PERFECTABLY PEELABLE STEAM-BOILED EGGS

Perfectly Peelable Steam-Boiled Eggs

• TIME
Around 10 minutes

If your goal is perfectly smooth, blemish-free boiled eggs that jump out of their shells every single time, I’ve got bad news: No technique in the world can promise that level of perfection. But armed with data from scientific tests done with more than 90 testers and more than 700 boiled eggs, this technique for boiled eggs — technically steamed, as they cook in just an inch of water — will maximize your odds. Fresher eggs will take slightly longer to peel, but they should peel just as cleanly as older eggs. The eggs in this recipe should be cooked straight from the refrigerator; reduce cooking times by 1 minute if using room-temperature eggs.

INGREDIENTS

• Up to 12 eggs (see note)

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PREPARATION

1 Find a lidded saucepan large enough to allow your eggs to comfortably fit on the bottom in a single layer. Add 1 inch of water, cover, and bring to a boil.

2 Gently lower eggs into the saucepan using a slotted spoon or a steamer basket. (It’s O.K. if the eggs are partly submerged on the bottom of the pot, or elevated on a steamer rack and not submerged at all.) Cook eggs, adjusting the burner to maintain a vigorous boil, 6 minutes for a warm liquid yolk and firm whites, 8 1/2 minutes for a translucent, fudgy yolk, or 11 minutes for a yolk that is just barely firm all the way through.

3 Drain eggs, then peel and eat immediately, or transfer them to a plate and allow them to cool naturally before storing in the refrigerator for up to a week directly in their shell. (A small dot made with a permanent marker on the top of each cooked egg will ensure you don’t mix them up with the raw eggs.) Do not shock them in an ice bath after cooking; this makes them more difficult to peel.

Tip

• On a regular home burner, you can cook as many eggs as will fit in a single layer in your pot, up to around a dozen. (Any more and the temperature in the pot will affect cooking.) A steamer basket is not necessary, but it can help you raise and lower eggs gently, preventing accidental cracks. If you have trouble with eggs cracking during cooking, use a pushpin to poke a small hole through the shell on the fat end of the eggs. (This can also help minimize the dimple that forms on the cooked egg white due to an internal air pocket.) The eggs in this recipe should be cooked straight from the refrigerator; reduce cooking times by 1 minute if using room-temperature eggs.

BUTTERMILK SWEET POTATO PANCAKES

Buttermilk sweet potato pancakes are delicious and get great reviews.

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup nut pieces, pecans or walnuts (optional)
Oil or butter for grill or frying pan

Mix together butter, brown sugar and egg with mixer. Add sweet potatoes and vanilla extract, continue mixing. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and add to creamed mixture along with buttermilk. Fold in nuts. Melt about 2 tablespoons butter or use 2 tablespoons of oil and cook pancakes 2 to 3 minutes on each side on hot griddle or in skillet. Makes about 10 pancakes

POTATO PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• salt, pepper
• vegetable oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

• If using food processor: peel and cube the potatoes and onion. Place the vegetables in food processor and process for about 2 minutes, until potatoes look "grated" and no lumps remain. If using grater: peel the potatoes and onion and grate.
• Place the potato mixture into a fine strainer or kitchen towel and try to squeeze almost all of the liquid into a mixing bowl.
• Discard the liquid. You'll notice white powder on the bottom of the bowl after you pour the liquid out. It is potato starch and it gives texture to the pancakes, so you should keep it.
• Return the potato mixture into the bowl and add egg, flour, with some salt and pepper, and mix everything well.
• Heat up some vegetable oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add a spoonful of potato mixture, spreading it slightly. Fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until the pancakes are crispy and brown.
• Place the pancakes on a paper towel, to absorb the excess oil

