Julia Child's Thanksgiving Dinner Menu

By Yelena Jenkins

Cook Like Julia

Culinary-queen Julia Child created an unforgettable cooking legacy. From her impeccable instinct for food to her delightful on-air personality, she was more than just another good cook.

Honor her legend and delight your guests this Thanksgiving by serving an homage to Julia Child. Recipes for her Roasted Turkey, Blanched and Buttered Green Beans, Cranberry Chutney and Giblet Gravy are below. Bon Apetit!

Note: All Recipes and commentary below can be attributed to Ms. Child, and come from either TV appearances or one of her books.

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Julia Child’s Roast Turkey

From Julia Child’s appearance on Good Morning America, December 2000

Ingredients

Turkey
Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper
Celery
Onions
Lemon (to season turkey cavity, if desired)
Butter
Port or Madeira

Steps

Defrosting Frozen Turkey:
Keep the turkey in its original wrapper. A 20-pound bird takes 3 to 4 days
to defrost in the refrigerator, about 12 hours in a sinkful of water. Warning: Do not stuff your turkey in advance, since the stuffing could start to sour and spoil inside the bird; goodbye, happy holidays.
Internal temperatures: 175 degrees F at the thickest portion of the leg;
165 F in the breast; 160 F in the center of the stuffing. Stuffing amounts
are 1/2 to 3/4 cup per pound of turkey, making roughly 2 to 2 1/2 quarts
of stuffing for a 14 to 16 pound bird.
Things to Keep in Mind:
Ms. Child prefers a flavoring in the cavity (salt and paper, and a thinly sliced lemon, a small onion and a handful of celery leaves), rather than a stuffing and she cooks the stuffing separately. Make turkey stock with the neck and scraps.
Save the liver, heart, and gizzard for giblet gravy (See Giblet Gravy recipe below).
To prepare the turkey for roasting, cut out of the wishbone and cut
off the wing nubbins.
Skewer the neck skin to the backbone, and skewer or sew the cavity closed or close it with foil.
Rub the turkey with salt and vegetable oil.
Roast breast up on an oiled rack, basting rapidly every 20 minutes or so.
Start testing rapidly for doneness 20 minutes before the estimated roasting time- and note that a sure indication of approaching doneness is that turkey juices begin to exude into the pan.
High-Temperature Roasting Instructions:
In Ms. Child’s high-temperature roasting system, you start the roasting at 500 degrees F, and in 15 to 20 minutes, when the juices begin to burn, reduce the heat to 450 degrees F.
Next, add chopped vegetables (1/2 cup of chopped carrots and 1/2 cup chopped onions) and 2 cups of water to the pan, pouring in a little more
water now and then as needed to prevent burning and smoking.
A 14- pounder will roast in about 2 rather than 4 hours. High heat makes a brown and juicy turkey, but you have little control in such a hot oven, and Child thinks the slower, longer cooking produces a more tender bird.

Julia Child’s Turkey Stock

From Julia Child’s appearance on Good Morning America, December 2000

Ingredients

Turkey
Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper
Celery
Onions
Lemon (to season turkey cavity, if desired)
Butter
Port or Madeira

Steps

Simmer the turkey neck and scraps in enough water to cover them, skim off scum that rises to the surface for several minutes, then salt very lightly.
Cover loosely and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, adding water if necessary.
You may also wish to include chopped onions, carrots, and celery.
Strain and degrease.
When stock is cool, cover and either refrigerate for several days or freeze.

Julia Child's Giblet Gravy

Ingredients

Flour
Chopped Plum Tomato
Salt, Pepper, and other desired spices
Turkey Stock (see recipe)
Giblets

Steps

First make a simple sauce, as follows. Have the turkey bones chopped
or sawed into 1/2-inch pieces, and brown with a little oil in a heavy pan
with a chopped carrot, onion and celery stalk.
Sprinkle on a tablespoon of flour and brown, stirring for a minute or two.
Add a chopped plum tomato, spices, turkey stock, and water to cover.
Simmer slowly, loosely covered for two hours, adding more liquid as needed.
Peel the gizzard and add it to simmer with the rest of the ingredients, removing it after about an hour, or when it is tender.
Mince it.
Sauté the heart and liver briefly in butter, mince them, and add to the finished sauce along with the minced gizzard, simmering for several
minutes and adding, if you wish, a spoonful or so of dry Port or
Madeira.
Strain, degrease and boil down to concentrate flavor.

