Recipe developer applies expertise to turkey troubles

When you look at a recipe on the back of a food package, chances are someone like Mary Jane Laws came up with it.

Laws, a freelance consultant who lives in Western Springs, researches and creates new recipes for food manufacturers and writes the package directions. This year, she developed the Thanksgiving recipes distributed by the Naperville-based Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. Laws also has worked for such companies as Quaker Oats and the American Dairy Association, where she managed test kitchens for 15 years.

Each November and December for the past 14 years, Laws has also served as one of the experts answering turkey questions from perplexed callers at the Talk-Line.

What led you to this career? I have a degree in Foods and Nutrition from Dominican University in River Forest. At first I thought I would be a chemistry major, but when I realized I didn't want to do that, it just seemed a natural segue. All of that science background has served me well.

My grandmother was a great cook. As a child, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with her. It just seemed like something I knew I would enjoy and I do.

In my first job, I did consumer research for what was then Swift and Co. (It later merged with Armour and became ConAgra.)

Describe a typical day in your work. As a consultant, you don't have a typical day.

In developing recipes, I start with research, looking at what kind of things I might want to do. The company usually has a theme about which the recipes will be developed, like this year Butterball has a regional theme.

Then you get to the fun part, which is the testing. I can't say a recipe is always developed on the first try. Some take three or four times with tweaking to achieve perfection.

I work both at home and in company test kitchens, depending on what the company wants.

Is it a problem that people cook less nowadays? That's one of things I love about working at the Talk-Line. You get to talk to real consumers about how they cook.

When you develop recipes, you have to remember that not everyone is like you. You love cooking and you'll spend all the time in the world. Most people want 30 minutes or less. A lot of times, if a recipe has 14 or 15 ingredients, they won't look at it. That's one of the nice things about holiday recipes, people are willing to take more time.

Do you think people will ever go back to home cooking? I want to say I hope so. But in the fast-paced world we live in, I don't know. I hate to think there's a whole generation of kids who've grown up without this experience. The ray of hope that I see is that people are more into organic and natural foods. Maybe down the line, there will be a resurgence of interest in cooking again.

What are some of the more interesting questions Talk-Line callers have asked you? I had one lady who said, "My oven doesn't have a 'roast' setting." Sometimes you have to start with square one.

And sometimes you have to wonder if they're pulling your leg. I had a caller who said, "I thought the best way to thaw my turkey would be to put it in the toilet." She wanted to try the cold-water thawing method to speed up the process and thought the flushing of the toilet would be an easy way to change the water every 30 minutes. I had to put the phone down for a minute, I was laughing so hard.

When you develop recipes, do you have particular goals? I try to look at a lot of fresh produce. I like things to be colorful -- the old saying that you eat with your eyes is really true. And flavors that are very compatible. It needs to be a nice blended flavor.

Do you have a favorite cooking tool? The Microplane. I love that it makes grating lemon peel and orange peel so effortless. And a good set of knives. It's worth the investment.

What do you do in your spare time? My husband, George, and I have a very definite interest in sports-car racing. We belong to the Sports Car Club of America. We do road rallies and my husband drives a pace car in some races. It's just a great hobby. It's sort of like an extended family, with people from all walks of life.

I think it's fun to try lots of different foods and keep track of trends. I'm always seeking new flavors and I seek out the unique little restaurants and I apply that knowledge to projects that I have.

What trends do you see coming? I'm going to have say we'll see more along the health line. In ethnic food, South American might be one of the next trends. We'll see foods that are more flavorful. Older recipes often seem bland and boring today. We want to thrill our taste buds.

Tell us about this recipe. Roast Turkey with Cranberry Orange Glaze and West Coast Multigrain Dressing with Dried Fruit and Almonds. I developed regional recipes for this year's Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. Maple syrup, cranberry juice and orange marmalade combine for a turkey glaze with traditional New England ingredients, and the dressing uses multigrain and corn breads with raisins, apples, dried cherries, almonds and fresh herbs.

