PORTLAND, Ore. — Drew Carney cooks away with three KGW viewers who create a Thanksgiving meal of deep-fried turkey, smoked gouda mashed potatoes and pumpkin swirl cheesecake.
Remember Drew Carney's Summer Favorite Recipes? We now extend that to the classic Turkey Day eat fest.
VIEWER JORDAN’S DEEP-FRIED TURKEY
NOTE: This recipe borrows closely from the master, Alton Brown's, Deep-Fried Turkey recipe
Brine Ingredients:
6 quarts of hot'ish water
1 pound kosher salt
1 pound brown or regular sugar
Lots of Ice
Turkey Ingredients:
Duh! A turkey! (Approximately 14-16 pounds. VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure it's completely thawed before you brine it)
Process:
Place the hot water, kosher salt and brown sugar into a 5-gallon upright drink cooler (I use the pot that I actually fry the turkey in) and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve completely.
Add the ice and stir until the mixture is cool.
Gently lower the turkey into the container.
Cover and set in a cool dry place for 8 to 16 hours.
Remove the turkey from the brine.
VERY IMPORTANT: rinse and pat dry VERY well.
Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.
Listen to Guns N' Roses "November Rain" loudly, or better yet watch the music video, loudly.
Place the oil into a 28 to 30-quart pot and set over high heat on an outside propane burner with a sturdy structure.
IMPORTANT: if you are using an actual turkey fryer, fill it with oil to the marked line.
People burn their houses down because they
a.) use frozen turkeys / don't pat the bird dry before dropping it, or
b.) put too much oil in the fryer so it overflows when they drop the bird. SAFETY FIRST!
Bring the temperature of the oil to 275 degrees F. Once the temperature has reached 275, slowly lower the bird into the oil and let it rock and bring the temperature to 325 degrees F.
Once it has reached 325, lower the heat in order to maintain 325 degrees F.
After 35 minutes, check the temperature of the turkey using a probe thermometer.
Once the breast reaches 151 degrees F, gently remove from the oil and allow to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes prior to carving.
The bird will reach an internal temperature of 161 degrees F due to carry overcooking.
Take many pictures for Instagram.
Post those pictures and watch the likes roll in!!!
Be grateful and have a happy Thanksgiving!!!
VIEWERS KAREN & KELSEY’S SMOKED GOUDA MASHED POTATOES
Ingredients:
3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled & quartered)
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup half-and-half
1-1/2 cup shredded smoked gouda
1 cup sour cream
Kosher salt
Ground pepper
1/4 cup chives (thinly sliced)
Process:
Add peeled and quartered potatoes into Instant Pot* and cover with water and a teaspoon of Kosher salt.
Secure lid and select manual setting on high for 8 minutes.
When finished, quick-release pressure with a tea towel over the valve, to avoid splatter.
Meanwhile, melt the butter inside a small saucepan with the half-and-half until the mixture is hot.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and return to the pot, so the setting is still on “keep warm” and the residual heat helps dry the potatoes.
Gently pour in the heated half-and-half and butter mixture while mashing with a potato masher or a large fork.
Add the smoked Gouda and continue stirring.
The heat helps melt the cheese, and the potatoes will become creamy and smooth.
Once mashed, stir in the sour cream and most of the chives, reserving some as a topped garnish.
Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate, reheating in the Instant Pot using the low sauté setting the following day.
*No Instant Pot? No problem!
Bring the potatoes to a boil in a large pot of water over medium high heat.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and boil for 15-20 minutes, until fork tender.
Drain as usual, and finish recipe in the pot on the stove over low heat.
**Feel free to reheat the next day in slow-cooker instead, using the Warming or Low heat setting.
Can also be reheated on the stove over low heat, or in a casserole dish at 250 degrees.
VIEWER GREG’S PUMPKIN SWIRL CHEESECAKE
Ingredients
GINGERSNAP COOKIE CRUST
1-1/2 cups (150g) gingersnap cookie crumbs (About 30 Nabisco Brand cookies)
1/4 tsp each of ground ginger & ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (4 Tbs; 60g) of unsalted butter (melted)
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
CHEESECAKE
four 8oz blocks (904g) of full-fat cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
1-1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (80g) full-fat sour cream (room temp.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs (room temperature)
1 cup pumpkin puree (NOT Pumpkin Pie Filling)
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Process:
Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position & preheat oven to 350°F
Make the crust:
Using a food processor, pulse the gingersnap cookies into crumbs.
Pour into a medium bowl and stir in ginger, cinnamon, sugar, and melted butter until combined. (You can also pulse it all together in the food processor.) Mixture will be sandy.
Press firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.
No need to grease the pan first.
Use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack the crust down tightly.
Pre-bake for 10 minutes. Allow crust to slightly cool as you prepare the filling.
Make the filling:
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes).
Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, then beat until fully combined.
On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended.
After the final egg is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing.
To help prevent the cheesecake from deflating and cracking as it cools, avoid over-mixing the batter as best you can.
Scoop out 2 cups of batter and place in a medium mixing bowl.
Stir in the pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until combined.
Begin adding spoonfuls of each batter (the plain and the pumpkin) on top of the crust.
Alternate until all the batter is used and pan is filled.
Using a bamboo skewer or knife, swirl the batters together by dragging the skewer top to bottom, then left to right.
Place in oven over a shallow pan of water set on the lower rack of the oven (this will help keep the cheesecake moist and catch any excess butter that may drip from the crust).
(Note: if you notice the cheesecake browning too quickly on top, tent it with aluminum foil halfway through baking.)
Bake cheesecake for 55-70 minutes or until the center is almost set.
When it’s done, the center of the cheesecake will slightly wobble if you gently shake the pan.
Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 1 hour as it cools down.
Remove cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove the rim. Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving.
For neat slices, wipe the knife clean and dip into warm water between each slice.
Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.