Julia's Blanched & Buttered Green Beans

Ingredients

6 to 8 quarts water
3 to 4 tbs. salt (1 1/2
1 1/2 pounds very fresh young green beans
1 to 2 tbs. room-temperature butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
Lemon wedges or halves, for optional garnish

Steps

Special Equipment:
A large 8-to-10 quart kettle or stockpot with cover; a perforated insert or a strainer to remove beans from water; a large bowl of ice water unless serving at once; a frying pan; 12 inches top diameter, for reheating.
Preparation:
• Bring the water and salt to a boil in the pot over high heat (with the insert in place if you are using one). Meanwhile, wash and drain the beans; snap off the stems and tails, and remove strings, if any, by pulling the stem down the sides.
• When the water is boiling vigorously, dump in the beans all at once. Clap on the cover and remove it the instant the water is again at the boil. If you have a buffalo iron or iron poker, it should be burning hot and ready to insert into the water the moment the beans go in.
• Cook at a boil for several minutes, then check frequently; they are done when they are cooked through but still have texture; they bend slightly when held horizontally by one end. Take a bite to be sure. As soon as they test done, remove them by lifting out the insert, or scooping the beans out with the strainer.
• Unless you are serving now, transfer them to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. When chilled, in 5 minutes or so scoop them out onto a clean towel.
To serve cold:
Dry them in the towel and refrigerate, where they will keep nicely until dinnertime. If stored longer, they may lose their fresh taste.
To serve hot:
Melt the butter in the large frying pan, toss in the beans, and continue tossing frequently over moderate heat until the beans are well warmed through. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and drops of lemon juice. Serve on hot plates or in a bowl and garnish, if you wish, with wedges of lemon.

Preparation Time: 10-30 Minutes

Julia's Cranberry Chutney

This crimson condiment--tart and sweet, with a touch of heat--is delicious with all kinds of hot and cold meats, and particularly good on leftover turkey sandwiches. It will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

1 large Granny Smith apple
1 lemon, medium-size
1 Cup orange juice
3 cups fresh cranberries (one 12-
3 Tbs white wine vinegar, plus more if needed
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne, plus more to taste

Steps

Halve and core the apple (peeled first, if you prefer) and dice it into small pieces, about 1 1/2 cups.
Pare 10 or so thin strips of peel from the lemon with a zester or paring knife, then trim off the ends and cut the lemon lengthwise into quarters. Cut each quarter into thin (1/4-inch) triangles.
Pour the orange juice and cranberries into a sturdy 2 or 3-quart saucepan and set over medium-high heat.
Add the apple and lemon pieces, the strips of lemon peel, vinegar, and seasonings, and stir all together. Cover the pan and bring to the boil over high heat.
Stir the ingredients, reduce the heat to medium, and cook covered for about 5 minutes, until all the cranberries have burst.
Uncover the pan, reduce the heat, and simmer for another 4 or 5 minutes, until the chutney is thick. Taste and stir in small amounts more vinegar, sugar, salt, or cayenne, as you like.
Cool to room temperature before serving. The chutney will keep in the refrigerator several weeks, or longer if you freeze it.

Julia Child's Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

8 Oz sweet or semi sweet baking chocolate, melted with:
1/4 Cup strong coffee
3 Oz unsalted butter (6
3 Egg yolks
1 Cup heavy cream (make sure it's the heavy variety)
3 Egg whites
1/4 Cup instant (finely ground) sugar
Optional: Whipped cream for garnish or decoration

Steps

Beat the soft butter into the smoothly melted chocolate.
One by one, beat in the egg yolks.
Beat the cream over ice until it leaves light traces on the surface.
Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. While beating, sprinkle in the sugar by spoonfuls and continue beating until stiff shining peaks are formed.
Scrape the chocolate mixture down the side of the egg-white bowl, and delicately fold in the whipped cream.
Turn the mousse into attractive serving bowls. Cover and chill several hours. You may wish to decorate the mousse with swirls of whipped cream, or to pass whipped cream separately.

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