The weather has turned noticeably cooler, and the days conspicuously short. We’ve been wishing our friends and family in the star-spangled north a Happy Thanksgiving, which can only mean one thing — it’s officially the countdown to that big holiday dinner. What better way to kick-start the season than with a kitchen visit to the always accommodating Jacqui Tyson? The executive creative director of From Thought to Finish runs Thursday Life through an instructive roaster prep while sharing interesting tips along the way. Let’s take a look!

Prep Time

Tyson gets the ball rolling by massaging a marinade — infused with thyme, escallion or green onions, tomatoes and pumpkin — into the skin of our completely thawed bird. She suggests a ‘freeze and thaw’ principle, where after the first marination session, the thawed and newly seasoned chicken is returned to the freezer, in a 10-lb bag. This helps to lock in the flavours. On the day before the Big Christmas dinner the bird can be taken back out to re-thaw.

Next, Tyson coats the Best Dressed bird with soy sauce.

For an added flavour kick and further tenderising, Tyson injects our Best Dressed roaster with white wine and herbs.

Sprigs of fresh thyme are then inserted inside the cavity.

For the stuffing, use air-dried white bread bits and pieces (with crusts removed), moistened with melted butter. Tyson prescribes one loaf of bread to a handful of thyme.

To secure the stuffing on the inside, Tyson recommends stitching the opening closed with a medium-sized needle and double-tied white thread.

Nobody likes a burned, untidy bird on their dinner table — Tyson trusses our bird with kitchen twine to keep it intact, ensure it cooks evenly, plus, it provides extra reinforcement to our sewn stuffed area.

Stuffed, seasoned and trussed — our Best Dressed bird is now ready for roasting.

Oven time! Our Best Dressed roaster is slathered with butter — which when melted will be used for interval basting — as it enters the oven, set to 375 o F and preheated for 30 minutes.

Almost There

Fresh out of the oven, our Best Dressed roaster’s glaze is retouched with another coat of soy sauce.

The plating process is made complete with the addition of an evocative floral-motifed garnish using pared potatoes, Jamaican sorrel sepals, string beans, pumpkin, and parsley.

Voilà!

Jacqui Tyson Presents… Here the From Thought to Finish executive creative director shows off her Best Dressed plated roaster with festive garden-vegetable garnishing.

Our Best Dressed bird holds ‘pride of place’ amidst this gorgeous holiday ‘tablescape’ — floating on a pasture of jewelled red brocade, and flanked by pumpkin balls, on the left, and potato and garden salads, to the right, served in decorative miniatures.

Recipe Corner

Ready to try yours… here goes

The Best Dressed Chicken Roaster with Pumpkin Stuffing

1 Best Dressed Chicken Roaster

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped

PUMPKIN STUFFING:

2 tbsp. honey

3 rashers bacon, cut into small pcs.

1 onion, chopped roughly

1 cup day old bread, torn into small pieces.

1/3 cup raisins

2 cups pumpkin, peeled & cubed

1 sprig thyme

1/4 cup chopped parsley

METHOD:

In a pan covered with water, boil gizzards until tender (about 1 hour). Place bacon in a cold pan, turn heat on medium & render the fat for 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium high, add onions & cleaned chopped livers & cook for 4 minutes. Take off heat, add bread, raisins, thyme & pumpkin. Allow to cool slightly. Mix salt, pepper, chopped garlic & onion, soy sauce, scotch bonnet pepper and honey. Season inside and outside of roaster with seasoning mixture. Lightly pack the stuffing into the cavity of the bird. Place in preheated oven (375 F) for approximately 2 hours until juices run clear. Carve, plate & enjoy!

Best Dressed Chicken Roaster with Cornbread Stuffing

For the Brine:

2 quarts cold water

1/2 cup table salt or 3/4 cup kosher salt

2 tablespoons sugar

12 black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1/2 lemon

1 Best Dressed Chicken Roaster

For the Cornbread:

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

For the Brine:

Bring a quarter of water, salt, sugar, black pepper, bay leaves and lemon to a simmer in a large stockpot. Add remaining cold water. Place chicken in a large pot or bowl and cover with chilled brine. Weight down with a plate to submerge. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to overnight.

For the Stuffing:

1 pound Hamilton’s Smokehouse smoked sausage

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups low-sodium store-bought or homemade chicken stock

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

425°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together vegetable oil, milk and egg. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix until well combined and pour into prepared baking pan. Bake until just beginning to brown, about 25 minutes. Turn oven down to 375[°].

Once cornbread is cooked carefully remove from pan and cool on a rack for 20 minutes. Cut into 2-inch cubes and spread on a baking sheet. Bake until dry and beginning to brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and set aside.

For the Stuffing: Crumble Hamilton’s Smokehouse sausage and cook in a medium skillet over medium-high heat stirring frequently and breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Add shallot and continue to cook until shallots are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from pan and reserve.

When ready to stuff the Best Dressed Chicken roaster remove from brine and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large bowl combine cornbread, sausage mixture, half of parsley and chicken stock and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stuff cornbread stuffing into the Best Dressed Chicken roaster (it may not all fit-you can bake the rest separately). Using two pieces of kitchen twine truss the Best Dressed Chicken roaster by tying bird once around the wings, and then once around legs securing the ends of the drumsticks together. Place on a rack in a baking sheet and roast until center of stuffing, as well as between leg and body reaches 155°F, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with remaining parsley