A Thanksgiving to remember

In honor of Craig Claiborne, let me say DeGustibus which literally means "about Tastes." The full latin expression is de gustibus non disputantum (est) which means "there is no diputing about tastes."

This is my first blog and my first blog entry, but if you pay attention and use these recipes, I promise the best Thanksgiving dinner you've ever eaten.

I will be posting a full dinner during this week until you have a great feast to prepare. Keep watching.

The fulcrum at the center of the Thanksgiving dinner is the turkey. When was the last time you eat really good, tasty turkey? Have your turkies tended to be bland, dry and disappointing? Relegate that to the past. From now on your turkey will be moist, and brimming with flavor. Your guests will be thrilled.

Some cooks say to cook at 450 degrees, some say 325 degrees; some say baste every 20 minutes, some say cover with moist cheesecloth. These all have validity but the real secret for great turkey is the brining. Brining transforms ordinary turkey into great turkey. Brining adds flavor and moisture to the turkey without making it salty. It takes a lot of time, but most of it is refrigerator time and you can be done overnight.

For a simple brine:

1. In a large stockpot or even a plastic paint can that you can buy in a hardware store for a few dollars, place 1-2 gallons of water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add 1 cup kosher salt and 1 cup sugar and stir; Cool at room temperature.

2. Add turkey to the pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. Drain the turkey, discard the brine; rinse the bird well. Cut off and reserve wing tips.

For a more exotic brine you could add some or all of the following: 1 cup honey, 3 sprigs each fresh parsley, dill, thyme, tarragon, sage, 1 sprig fresh rosemary, 1 T. mustard seed, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 bay leaves, 4 whole cloves, 1/2 T. juniper berries, 1/2 T. cardamon pods, 1 T. black pepper corns, 1 lemon, halved and slightly squeezed, 3 star anise, 1/2 T. allspice.

If you have all these spices in your cupboard, have fun. If not use what you have on hand. You will be using the fresh herbs to further the bird in coking.