Roast Turkey with Cranberry Orange Glaze

¾ cup orange marmalade

¾ cup frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thawed

3 tablespoons maple or maple-flavored syrup

1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

1 turkey, 14-16 pounds, thawed if frozen

1 batch West Coast Multigrain Dressing with Dried Fruit and Almonds (recipe follows), optional

Cooking spray or vegetable oil, to brush turkey

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Combine the marmalade, cranberry juice, maple syrup, vinegar and salt in a small heavy saucepan; bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently for 12-15 minutes or until the glaze is reduced to about 1 cup.

Remove the neck and giblets from body and neck cavities of turkey; discard or refrigerate for another use. Drain the juices from the turkey and dry the turkey with paper towels. Stuff with dressing, if desired. Turn the wings back to hold the neck skin against the back of turkey and secure the legs.

Place the turkey, breast side up, on a flat roasting rack in a shallow pan. Brush the turkey lightly with the vegetable oil or cooking spray. Roast the turkey for 2 hours and then cover the breast and the top of the drumsticks loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning.

Continue roasting the turkey for another 45 minutes; remove the foil and brush generously with the glaze. Return the foil loosely to the top of the turkey and cook for another 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches 180 degrees when inserted into the deepest part of the thigh.

Brush with the remaining glaze. Let the turkey stand 15 minutes before carving.

Serves 12.

Mary Jane Laws, Butterball Turkey Talk-Line

West Coast Multigrain Dressing with Dried Fruit and Almonds

½ cup butter (1 stick)

2½ cups chopped celery

1½ cups chopped red onion

1 cup chopped red pepper

2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

1 loaf (29 ounces) sliced multi-grain bread, toasted, cut into 1-inch squares for 8 cups

1 8-inch square pan cornbread, coarsely crumbled for 3 cups

1½ cups chopped red baking apples, such as McIntosh or Gala

¾ cup dried cherries

¾ cup golden raisins

½ cup toasted slivered almonds

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1½ tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2-2½ cups chicken broth

Melt the butter in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the celery, onion, red pepper and garlic and saute 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender-crisp.

Combine the cooked vegetables, breads, apple, dried fruit, almonds, herbs, salt and pepper in large bowl. Pour 2 cups chicken broth over the top and stir lightly until all ingredients are moist.

Use this recipe to stuff a 14-18 pound turkey. Stuff both breast and neck cavities of turkey with the mixture. Make sure stuffing reaches 165 degrees when cooked inside the turkey.

Alternatively, increase the broth to 2½ cups. Heat the oven to 350 degrees; grease a 3-quart baking dish. Place mixture in the baking dish and cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes.

Serves 12.

Cook's note: Substitute dried cranberries for the cherries for added tartness.

Mary Jane Laws, Butterball Turkey

Tater Tachos with Black Beanand Corn Salsa

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and

finely chopped

1 cup frozen yellow corn, thawed

1 cup canned black beans,

drained and rinsed

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried cilantro

1 bag (28 ounces) tater tots

1 jar or can (about 19 ounces)

prepared or homemade chili

1/4 cup cheddar, or more to taste

1 Roma tomato, diced

Shredded lettuce for garnish

Sour cream for garnish

Heat oven to 450

degrees.

For the salsa: Combine

olive oil, green

onions, garlic, red bell

pepper, jalapeno pepper,

corn, beans, salt,

pepper and cilantro.

Set aside.

For the tachos:

Spread tater tots on

baking sheet and bake

at least 20 minutes or

until very crisp. Transfer

to an oven-safe

serving dish and mound tater tots into a pile.

Using a teaspoon, drop chili over the top of the pile as desired. You probably

won't use the entire jar. In areas without chili, spoon on salsa. Sprinkle

cheddar cheese over all. Return to oven for 2 to 3 minutes or until

cheese is melted. Sprinkle with tomato and lettuce; top with a dollop of

sour cream.

Serves six to eight.

6 g fiber, 7 g protein, 5 mg cholesterol, 480 mg sodium.