Turkey Gravy

Based on Bon Appétit Good Gravy 

• 3 lb. turkey and/or chicken wings, flats and drumettes separated

• 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 2 heads of garlic, cut in half crosswise

• 1 onion, unpeeled, halved

• 1 4" piece ginger, thickly sliced

• 4 oz. white mushrooms, torn into large pieces

• 2 tsp. black peppercorns, lightly crushed

• 6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1/4 cup water
• 3Tbs apple juice
• 1.5 tsp tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon soy sauce

• Handful of parsley or parsley stems

• 6 cups turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth, warmed

• 2 tsp. red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp. MSG

• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 450°. Toss wings in a large cast-iron skillet with 2 Tbsp. oil until coated. Roast, tossing halfway through, until golden brown and starting to crisp, 25–35 minutes.

Remove wings from oven and add garlic, shallots, ginger, mushrooms, peppercorns,
and remaining 2 Tbsp. oil to pan; toss to coat. Return to oven and roast, tossing
halfway through, until wings are deeply browned and crisp and vegetables
are browned, 30–40 minutes more.

Meanwhile, make a buerre manié by mashing together flour and butter in a small bowl with your fingers/fork until homogenous. Set aside.

Remove skillet from oven and set on stovetop over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup apple juice, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce and use in place of 1/2 c sherry (because I never have that) and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until sherry is almost completely reduced, about 2 minutes.

Scrape wings and aromatics into a medium pot and add parsley and stock. Bring to a low simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer gently, skimming fat from surface occasionally and turning wings so both sides get a chance to be submerged, until liquid is flavorful, mahogany in color, and reduced by about one-third, 30–40 minutes.

Fish out wings; discard. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring glass; discard solids. Rinse out pot and pour turkey mixture back in. Bring to a simmer over medium. Whisking constantly, add reserved beurre manié and whisk until completely incorporated. Simmer, whisking often and skimming any foam from surface, until gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon, 6–8 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vinegar and MSG. Taste gravy and season with salt and pepper if desired.
Do Ahead: Gravy (without vinegar and MSG) can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill. Reheat over medium until simmering, then add vinegar and MSG.
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Remove wings from oven and add garlic, shallots, ginger, mushrooms, peppercorns, and remaining 2 Tbsp. oil to pan; toss to coat. Return to oven and roast, tossing halfway through, until wings are deeply browned and crisp and vegetables are browned, 30–40 minutes more.

Paul's Birthday Cheesecake

 

• Crust
• 12 whole graham cracker, blended into crumbs
• 5 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

• 2 Tbs sugar
• pinch of salt

• Filling
• 2lbs full fat cream cheese
• 2 c sugar
• 3 Tbs flour
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ c full fat sour cream
• 6 eggs

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• Equipment
• Stand mixer
• 10" springform pan
• Roaster pan, large enough to hold the 10" pan (I use a large disposable roaster pan)
• Tin foil

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• Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. 
• Move an oven rack to lower-middle of the oven.
• Wrap the springform in foil as best possible to prevent water from entering the cheesecake while it cooks in the water bath. A little water will likely seep in, but after it cools, it will just fine.
• Butter the inside of a 10" springform pan. 
• Heat several cups of water in a saucepan. (You will need several cups of boiling water before you put the cake in the oven for a water bath.)

• Crust:
•  Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and salt in the springform pan, with your hands, until it feels like wet sand and hold together when pressed. Press the mixture evenly across the bottom of the pan and slightly up the sides.
• Bake for 10-minutes, until it smells toasty. Set aside.

• Filling:
•  Whip the cream cheese in a stand mixer, on med-high speed, until smooth (you can bring the cream cheese to room temp to make it easier, but just whipping it for a few minutes does just fine). 
• Add the sugar, flour, and salt and whip until combined. Scrape bottom and sides.
• Add vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sour cream. Mix on low-med speed until combined. Scrape bottom and sides.
• Mix on low, adding one egg at a time, mixing until each egg is combined before adding the next.  It might begin looking lumpy, but it will combine as you continue stirring. Scrape bottom and sides, making sure all the ingredients are mixed. 
• The batter should look thick and creamy. If you have small cream cheese lumps at this point, don't worry. They will blend when cooked. 
• Mix by hand a few times, scraping the sides and bottom.

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• Baking:
•  Pour the filling into the pan. Place the springform pan in the roaster, and gently pour the boiling water into the roaster, until the water is about 1" up the outside of the springform pan. 
• Bake for about 90 minutes, until the internal temp is 165-degrees. Turn off the oven and open the door. Let the cake cool for about 1 hour. Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to cool. 

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• Helpful links:
• How to Make the Perfect Cheesecake from The Kitchn
• America's Test Kitchen Foolproof NY Cheesecake

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