F Scott Fitzgerald Turkey With Whiskey Sauce Recipe

We’ve already shared a couple of recipes inspired by F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, but today we’re sharing a little known food fact about Fitzgerald himself. Apparently, he had a bit of a grouse for turkey on Thanksgiving.

After Fitzgerald’s death, Edmund Wilson, a friend of his, published a book called ‘The Crack-Up’ which had many letters, notes and essays written by Fitzgerald. The book has an essays entitled ‘Turkey Remains and How to Inter Them – With Numerous Scarce Recipes’ with recipes that have been “collected over years, from old cookbooks, yellowed diaries of the Pilgrim Fathers, mail order catalogues, golf-bats and trash-cans.”

The recipes aren’t exactly usable; one is for ‘Stolen Turkey’:

“Walk quickly from the market, and, if accosted, remark with a laugh that it had just flown into your arms and you hadn’t noticed it. Then drop the turkey with the white of one egg—well, anyhow, beat it.”

Another is for ‘Turkey with Whiskey Sauce’:

“Turkey with Whiskey Sauce: This recipe is for a party of four. Obtain a gallon of whiskey, and allow it to age for several hours. Then serve, allowing one quart for each guest. The next day the turkey should be added, little by little, constantly stirring and basting.”

That recipe doesn’t sound appealing at all, but we were inspired to try a recipe for turkey in whisky sauce of our own. Thanksgiving is just around the corner so it’s the best time to start trying turkey recipes!

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Turkey with Sauce Recipe

Turkey in a deliciously rich sauce.

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Servings

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Ingredients

• 3 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds turkey tenderloin
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup pitted cherries chopped
• 1 cup cranberry juice
• 1.4 cup whiskey
• 2 tsp thyme chopped
• 1.2 tsp dry mustard
• 2 tsp corn starch

Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 3 tsp olive oil 1 1/2 pounds turkey tenderloin 1/2 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp ground pepper 1/2 cup onion chopped 2 cloves garlic minced 1/2 cup pitted cherries chopped 1 cup cranberry juice 1.4 cup whiskey 2 tsp thyme chopped 1.2 tsp dry mustard 2 tsp corn starch

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Instructions

1. Preheat an oven to 450 F.
2. Season the turkey with the salt and pepper.
3. Place two teaspoons of olive oil in an oven proof dish.
4. Place the seasoned turkey in the dish and roast for three minutes.
5. Turn over.
6. Roast for 15-20 minutes.
7. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes.
8. Add the garlic and sauté.
9. Stir in the cherries, half the cranberry juice, whiskey, thyme, mustard and salt.
10. Cook for four minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. Whisk the corn-starch into the remaining cranberry juice and pour into the pan.
12. Stir for 30 seconds.
13. Remove and pour over the turkey.
14. Serve.