Deconstructed turkey Part #2

Sorry I didn't have time to post yesterday, but with 16 for Thanksgiving lunch all of whom arrived at 2 PM & left just after 7 PM there just wasn't time. I did, however, manage to take a few pictures.

Here's the turkey after 1 1/2 hours in the oven at 375 F. (Note: I forgot to take the turkey out of the fridge at least 2 hours before it went in the oven. If I had it would have been further along after this time.) At this point the leg/thighs were at 160F.
After 10 more minutes the leg/thighs came out just as they reached 168 F. The breasts were at 145F. They got basted again & were left in for 20 more minutes. Two hours total and the temperature was 151F when I took them out. 15 minutes later they were at 160F. The carcass was then left to rest for another 25 minutes.



Here's what was left after carving (sorry I was too busy for picture taking as we carved & served up.) As you can see there's nothing left on the carcass. Note the the inside of the ribs is just barely pink showing that the breasts were just cooked through. I didn't carve the leg ends, but kept them for later use. Same with the wings.



Here'e the result. Lots of nice white meat slices surrounded by dark meat fillets. This served 16 people with plenty to spare. I did cheat in that this was a 4 legged turkey so I had plenty of dark meat. We also had a ham which I'd brined & baked.

We had coco beans with glazed onions and balsamic vinegar, roast potatoes, saute carrots AND the pease pudding shown below.
The pease pudding is a dish from the North of England where Linda was brought up. Its absolutely delicious if made correctly as Linda does. Its an ideal accompaniment for ham.

We also had a bit of cheese. This is our friend Jacques idea of restraint when it comes to cheeses. Only nine different varieties.


Carrot cake for a truly American touch. This one was particularly good if I do say so myself.

Finally, a little chocolate mousse with whipped cream just in case anybody was still hungry.

So for us a wonderful Thanksgiving shared with close friends. Our French friends are beginning to look forward to it as much as we do.

PS: I'll post of the diet separately, but I can say that I was able to be pretty good. Tiny dessert portions. My only downfall was the Domaine de la Ramaye wine. Just too good to pass up.