Prudy's Online Thanksgiving Hotline

Gotta Question about Thanksgiving? I'm here. I'm not wearing a bonnet and I'm not scattering corn for tom turkey, but your old Pru is right here.

I'll be answering questions all day as they come in. I promise to check back every hour or so, so lay down your worries, your fears, your trepidations on old Prudy. I'll add new responses to the top of the list all day long.

Bewildered in Buckatunna said “Okay, Prudy, here's a question: I made some homemade pie crusts a few weeks ago (BEFORE you posted your tutorial)froze them, rolled them out a little while ago and now I want to bake them without filling them first. How long and at what temperature? I'm getting varying degrees from my internet search and the pie crust recipe does not have instructions to bake without filling. I looked in your tutorial, but I might have missed it. It's an all shortening crust.
For prebaking piecrusts the big variable is shrinkage. Prebaking crusts causes them to shrink, but if that isn’t an issue, then you can safely bake them at 350 for 10 minutes. (I recommend an egg yolk wash for custard pies-see wiley family question below.) If you are worried about shrinkage, you will need to fill the pie with weights, which will increase the baking time. PLEASE do not go and buy pie weights! I fit a piece of foil into the pie pan on top of the crust and fill it with dried beans or rice. (Save the beans or rice to use as permanent pie weights, since they are no longer fit to eat.) With the pie weights in the crust, you’ll want to increase your baking time to 16 minutes at 350. That should do the trick nicely!

#6 Heather asked "Any suggestions for make ahead mashed potatoes. I have a 3 hour gap between when I need to be done with the prep and when we eat. I'm hoping to not have to resort to dried potatoes."
The problem with early prep on the mashed potatoes is that they tend to collapse and lose their fluffiness. You can make them two hours early and put them in a crock pot, but after that their structure begins to break down. But you know what? They’re still absolutely delicious when flatter. When I have to make them ahead of time (up to 24 hours ahead), I try to capitalize on the denser texture and make them ultra-rich. I boil about 5 pounds of potatoes in salted water, then mash them with about 6 tablespoons butter, 1 cup half and half and a 8 ounces of cream cheese. Season to taste with salt and lots of freshly ground pepper. Pile them into a buttered 9 by 13 and dot the top with butter. Reheat them in the oven for about 25 minutes on 350. They’re incredibly fantastic!

#5 wileyfamilyof5 said...
Can I make pumpkin pie today or will it go soggy by tomorrow?? I use to make it like my grandmother by cooking the filling like a custard and put in baked shell when you serve it, but my husband wants a traditional pie.
The best way to prevent your pumpkin pie crust from going soggy from an early bake is to prebake your crust with an egg-yolk wash. Brush the insides of the raw dough in the pie pan with a beaten egg yolk. Bake for 10 minutes on 350. It’ll help create a barrier between the custard and the crust. That being said, custard pies tend to have denser, less flaky crust underneath the filling. And that’s OK. Bake your pies today, refrigerate them tonight ONLY if you like them chilled, either way-they’ll be delicious tomorrow.

#4 Jenny Penny asked:
This year, my husband is deep frying the turkey. So, my question is about gravy. Since we will have no pan drippings , can I still make gravy? In years past, we've used store bought gravy when we deep fried the turkey, but I don't like the store bought stuff. Any suggestions?

I can’t blame you for not liking the store bought stuff. It’s an impostor that only LOOKS like gravy. Gravy is a Thanksgiving staple, so you’ve got to get some on that table, even if you smoke, fry or grill your turkey. First of all, start of by making the gravy base HERE which is basically a cider and broth reduction thickened with cream and a flour/butter roux. Next, you’re going to create some flavorful drippings by dusting lightly in flour and browning in butter some inexpensive, bony poultry pieces. Chicken wings and drumsticks work great, and you can even toss in the turkey neck that they store in the turkey cavity (thank goodness for euphemisms!). When you’ve browned your meat, remove it from the pan, and freeze it for another day when you’re ready for it. Deglaze the cooking pan with about 1 cup chicken broth, scraping up all of the lovely browned bits. Add them to your gravy base and you’ll be a happy camper and a happy turkey smoker, too.

#3 Mom 24 wrote: In light of the economy, I went for one of those super-cheap supermarket birds. Now I'm suffering buyers remorse. It's been injected with a saline solution so I can't brine the bird. Do you think it will still be good? It's a 20 pound bird, so it's going to need to cook for quite a while. Any advice?

Mom 24, this is an excellent question. The cheapest turkeys come pre-brined and that scares many of us away from hunting the best deal. But never fear. You can brine anyway! It helps to remove the commercial brine flavor and injects the turkey with lots of juicy good flavor. The only difference is that I do use half the salt in my brining solution. Brine your 20 lb. turkey in 10 gallons of water with ½ cup table salt (or 1 cup kosher salt). You can add a bit of sugar, thyme, allspice, and lots of black pepper. I promise you’ll have a juicy fat bird with a fatter pocket book to boot.

#2 Michal (it’s a she-don’t you just love that name for a girl?) wrote:

thanksgiving questions? i'm wondering about a new sweet potato recipe. something that doesn't compete with dessert in sweetness. any ideas?

Michal, some people love a little sweet on their plate to balance out the savory flavors of turkey, stuffing and gravy. Then there are others that prefer their sugar to be called dessert and to be served after the meal. I can appreciate both camps, but on Thanksgiving, I like my sweet potatoes to be on the less sweet side also. Here’s my favorite recipe for a sweet potato dish, balanced with tart apples a spike of orange juice and a not-too-sweet brown sugar streusel.
Bake 2 large yams until tender in the microwave, about ten minutes. Peel and slice into rounds. Pierce 2 whole green apples with fork and microwave for two minutes on high, just to soften a little. Slice into unpeeled rounds. Layer slices of peeled sweet potato and unpeeled green apples in a butter 8 inch baking dish. Between each layer, dot with a little butter and sprinkle with chopped pecans and tablespoon of brown sugar for each layer. When you’ve finished, in a separate bowl combine 1/3 cup brown sugar, ½ cup orange juice, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour over the top and bake for 40 minutes at 325.

From Brent and Tracie:

#1. " It is just my hubby, me, our toddler and infant so we aren't making a large turkey. I purchased a frozen whole turkey breast and was thinking of cooking it in the crockpot. Do you have any general suggestions or specific seasoning suggestions? I haven't found a recipe yet."

That sounds like a cozy Thanksgiving for four! It's a great idea to use a turkey breast for smaller crowds. Its actually kind of nice to not deal with bones, carving, carcasses, etc. I've got a great, easy recipe for you: Place 4 tablespoons butter in the bottom of your crockpot. Cover with your turkey breast (seasoned all over with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper and 1/2 teaspoon dried sage). Pour over 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1 cup cranberry sauce. Let cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5. It'll be tender and delicious with a fantastic sauce. Enjoy with your sweet little family!

Next question: Bring it on!