Christmas Turkey

14 April 2010

I was in the grip of ennui. Didn’t feel much like writing, let alone blog. The thing that really kept me stirred was exploration in the Web. Then I began watching “The Big Bang Theory” when my daughter Ann told me about it and I got my laughs. I am again energised. The other day May, in one of our casual conversations, mentioned that she really liked Joan’s Christmas turkey.

We spent last Christmas in Perth (Western Australia) with our daughters, Ann and Joan, who are working there. Christmas in Perth is the same as in Singapore, and, as I believe, elsewhere in the world. It has been hijacked into a holiday festivity. The true meaning of Christmas is vague except to those who really believe. Last Christmas was an intimate family only affair, just us and the dogs, Harry and Rosie. We had our usual Christmas Eve dinner. Joan baked a Christmas turkey.

The great thing about Joan’s turkey was that it was moist and succulent. Most turkey I had eaten had been dry. As Joan explained to me, the trick to a moist baked turkey is to stuff butter under the skin of the turkey and to bake it in a roasting bag, making sure that its inner temperature does not go over 175 degree C. The traditional turkey stuffing appears grey, looks and tastes somewhat weird. We never did like it. In its place Joan stuffed a cut apple, some onions and fresh sage. They added a pleasing and subtle fragrance to the turkey.

The best part was eating that turkey with whole cranberry sauce perked up with orange zest. Yum, yum.