Roast Turkey

Prepare as directed above. For dressing, see page 49; or, mince a dozen oysters and stir into the dressing, and if you are partial to the taste, wet the bread crumbs with the oyster liquor. The effect upon the turkey meat, particularly that of the breast, is very pleasant. In stuffing the turkey be sure to leave room enough for the dressing to swell. After you have filled the turkey, sew it up with strong thread. This and the neck string are removed when the fowl is dished. In roasting, if the fire is brisk, allow about ten minutes to a pound, but it will depend very much upon the turkey's age whether this rule holds good. Rub the turkey with salt and pepper, and spit it; baste often with the drippings and flour, and occasionally with butter. fifteen minutes before dishing baste with butter, and dredge on a little flour; this will give it a frothy appearance. Roast to a fine brown, and if it threatens to darken too rapidly, lay a sheet of white paper over it until the lower part is also done. If the turkey is very large, make a paste of flour and water into a stiff dough, roll it out one-half inch thick, roll up the turkey in it, pinch the ends well together; put it into a dripping-pan and bake slowly; baste every ten minutes. Half an hour before the turkey is done take it out of the crust and brown it. If the gravy is too fat, skim it before making the gravy. To make the gravy. - Boil the heart, gizzard, liver and neck in two quarts of water two hours; take them out and chop very fine, and put them back again; thicken with one spoonful of flour wet with cold water, season with pepper and salt. Let this simmer one hour longer, and when you dish the turkey turn the drippings into the gravy. Boil up once and send to the table.

How To Boil Turkey

Make a dressing of bread crumbs, to which you may add a few large oysters (if you like); pepper, salt, herbs to your taste. "Wipe the inside of the turkey with a dry cloth and fill with this dressing. Make a paste of flour and of water, and cover it, or you may scald a cloth and rub it with flour, and wrap the turkey in it; this will keep it white in boiling. A few spoonfuls of milk in the water also adds to the whiteness. Have the water boiling hot when you put the turkey in; boil very slowly; it will take from two to two and one-half hours to cook it. Make a gravy of drawn butter, with a few stewed oysters and their juice. Chickens may be prepared in the same way.

How To Bone A Turkey

For this purpose your knife must be very sharp. A knife with a short, sharp pointed blade is best; a turkey weighing nine or ten pounds is best, and it must be fresh killed so that the skin on the joints has not dried. Cut down the back from the neck to the oil bag. Scrape the meat from the bones till you come to the shoulder blade. Scrape the meat from the shoulder blade, then give it a quick twist forward to break it from the first wing joint. Push the first wing joint up, and with your knife cut the tendons and muscles attached to this joint. Then scrape the meat from the bone down to the elbow joint. Sever the joint, keeping the blade of the knife close to the bone. Scrape the meat from the bone down to the back till you come to the hip joint. Take the leg in your hand, twist it forward to help you cut the tendons of the hip joint. Scrape the meat from the thigh bone down to the drum stick, at which point cut the joint. Then continue to scrape the meat off the hip bone till it is all off. Then cut the back bone in front of the extremity, leaving that on to give it a shape. Proceed in the same way with other side. This you see leaves in the two end bones of the wing and the drum sticks. After both sides are finished, scrape the meat carefully from both sides of the breast bone. This will leave only the neck, which cut off after leaving about three inches in the turkey. Lastly, remove the merry thought, and the turkey is ready for filling.

Filling For Boned Turkey

Two pounds of sausage meat, a can of oysters (without the liquor), a pint of fine bread crumbs, pepper and salt, sweet marjoram, thyme, celery seed; any or all of these herbs and a can of champignons, and some boiled chestnuts, add to its flavor. Sew up the places in the wings and legs that have been accidentally cut in dissecting. Have a darning needle with a long thread of strong darning cotton; begin at the back bone and fill and sew up to the neck, shaping it as you go, with a broad band of muslin. Roast to a fine brown color. Serve hot or cold.

Boxed Turkey

Boil the turkey in as little water as possible, until the bones can easily be separated from the meat; remove all the skin, slightly mixing the light and dark parts; season with salt and pepper. Take the liquor in which the turkey was boiled, having kept it warm. Pour it on the meat, mix well. Shape it like a loaf of bread. Wrap it in a cloth, or put it into an oval-shaped dish, and press with a heavy weight, for a few hours. Shave thin. A spoonful of flour and butter branded together, and stirred into the water for boiling is an improvement.

Escalloped Turkey

Moisten bread crumbs with a little milk, butter a pan and put in it a layer of crumbs, then a layer of chopped (not very fine) cold turkey seasoned with salt and pepper, then a layer of crumbs, and so on until pan is full. If any dressing or gravy has been left, add it. Make a thickening of one or two eggs, half a cup of milk, and quarter cup butter and bread crumbs; season and spread it over the top; cover with a pan, bake half an hour and then let it brown.