TURDUCKEN

Paul Prudhomme’s Turducken

Ingredients

• Cornbread:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• ¾ cup corn flour (NOTE: Also available at many health and international food stores)
• 1 cup sugar
• 7½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Chef Paul Prudhomme's Vegetable Magic®
• 2 cups milk
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 whole egg, beaten
• ***
• Poultry Stock:
• Reserved carcasses of turkey, chicken, or duck (or all three)
• 2 gallons water
• ***
• Roasted Vegetables for Sweet Potato Eggplant Gravy:
• 2 pounds whole eggplants (about 2)
• 4½ pounds medium onions, whole (about 6)
• 3 pounds sweet potatoes, while (about 4)
• 6 ounces garlic, whole (about 2)
• vegetable oil
• ***
• Andouille Sausage Dressing:
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, in all
• 2½ pounds (ground - 8 cups) Chef Paul Prudhomme's Andouille Smoked Sausage (See Note)
• 5 cups chopped onions
• 3 cups chopped celery
• 2½ cups chopped green bell peppers
• ¼ cup minced garlic
• 7 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Pepper Sauce®
• 5 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Meat Magic®
• 3 cups very fine dry breadcrumbs, unseasoned (preferably French bread)
• ***
• Cornbread Dressing:
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 eggs
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, in all
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 cups finely chopped onions
• 2 cups finely chopped green bell peppers
• 1¾ cup finely chopped celery
• 1½ tablespoons minced garlic
• 4 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic®
• 4 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Pepper Sauce®
• 2 pounds duck or chicken giblets, ground
• 8 cups roughly crumbled Cornbread
• ***
• Shrimp Dressing:
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, in all
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 cups chopped onions
• 4 cups chopped celery
• 3 cups chopped green bell peppers
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 7 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic®
• 1½ pounds shrimp, peeled and chopped
• 3 cups very fine dry bread crumbs, unseasoned (preferably French bread)
• 1 cup Poultry Stock
• ***
• For the Turducken:
• 1 chicken (3-4 pounds)
• 1 duckling (5-6 pounds)
• 1 turkey (15-20 pounds)
• 2 pounds duck or chicken giblets
• 2½ pounds Chef Paul Prudhomme's Andouille Smoked Sausage
• 1½ pounds shrimp, peeled
• 9 cups celery, chopped (total)
• 7 tablespoons garlic, minced (total)
• 8 cups green bell peppers, chopped
• 12 cups onions, chopped (total)
• 2 garlic heads, whole
• 4½ pounds medium onions, whole (about 6)
• 3 pounds sweet potatoes, whole (about 4)
• 2 pounds whole eggplants (about 2)
• 3 whole eggs
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups milk
• 5 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 7½ teaspoons baking powder
• 7 bay leaves
• ¾ cup corn flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 cups very fine dry breadcrumbs, unseasoned (preferably French bread)
• 21 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Meat Magic®
• 4 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic®
• 7 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic®
• 1 teaspoon Chef Paul Prudhomme's Vegetable Magic®
• 11 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Pepper Sauce®
• 1 (15x11inch) baking pan, at least 2 1/4 inches deep
• 1 pan larger than the 15x11 inch pan
• 3 metal or bamboo skewers
• 6 sheet pans
• vegetable oil
• aluminum foil
• 1 small hammer

