alternatively, the legs can be scored or opened up.
Turkeys are a huge deal at Mandarin Oriental: Opocensky orders 25 tonnes of them and is a bit 'over' turkey by the time it gets to Christmas because he spends so much time preparing them.
