Kosher Crockpot Turkey & Gravy

My Bon Appetit arrived today, reminding me it's time to start planning for Thanksgiving. Half the recipes within seem to be some desperate attempt to make a turkey juicy instead of the sad, dry things so many of us are familiar with come Thanksgiving. My personal solution is to give up on the presentation turkey and instead focus on moistness and taste. Instead of a golden brown roasted bird, I put warm slices of juicy turkey on a pretty platter and let people dig in without having to carve off a hunk of meat. The best part is - it's incredibly simple. Like most crockpot foods, just plug it in and forget about it. No basting, no thermometers. No worries. In addition to reducing your stress, this leaves the oven free for pies, breads, and dressing.

• 5 - 6 pound bone-in turkey breast (or whatever will fit in your crockpot)
• 1 cup white wine (cook with what you drink)
• 4 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp basil
• 2 tsp fresh black pepper
• 4 small bay leaves
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced onions

Loosen the skin along the turkey breast, but do not remove it. Mix the garlic, pepper, thyme, and basil into a thick paste. Smear it under the turkey skin, covering as much area as possible. Tuck the bay leaves under the skin as well, two on each side of the breast, and smooth the skin back down over the turkey.

Put the turkey breast into the crockpot and "stuff" the cavity with the diced onions and carrots. This will be a bit of a sloppy mess, but try to get them down around the bones. Pour the white wine over the turkey.

Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours, or overnight.

In the morning, your turkey will be all but swimming in tasty juices. Drain off as much broth as you need for your dressing. Save at least 1 cup of broth for the gravy.

Remove turkey from crockpot and let sit until cool enough to handle. It should nearly fall off the bone. When cool, remove skin and bay leaves. Wait until the turkey cools, though. If you try to cut it fresh from the crockpot, it will be so hot and moist you'll end up with oddly sized turkey hunks. If you let it cool enough to handle, you can slice it into neat, enviable pieces. Drench the slices with warm broth and prepare to serve.

If you like making your own very tasty broth (excellent for December holiday recipes), put the bones, skin, and bay leaves back in the crockpot, fill with water, and leave on "low" overnight. The day after thanksgiving, when trying to figure out what to do with the rest of your leftovers, strain the turkey broth, throwing away the bones and bits. Frozen broth will last at least 3 months (possibly longer, but mine is always used up by then.)

If you don't have your own favourite, here's my e-z turkey gravy recipe.

• 1 cup broth
• 1 cup diced onions and carrots scooped out of broth
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Put broth, pepper, and veggies in a blender and blend until smooth. This will considerably thicken the gravy. Transfer to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Gradually add to the broth mix, stirring well. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring to prevent lumps.