Recently I was invited to a cookery demonstration at Regal Kitchens in Chelmsford, where Phil from Kelly Bronze Turkeys joined us to talk about their wonderful turkeys and to share some cooking tips and recipes.
As part of the Regal Kitchens Cookaholics Club, regular events are hosted at their Chelmsford showroom. As a NEFF stockist and retailer, all the equipment and appliances are NEFF, so the cooking was done in one of their super ovens or on the hotplate when it came to stock, and other recipes with the cooked turkey meat. The bird had been cooked ahead of our arrival, which allowed Phil time to tell us all about these brilliant birds and give us all the top tips on how best to cook your Christmas turkey.
All the Kelly Bronze birds come with a meat thermometer and giblets. Phil suggests you put the giblets around the bird (a tip he learned from his mother) rather than leave them inside the cavity or cook them separately for stock. He made short work of dispelling the myths about cooking turkeys for far too long. He joked with us about not having to get up at dawn to get the turkey in or cook it for hours and hours. They should be cooked at a constant temperature of 180 degrees. If you buy a bird from Kelly Bronze (either mail order or direct from their farm or a butcher), it will come with cooking instructions. You should make sure the bird is at room temperature before putting into the oven by getting it out of the fridge 2-3 hours before cooking.
Add 1 chopped red onion, a sprig of rosemary and water to the roasting pan . We were advised not to stuff the whole bird, just the cavity. This keeps it simple and allows the heat to permeate through and reach the meat. A simple halved lemon or an orange in the cavity would also be good. The use of foil is also not recommended, as this tends to steam the skin. Start cooking your bird breast side down (to keep the meat moist). Guideline cooking times come with the birds from Kelly’s. It can be turned the right way up half way through cooking or you can also cook it for the whole time upside down. Use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast and test the juices run clear in the thigh joint. A 4.5KG bird will take about 1 hour 25 minutes, or a 6KG bird, 2 and a quarter hours. Their suggestion is to allow 500g of meat per person which does seem generous, but is allowed from a whole bird including the carcase.
Once it’s out of the oven, it’s really important to rest the bird. Leave it uncovered to prevent it continuing to cook, and just let it sit there. I was worried about the meat being cold when it’s carved onto to the plate, but this can be avoided by using piping hot plates and a hot gravy or stock.
For perfect carving, Phil showed us how to remove the breasts whole, and then slice these on a board. Drizzle over a little of the hot cooking stock and your turkey is ready to add all those lovely Christmassy trimmings!
We enjoyed watching 2 other recipes being made. The first was turkey spring rolls, made using the brown thigh or leg meat. Sliced and served in pancake rolls (as you would with crispy duck), with the addition of some Hoy Sin or plum sauce and some finely shredded spring onion and cucumber this was a tempting and innovative way to use the brown meat.
The second idea used cold breast meat, sliced and added to buttered bread, with the addition of cranberry sauce and pieces of brie. The buttered sandwiches were then griddled (on a nifty device which fitted over the NEFF hob). Once the bread had taken on the griddle marks, the butter had melted and the cheese had turned molten, the toasties were ready to serve. And how delicious they were! This is a recipe I will definitely be making for my family this Christmas.