I always buy a kosher bird which is always brined through the, well, koshering process. In recent years, they have figured out a way to wash off most of the salt which added such richness and an almost candy-like texture and taste to the meat but it is still delicious.
I just pre-made my pumpkin pie crust. One trouble: I made a pretty leaf border to the crust and I always have a little drooping in the baking process spoiling the effect. Any way to prevent it?
If I’m understanding the problem, keeping the dough really chilled throughout the process, maybe?
Even chilling the leaves a little after you make them and before you apply may help.
I love those leaf decorations on the edges, but I’ve never made them.
I think the Koshering does basically to a turkey what the dry-brine does. When we used to do wet brining, we had to be careful not to buy a Kosher turkey, or any turkey that had been “injected”.
Another thought: maybe a pie plate with a wider edge?
I didn’t realize that you could brine a kosher turkey; the conventional wisdom when I began brining was just ‘don’t’. But in today’s Washington Post food section there’s an article entitled, ‘Don’t brine a kosher bird? I do it every year’, by Lou Marmon. The article explains the koshering process, and why the bird isn’t salted long enough to be truly brined.
On the same page, there’s also a great leftover recipe for a Turkey and Cranberry Sriracha Strata by Dorie Greenspan that looks very interesting.
-JT
Since it’s in the freezer (and should until you fill it), that might really help. Also if you have a pie crust ring to cover the edges during baking once it’s gotten golden, that might help too. If you don’t have a ring, what about bits of foil (like 6 or so small pieces) placed over the leaf crust after it’s gotten golden?