Instructions

1. Cornbread:
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. In a large bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, corn flour, sugar, baking powder and Vegetable Magic®; mix well, breaking up any lumps. In a separate bowl combine the milk, butter and egg and add to the dry ingredients; blend just until mixed and large lumps are dissolved. Do not overbeat.
4. Pour the mixture into a lightly oiled baking pan and bake at 350°F until golden brown, about 40-55 minutes. Remove from pan, cool and break into crumbs (not too fine, and leave some coarser chunks for texture).
5. Poultry Stock:
6. In a stock pot, or other large pot, bring 2 gallons of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
7. Place the reserved bones and necks in a roasting pan. Place in the oven and roast until the bones are a rich golden brown, about 30 minutes. As soon as the carcasses are browned, place them in the pot.
8. Simmer until the stock has reduced by half and has a rich poultry flavor, about 2 to 3 hours. Strain and refrigerate until ready to use.
9. Roasted vegetables for sweet potato gravy:
10. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
11. Rub all the vegetables lightly with vegetable oil. Place the oiled vegetables in a roasting pan. Place in the oven and roast until the vegetables are brown on the outside and the eggplants are deeply wrinkled, about 2½ hours. Remove the eggplants, onions and garlic and set aside to cool. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F and return the sweet potatoes to the oven. Continue to roast until brown juices are beginning to come out of the potatoes, about 30 minutes.
12. When cool enough to handle, peel and coarsely chop the eggplants, onions and sweet potatoes. Peel the garlic and mash with a fork. Refrigerate the ingredients separately until ready to use in Sweet Potato Eggplant Gravy.
13. For the Andouille Sausage Dressing:
14. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 5-quart pot over high heat. When the butter is melted, add the ground andouille. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom frequently to prevent sticking, until the andouille is beginning to brown and the oil is beginning to render from the andouille, about 6 minutes.
15. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent, but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, bell peppers and garlic. Continue to cook, stirring and scraping frequently, until the celery and bell peppers are faded in color, about 4 minutes.
16. Add the Magic Pepper Sauce® and Meat Magic®. Stir and scrape until mixed in well and the brown crust on the bottom of the pot is dissolved. Remove the pot from the heat and add the remaining butter. Stir until the butter is melted.
17. Fold in the half of the breadcrumbs, using a bottom to top folding motion. When mixed in well, fold in the remaining breadcrumbs. Continue to fold until the breadcrumbs are evenly moistened but still somewhat dry and cakey.
18. Remove from heat and spread on a sheet pan as thinly as possible. Refrigerate sheet pan in the coldest part of the refrigerator until dressing is very cold. (Note: The goal is to chill the dressing as quickly as possible. Spreading the dressing in a thin layer on a sheet pan allows it to cool very quickly. In our refrigerator, this took a little over 1 hour.)
19. NOTE: If you are not using Andouille, add 1 to 2 more tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Meat Magic® for a fuller flavor.
20. For Cornbread Dressing:
21. Process the eggs and milk together in a blender at medium speed until fully combined, about 20 seconds. Set aside.
22. Spread the crumbled Cornbread on a sheet pan and bake in a 300°F oven until the crumbs are dry and a touch of brown is showing on the larger pieces, about 30 minutes.
23. In a 5-quart pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter together with the bay leaves. Add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are beginning to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers, celery, garlic, Poultry Magic® and Magic Pepper Sauce.
24. Cook, stirring and scraping frequently, until the onions are beginning to brown and the celery and bell peppers are faded in color, about 4 minutes. Add the giblets. Stir until the giblets are fully cooked, but not browned, and the seasoning has a rich flavor, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and remove from the heat. Stir well until butter is melted. Remove bay leaves.
25. Put the baked crumbled cornbread in a large mixing bowl. Fold in the milk/egg mixture, then fold in the vegetable mixture until evenly mixed.
26. Spread the dressing on a sheet pan as thinly as possible. Refrigerate sheet pan in the coldest part of the refrigerator until dressing is very cold. (Note: The goal is to chill the dressing as quickly as possible. Spreading the dressing in a thin layer on a sheet pan allows it to cool very quickly. In our refrigerator, this took a little over 1 hour). Bake at 350° until browned on top.
27. For the shrimp dressing:
28. Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a 5-quart pot together with the bay leaves over high heat. When butter is melted, add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are beginning to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes.
29. Add the celery, bell peppers, garlic, and Seafood Magic®. Cook, stirring frequently, until the celery and bell peppers are faded in color, about 4 minutes. Add the shrimp and stir in well. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and stir until butter is melted. Add half of the breadcrumbs.
30. Cook, stirring constantly, until the breadcrumbs are fully moistened and blended in, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining breadcrumbs and continue to stir until all the breadcrumbs are mixed in, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, pull out bay leaves and stir in the Poultry Stock. The dressing should be bound and thick but not wet.
31. Spread the dressing on a sheet pan as thinly as possible. Refrigerate sheet pan in the coldest part of the refrigerator until dressing is very cold. (Note: The goal is to chill the dressing as quickly as possible. Spreading the dressing in a thin layer on a sheet pan allows it to cool very quickly. In our refrigerator, this took a little over 1 hour.)
32. For the Turducken:
33. The complete Turducken recipe can be found in Chef Paul Prudhomme's Always Cooking! Cookbook. You can purchase the cookbook and a sampling of four of our seasoning blends (2-oz. Poultry Magic®, 2-oz. Meat Magic®, 2-oz Seafood Magic®, and 2-oz. Vegetable Magic®) for only $19.95! *Please note: Our 4-PK Sampler is not sufficient to make the entire Turducken Recipe, and additional seasoning and ingredients are needed. If you have questions about items needed for preparation, please give us a call toll-free at 1-800-457-2857.
34. Since the Turducken takes about 8 hours to cook (and then it needs to cool at least 1 hour before it's carved), you will need to plan your time wisely. First, be sure your oven temperature control is accurate by using (or purchasing) an inexpensive oven thermometer to monitor the oven's temperature instead of relying on the oven temperature control. Otherwise, your Turducken may take considerably less or more time than you have planned.
35. The quickest way to prepare your Turducken is to get friends or family members to help make the dressings and de-bone the fowl. (If you're on your own, you will need to allow more time for preparation of the Turducken.)
36. We get letters every year from "Turducken Teams" - friends and relatives who gather together to make (and eat!) their Turduckens as a group activity! It might be fun to take pictures along the way so that you can look back and have "Turducken" memories year-round!
37. It's also nice to serve additional dressing in bowls at the table, so our dressing recipes will make about 8 cups extra of each dressing. If you do not want to serve extra dressing with your Turducken, you can cut each dressing recipe in half.
38. If you're inexperienced at de-boning fowl, start with the turkey; because of its size, you can more easily see the bone structure. After de-boning the turkey, the duck and chicken will go much faster. And remember, each time you do a Turducken it gets easier; it doesn't take magical cooking abilities, it just takes care. What is magical is the way people eating your Turducken will feel about your food!
39. For those of you who may be intimidated by de-boning, you can ask your local butcher to do it. Just tell the butcher to de-bone everything except the turkey drumsticks and wings.
40. STEPS FOR MAKING THE TURDUCKEN:
41. An Important Note About Refrigeration: As you complete the steps for making the Turducken, you will be refrigerating the fowl and dressings. It is very important to keep the meats as cold as possible before preparing them, and to chill all the finished items as quickly as possible after preparing.
42. The best way to accomplish this is to spread the prepared items (or lay them flat in the case of the de-boned fowl) on a sheet pan and place them in the coldest part of your refrigerator. While the items are chilling, keep the refrigerator door closed as much as possible.
43. STEPS TO BE DONE ONE DAY AHEAD:
44. Prepare the Cornbread for the Cornbread Dressing
45. De-bone the turkey, chicken and duck
46. Bring the water to a simmer and prepare the Poultry Stock
47. Prepare the Roasted Vegetables for the Sweet Potato Eggplant Gravy
48. Prepare the Andouille Sausage Dressing
49. Prepare the Cornbread Dressing
50. Prepare the Shrimp Dressing
51. Assemble the Turducken - See Detail Below
52. "TURDUCKEN" DAY!
53. Bake the Turducken - See Details Below
54. Let the Turducken rest for 1 hour before serving
55. While the Turducken is resting, bake the extra dressings
56. Prepare the Sweet Potato Eggplant Gravy
57. Assemble the Turducken:
58. TURKEY: Spread the turkey, skin down, on a sheet pan exposing as much meat as possible. Sprinkle the meat generously and evenly with a total of about 4 tablespoons of the Meat Magic, patting it in with your hands. (Be sure to turn the leg, thigh and wing meat to the outside so you can season it also.)
