Thanksgiving Turkey

It was just Larry and I for Thanksgiving this year. It's nice to have a crowd of people to feed, but I kind of enjoyed the relaxed pace of cooking. I didn't need to be done at any particular time, and I didn't have to stress about things like forgetting to make the spinach (whoops!).

- I modified the turkey this year, and tried a dry brine - basically just like the Zuni Roast Chicken. I wasn't especially impressed. Once again, brined turkey takes the prize. Next year I'm back to a traditional brine.
- I used a different brand of cider this year, and bleh! It was too sweet. I didn't like the color, either - it turned my pan juices a bit grey. I actually had to resort to Kitchen Bouquet to fix the color. The horror! Larry thought it turned out okay, though.
- My rolls didn't rise fast enough, so they weren't done in time for dinner. I'm positive my yeast is the problem, since I had the same issue with my multigrain bread. And the kitchen was like a sauna, a perfect environment for rising.
- I don't like pumpkin pie, and I've never successfully made a good one. I decided to lean on Fine Cooking once again, because it's hard to go wrong with their recipes. I love this crust recipe. It's the same one I use for my apple pie. It's easy to work with, delicious, and flaky. I had some problems with shrinkage when I blind baked the crust, but not too bad. The leaves browned more than I wanted, even with foil protecting them during the final baking. Larry gave the pie a thumbs-up.

• Butter-Rubbed, Cider-Glazed Roast Turkey (Fine Cooking #53, November 2002, p. 46)
• Poultry Dressing (Sheri's Recipe Box)
• Pureé of Yukon Gold Potatoes & Celery Root
• Herbed Dinner Rolls (Fine Cooking #61, Holiday Baking 2004, p. 72)
• Pumpkin Pie with a Leafy Rim (Fine Cooking #54, Winter 2003 Holiday Baking Issue, p. 42)

Wine: Gamba 2003 Moratta Vineyard Zinfandel. Oh, my. This is drinking really nice. It tastes a bit like a late harvest Zin, and it's not hot at all, even with 16.5 percent alcohol. We have four more bottles.