Jim Coleman: Your guide to making moist stuffing, savory gravy & fine wine

Q. This is the first year that I am responsible for cooking the entire Thanksgiving meal. I plan to use the brining method for the turkey, however, I do have three questions. What are the secrets to making good turkey gravy? As far as the stuffing, I have tried baking it in a covered casserole, but have never gotten satisfactory results. Does baking it in an uncovered casserole result in a dry stuffing? My last question is: What is the best wine to serve with Thanksgiving dinner?

- Monica C.

A. Monica, I am curious as to how you got stuck with the whole Thanksgiving meal. Did you lose a bet? I know lots of people get nervous about having to cook the whole shebang, but this does not have to be stressful. Most of your Thanksgiving dinner, including the things you asked about, can be made ahead of time and then reheated on Thursday.

Your busy day in the kitchen should be Wednesday. Thursday should simply be spent putting everything in the oven and watching football.

Here are a few tips to help your Thanksgiving dinner go smoothly. By the way, I agree with you that brining is a great way to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey, even though when I first heard about it I made fun of the idea. After I tried it I was sold on the method and have used it ever since.

The rule of thumb with brining is one cup of kosher salt (do not use table salt) per gallon of water plus whatever seasoning you want to add. I know that no one has room in his refrigerator to brine an 18-pound turkey. You can fill an ice cooler with your brining solution, submerge your turkey and then cover the liquid with ice. Here in the Northeast, a lot of Thanksgiving eve nights are cold enough (38 degrees or cooler) that I can just leave my turkey in a large covered pot outside. A couple of times it's been so cold I've had to break through a layer of ice to get to the turkey.

There is no way that even a large turkey will give you enough pan juices to make your gravy. Instead, use the pan juices to baste the uncovered stuffing while it cooks to give it that true "stuffed" flavor and to keep it from drying out. Add any leftover pan juices to the prepared gravy to give it added flavor.

As far as wine goes, by all means, drink what you like. Do not feel that you have to serve white wine simply because it's turkey. You are having a party. Have both red and white and plenty of it - the worst thing you can do is run out! I think an Italian rose works extremely well. Not white zinfandel, a true rose. As far as reds go, stay away from a heavy Cabernet-style wine. Beaujolais seems to complement turkey, or you can try something like a light fruity merlot. Inexpensive sauvignon blanc from New Zealand or Australia will work. A light pinot grigio from Italy will do the trick, and a dry Riesling is an excellent choice.

TURKEY GRAVY

Turkey neck, gizzard, liver, and heart from the package that comes inside the turkey

8 cups chicken broth (low-sodium)

6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary

3/4 cup half & half

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Turkey pan drippings (optional)

Cut the turkey neck into 3 pieces. Put the chicken broth, neck, gizzard and the heart in a large saucepot. Add the garlic, onions, carrots, celery and wine. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to keep liquid at a light simmer. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, then add the liver and simmer for about 30 more minutes. When the gizzard becomes somewhat tender, you know it is finished.

While the broth is cooking, add the butter and flour to a saucepan over low heat. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes to make a roux, then let the mixture cool.

Remove the giblets and the neck from the broth. (If you are planning to use these items in the gravy, cool them until you can handle them easily and then remove the meat from the neck and trim the outside rough cartilage from the gizzard and heart.) Strain the broth through a strainer, pressing all the liquid from the vegetables. Place the liquid back in the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Whisk in the roux, one tablespoon at a time, until the gravy is about as thick as you want it to be. Add the herbs, half & half, and salt and pepper and reduce the heat to a simmer.

To make a true giblet gravy, chop all the giblets and the neck meat and add the desired amount back into the sauce. (The gravy will still taste great without the giblets - use according to personal preference.) Adjust seasoning with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

If you are making this the day before, cool it to room temperature and refrigerate until the next day. Reheat the gravy after you pull the turkey out of the oven and allow it to rest 20 to 30 minutes before carving. This is also the perfect time to heat the stuffing in the oven. As soon as the bird is taken from the oven, pour the pan drippings into a bowl and spoon off the fat from the top. Use the pan drippings to baste the stuffing as well as add to the gravy at the last minute for flavor. Make sure to take the stuffing out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before heating to take the chill off, and turn your oven up to 400 degrees. In the end, by doing it this way, your stuffing will not dry out and will absorb the turkey juices more than if it was stuffed inside the turkey.

Chef Jim Coleman, corporate chef at Normandy Farm and Blue Bell Country Club, is the author of three cookbooks and hosts two nationally syndicated shows: "A Chef's Table," noon Saturdays on WHYY (91-FM); and "Flavors of America," 1 p.m. Saturdays on Channel 12, and 4:30 p.m. weekdays on CN8. He and his wife, writer Candace Hagan, will answer questions.

E-mail ChefColeman@aol.com.