By Times Staff
Kelli Petri, a graduate of Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, is the owner and executive chef of Danvers-based Kelli Petri Catering and Relished Delivered Meals. Petri has recently appeared on a number of live shows on the Taste of the Times that have focused on preparing and executing the perfect Thanksgiving meal.
In today's Living section she focuses on the proper way to carve your Thanksgiving turkey, but online at the Taste of the Times, which can be found at gloucestertimes.com/food, she offers a number of ideas on what to do with all those leftovers. Also featured this week is a video and recipe for pumpkin bread pudding by Periwinkles' Executive Chef Thomas "Raff" Rafferty.
Taste of the Times is Cape Ann's first exclusive recipes on demand network, offering hundreds of videos and thousands of recipes from local chefs and restaurants, as well as more well-known celebrity chefs. With a massive database full of videos and recipes that continues to grow, cooking is made easier in just a few clicks.
HOW TO: Properly carve your Thanksgiving turkey
Step 1: After letting the turkey rest for at least 30 minutes, start by carving the top of the breast along the breast bone. As you slice down, be sure to follow the curvature of the bone as it slants outwards.
Step 2: Cut the leg down as far as you can to separate it from the breast meat.
Step 3: Cut the bottom of the breast section towards the breast bone.
Step 4: Pull the entire breast section away from the bone and finish cutting it away until you reach the bottom.
Step 5: Turn the Turkey over, pull the wings off and cut away the thigh section.
Step 6: There will be a bone in the middle of the thigh. Cut that away on either side until you are able to pull it out, leaving the thigh meat (dark) together as much as possible. Slice that meat into smaller serving size pieces to put on the platter.
Step 7: After repeating these steps for the other side of the turkey, take the breast piece and slice it against the grain into serving size pieces with the skin on.
Step 8: Arrange the pieces of meat on a platter surrounded by fruit and herb garnish, with the breast meat in the center, the legs on the outside and the thigh meat on the other side of the platter. (Include the wings if they are desired or save them for turkey soup.)
