Looking to liven up your Thanksgiving turkey? Maybe you could serve it with mangoes. That’s an option mentioned in the 1812 American cookery: or, the art of dressing viands, fish, poultry, and vegetables. . . adopted to this country and all grades of life, which is on display in A Taste of History. Here’s the complete recipe:
To Stuff and Roast a Turkey or Fowl
One pound of soft wheat bread, three ounces beef suet, three eggs, a little sweet thyme, marjoram, pepper and salt and some add a gill of wine; fill the bird therewith and sew up, hang down to a solid steady fire, basting frequently with butter and water, and roast until a steam emits from the breast, put one third of a pound of butter into the gravy, dust flour over the bird and baste with the gravy; serve up with boiled onions and cramberry sauce, mangoes, pickles or celery.
2. Others omit the sweet herbs and add parsley done with potatoes
3. boil and mash three pints potatoes, moisten them with butter, add sweet herbs, pepper, salt, fill and roast as above.
Or for a real thrill, you could pull a Ben Franklin and electrocute your turkey. He claimed it made the bird especially tender. (Please note that Rosenbach Museum & Library disclaims any liability for mishaps which may occur…as they did to Franklin)
Have a wonderful holiday.