TRADITIONAL ROASTED TURKEY Turkey made the old fashion way. slow roasted in an oven. This is my old family recipe which is more than 100 years old.   I will confess that I have not done this for about 20 years. It is a big production and only for a large gathering. The traditionalist may want to try it. At any rate, I thought I should write it down so the technique is not lost. When I was young, making the Thanksgiving turkey was an affair which involved the entire family presided over by my grandmother in her giant kitchen. The goal was to first procure the largest turkey in the world. There would be a big crowd in the dining room which might even spill over into the back parlor and everyone would be expected to stuff themselves on turkey as well as the endless progression of side dishes and desserts which were the inevitable cause of pathological annual overeating. After dinner, on the night before Thanksgiving, we would all gather around the kitchen table armed with pairs of tweezers to search for and extract the pinfeathers. These were small feathers under the skin which had not been removed by the usual plucking. Only after every inch of the bird had been inspected and freed of the feathers would it be put back in the refrigerator for the night and all the family go to bed to get enough rest for the big day. Every Thanksgiving morning I went downstairs to breakfast to find my mother and my grandmother already at work on the dressing. That is quite another recipe and I may write it down another time. At some time after lunch the turkey production began. The first step was to stuff the turkey at both ends with the dressing. There was always too much and some would have to be cooked in a covered dish along with the bird. The openings were sewn up with a trussing needle and cotton cord and then yards of cheesecloth soaked in butter were used to wrap the entire turkey like a mummy in its sarcophagus. It was placed on a rack in a great roasting pan breast side up and put into a 325º oven to begin cooking slowly until dinner. It was essential that the bird be basted in butter and its own juices every 15 minutes throughout the cooking process. This was many times during the afternoon and everyone had a turn.   About half way through the baking, the bird was turned and that was a big project attended by the whole family. It took at least 2 people to raise the bird and turn it. Two big forks were used as the meat was too hot to handle. The cheesecloth always stuck to the baking rack and had to be freed with a knife. The oven was closed and the regular basting continued. About half an hour before it was to come out of the oven, it was turned again and breast side up, the cheesecloth was cut away with a scissors. At this point we began to baste it with white sauterne. The sugars in the wine caused the skin to brown and become crisp and the smell by this time was maddening. We did not know in those days about resting a roast as the myoglobin retreated to the center. It was just natural. There was much to do before the meat could be carved and it took quite enough time. The Turkey was always carved at the table with great ceremony my the alpha male of the house. The side dishes were always the same. There were mashed potatoes and turkey gravy along with candied sweet potatoes with maple syrup and marshmallows. There were the ubiquitous green beans in mushroom sauce with garlic and two molded salads, one of bing cherries and pecans, and another of pears in lime Jello with cottage cheese. Pumpkin pies with whipped cream and mince meat pies with brandy sauce were actually eaten after all that and of course, the dinner was always accompanied by a lot of champagne(even for the children.) Things have changed a lot since those days. I cannot even imagine eating so much at one sitting now, but that was ordinary then. I do clearly remember dragging myself into the front parlor and lying down in front of the fire and going directly to sleep as the adults continued their feast. That was how it was normally done 60 years ago. Perhaps others will post here about their memories of Harvest feasts of their childhood.