59. Stuff each leg cavity with about 1½ cups of the Cornbread Dressing, pressing it into the cavities with your fingers or the round handle of a wooden spoon. Pack each cavity well, but not too tightly. (If too tightly packed, it may cause the skin to burst open during cooking.)
60. Stuff each wing cavity with about 1 cup of the cornbread dressing, pressing it in as before.
61. Fill the center of the breast cleavage with about 1 cup of the cornbread dressing. Shape the dressing with your hands to fit the space and smooth it so that it is level with the rest of the breast meat. Shape 2-3 cups of the dressing into an even layer over the remaining exposed meat, about ¾-inch thick. (Do not put any dressing over the exposed skin flap at the neck.) You should use about 8 - 9 cups dressing. Return the stuffed bird to the refrigerator.
62. Place the remaining dressing in a baking pan. Cover with plastic or foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
63. DUCK: Place the duck, skin down, on a sheet pan. Season the exposed duck meat generously and evenly with about 3 tablespoons Meat Magic, pressing it in with your hands. Then, place the Andouille Dressing on the duck meat, using the same technique as before, filling and leveling the cleavage area first, then making an even layer over the meat, about ½-inch thick. You should use about 4 cups dressing. Return the stuffed bird to the refrigerator.
64. Place the remaining dressing in a baking pan. Cover with plastic or foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
65. CHICKEN: Arrange the chicken, skin down, evenly on a sheet pan. Season the exposed chicken meat generously and evenly with about 1 tablespoon Meat Magic, pressing it in with your hands. Repeat the filling process with the Shrimp Dressing, using about 3 cups of dressing and making the layer about ½-inch thick. Return the stuffed bird to the refrigerator.
66. Place the remaining dressing in a baking pan. Cover with plastic or foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
67. ASSEMBLY: Have the 3 skewers, 15 x 11-inch baking pan and the larger pan nearby for the next steps. Starting with the chicken: Roll one side of the chicken around the dressing towards the middle. Repeat with the other side, returning the bird to a chicken shape. If necessary, use a skewer to hold the flaps together.
68. Place the rolled up chicken on top of the stuffed duck, placing it in the center and rolling up the duck meat around the chicken. Use a skewer to close the flaps of the duck. When the duck is securely skewered, pull out the skewer from the chicken.
69. Place the rolled up duck/chicken on top of the turkey, placing it in the center and rolling up the turkey meat around the duck/chicken in the same way as before. Fold the sides (and neck flap) of the turkey together and secure them by piercing them onto the tip of the skewer to close the bird. Invert the 15 x 11-inch baking pan and place it over the top of the Turducken.
70. Pull out the skewer and press down so that the pan is firmly wedged on top of the bird. Enlist another person's help to carefully turn the Turducken over so that it is sitting breast side up in the 15 x 11-inch pan. Roll up two pieces of aluminum foil and place them under the front and back openings of the Turducken (this will help to keep the stuffing from falling out of the openings.) Cover the tips of the wings with aluminum foil.
71. Place the Turducken pan in the larger pan with sides at least 2½-inches deep, so that the larger pan will catch the overflow of drippings during cooking. Season the exposed side of the Turducken generously and evenly with about 3 tablespoons more Meat Magic, patting it in gently. Refrigerate the Turducken until ready to bake.
72. Bake the Turducken:
73. Place the Turducken in the oven. Bake at 225°F until done, about 8 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted through to the center reads 165°F.
74. At 4 hours: Cover the Turducken with aluminum foil.
75. At 7 hours: Prepare the Sweet Potato Eggplant Gravy
76. At 8 hours: Check temperature in the center of the Turducken. When the interior temperature reads 165°F, remove the Turducken from the oven.
77. Let the Turducken rest for 1 hour before serving
78. While the Turducken is resting, bake the extra dressings.
79. Bake the extra dressings
80. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F. Remove covers from the three dressings and place them in the oven.
81. Drain all the drippings from the Turducken and add them to the gravy.
82. At 8:40 hours: Check the dressings. If they are not browned on the top, increase the oven temperature to 425°F.
83. At 9 hours: Remove the Dressings from the oven.
84. Carve the Turducken:
85. With strong spatulas inserted underneath (remember there are no bones to support the bird's structure), carefully transfer the Turducken to a serving platter and present it to your guests before carving. Then place the Turducken on a flat surface to carve.
86. Be sure to make your slices crosswise so that each slice contains all three dressings and all three meats. Cut each slice in half for serving. Serve with a scoop of each dressing and ½ cup of the gravy, or serve additional bowls of the dressings on the side.