The turkey is the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal.  Here is a desi touch with a spicy rub to this one that will keep yout guests lips smacking.

Brine the bird in a cooler filled with water, ice, bay leaves, pepper corns and salt overnight before and prep it Thanksgiving morning. The salt opens up the cell walls so the meat proteins fill with water.

Ingredients
    One (14- to 16-lb) turkey, neck and giblets (excluding liver) reserved for turkey giblet stock        
    
The Rub:        
    3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground        
    3/4 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground        
    4 garlic cloves, chopped        
    1 (1 1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated        
    3 tablespoons vegetable oil plus additional for greasing pan        
    2 tablespoons fresh lime juice        
    1 1/2 teaspoons salt        
    1/2 teaspoon black pepper        
    1/4 teaspoon cayenne        
Method
Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Mix the rub in a blender. Rub it evenly in turkey cavities.  Then under the skin. Take a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it around your index finger.  Use the plastic and your finger to separate the skin from the bird.   Massage the rub under the skin as well. Fold neck skin under body and, if desired, secure with metal skewer, then tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks together with heavy kitchen string.

3 Put turkey on rack in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through roasting, until thermometer inserted into fleshy part of each thigh (close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F, 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours. Make a  quick glaze of honey (or just sugar water) and toasted ground cumin. Towards the end of the bake, paint the glaze on the outside skin. Do this several times and you will get a nice spicy varnish to the skin that not only looks great, but tastes great too.

Carefully tilt turkey so juices from inside large cavity run into roasting pan. Transfer turkey to a platter (do not clean roasting pan) and let stand 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 180°F). Cut off and discard string from turkey.

The  Stuffing
A simple stuffing of spices and bread.  

    1 (1 pound) loaf sliced white bread (8-10 cups)        
    3/4 cup butter        
    2 medium onion, chopped        
    1/4  cup each: Golden raisins – plumped in hot liquid (water or brandy), currents,  coarsely chopped pitted prunes, chopped almonds        
    Toasted coconut – in a 350 degree oven, for 7-16 minutes. 
    1 Tbsp. Italian parsley, coarsely chopped        
    2 teaspoons poultry seasoning        
    2 eggs beaten        
    salt and pepper to taste        
    2 tsp. paprika        
    1 tsp. cinnamon        
    2 tsp. garam masala        
    Salt and pepper to taste.        
    1 cup chicken broth        
    2 Tbsp. Half & Half cream  
    
Method

 Let bread slices air dry for 5 to 12 hours (overnight), then cut into cubes.
 Chop , parsley. In a large pan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion  until translucent. Season  with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper, paprika, cinnamon and garam masala.  Stir in fruit.Stir in bread cubes until evenly coated.  Toss in almonds. Moisten with chicken broth, half & half and beaten eggs. Lastly throw in toasted coconut.  Mix well. Chill, and use as a stuffing for turkey, or bake in a buttered casserole dish covered with foil at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.  Then bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

Turkey Bake
 Make sure to spoon the stuffing lightly into the turkey cavities. You have to get that stuffing to 165 degrees, and it won't if it's packed too tightly!
.(Timing for a stuffed bird may be slightly longer, but start checking the temperature at 1 3/4 hours.) Immediately transfer stuffing from body cavity to a shallow baking dish (separate from one for stuffing baked outside the turkey). Take temperature of stuffing in neck cavity and if less than 165°F, add it to the baking dish. Bake (covered for a moist stuffing or uncovered for a crisp top) until it reaches a minimum of 165°F. This can take 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the temperature of the oven, which you may have lowered to reheat side dishes.



Indian Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
 
    For the crust:        
     fourteen 2-inch gingersnaps (about 4 ounces)        
     1 cup almonds (about 4 ounces)        
     1/4 cup granulated sugar        
     1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter melted and cooled        
     1/2 cup sweet shredded coconut, finely chopped.    
    
    For filling:        
     1 envelope (about 1 Tbsp..) unflavored gelatin        
     2 Tbsp. brandy, rum or water        
     1 cup milk        
     3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar        
      4 large egg yolks        
     1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin        
     1 tsp.  cinnamon        
     1/2 tsp.  ground ginger        
     1/2 tsp. chopped crystallized ginger        
     1/4 tsp.  freshly grated nutmeg        
     1/4 tsp.  salt    
    3/4 cup heavy cream        
Garnish: Chopped crystallized ginger sprinkled over the just out of the oven pie. Accompaniment: Whipped cream with finely ground cardamom dolloped over the top


Preheat oven to 350°F.

1. Make the crust: In a food processor grind gingersnaps, almonds, coconut and sugar fine and add butter, blending until combined well. Press mixture onto bottom and up side of a 9-inch (1-quart) glass pie plate. Bake crust in middle of oven 15 minutes, or until crisp and golden around edge, and cool on rack.

2. Make filling:  In a small bowl sprinkle gelatin over brandy, rum, or water and let stand.  In a heavy saucepan whisk together milk, brown sugar, yolks, pumpkin, spices, and salt and cook over moderately low heat, whisking, until mixture registers 160°F. on a candy thermometer. Remove pan from heat and immediately add gelatin mixture, whisking until gelatin is completely dissolved.

3. Transfer filling to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and cool, stirring constantly, just until the consistency of raw egg white. Remove bowl from ice water.

4. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat cream until it holds stiff peaks and whisk about one fourth into filling to lighten.

5. Fold in remaining cream gently but thoroughly and pour filling into crust. Chill pie until set, at least 3 hours and up to 24, covered with plastic wrap after 1 hour.

6. Top each serving with whipped cream and garnish with chopped crystallized ginger.

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