Toni Tipton-Martin Brings The Bonds Created By Food To Cook's Country

Food tells our history, and that history is passed down through the cooks in our own families. Those are the kinds of stories that Toni Tipton-Martin hopes to bring to Boston and beyond, as the new editor-in-chief of Cook's Country.

The magazine and its public television show are part of the Boston-based America’s Test Kitchen franchise, and Tipton-Martin is the first person of color to lead an America's Test Kitchen publication as editor in chief. She joins us to take listener calls and talk more about her vision for Cook's Country.

On transitioning into a new job during a pandemic:

Toni Tipton-Martin: "It has been quite an exciting time, there's been lots going on for me personally, I was injured the two weeks before — I think it was — my start date. So, you know, I've been adjusting to stretching in between Zoom calls and on-boarding, but the team has been fantastic."

"I couldn't have wished for a better experience as I have reentered the editing phase of my work. They're just so gracious and open and willing to share all of the ins and outs of America's Test Kitchen. I'm really, really excited."

"I am [physically healthy]. My therapist says that I'm progressing well. It's never fast enough. You know, I'd love to be outside on the trail again, but that's coming. So I'm able to do a little cooking. And that has been really gratifying. I was very concerned about just whether I'd even be able to put any of our favorites on the table. And it seems like a small thing, but, you know, everybody's talking about that right now. We want to return to some sense of normalcy. And I certainly feel that too."

On how Tipton-Martin plans to tell the American food history through more voices:

Tipton-Martin: "Well, I love that you framed your question that way, because America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country are already known for their impeccable recipes, reliability and the deliciousness of the dishes that we inspire cooks to try at home. And among the, I don't know, the philosophies that we hold is that we will tell the stories behind those dishes. And in a lot of ways, that has meant explaining to you how the dish came to be in terms of the techniques and the methodology and the substitutions one might make to inspire cooks to become more competent in the kitchen."

"And what I want to do is build on that reputation by inspiring you to cook, by learning more about the people behind the foods that are our beloved favorites. And so you can expect to see more faces in the magazine. We're going to really talk to cooks, learn more about what tools they love, what some of their favorite ingredients are. And maybe we won't ask them a question at all, really. We'll just be nostalgic for those times when we're together in the kitchen cooking side by side with a loved one and you're just there working together. And I hope that portraits of great cooks — great American cooks — will create that same kind of atmosphere for people in their kitchens when they take our magazine and our programing with them into the kitchen."

On recognition of Black food history in America and ensuring it isn't erased from the overall American food story:

Tipton-Martin: "You know, it's a tangled, complicated history. One of the most compelling stories in Jubilee and the book that preceded it, The Jemima Code, comes from right there in the Boston area. Right here, eventually I will be saying. But the gentleman who was the author of this book was the house servant, the butler in the governor's mansion. And he produced a — it's a collection of recipes, but therefore an assortment of things. Not just recipes for cooking, but also for managing a household, including things like how to remove flies from glass. But it's a fascinating study of the world of these people that we have portrayed as ignorant or not as proficient and competent as trained chefs. And yet they were working many times unsupervised and supervising others in the production of food in some of America's grand homes."

"And so I just love the fact that Robert Roberts penned this household servant's guide as a love letter, really, to the next generation. Obviously, historians have complained that this was a book designed to just create more servants and in the social context in which it was produced, that is certainly true. But if we can look beyond some of that and just extract the competencies and the passion for food and cooking and the care of others, a whole different story can be told. And that's the kind of beauty that I hope to bring to the pages of Cook's Country by shining a light on invisible American cooks as well."

Why This Recipe Works
"We were after a holiday-worthy turkey and stuffing cooked together in one pan, not just to cut down on dirty dishes but also to create a stuffing packed with savory poultry flavor. Using a 6-pound turkey breast (instead of a whole bird) made for easier carving and eliminated one of the hardest parts of cooking turkey: trying to sync the cooking times for white and dark meat. For an homage to classic Thanksgiving stuffing, we used a combination of sage, thyme, onion, wine, and chicken broth; hot Italian sausage added deep meaty savoriness. Instead of small cubes of sandwich bread, we opted for larger chunks of ciabatta; the bigger pieces retained some chew even as they soaked up the flavors from the turkey and sausage. We roasted the turkey breast on top of the stuffing and, when the breast was done, removed it and returned just the stuffing to the oven to create a crisp top that nicely contrasted with the chewy chunks of bread below. For a final holiday flourish, we stirred together a vibrant, bright, and gorgeous sauce with pomegranate seeds and parsley."

Serves 8 to 10
Estimated Time: 3½ to 4 hours, plus 2 hours salting
The salted turkey needs to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours before cooking. If you can't find a loaf of ciabatta, you can substitute 2 pounds of another rustic, mild-tasting white bread. Do not use sourdough here; its flavor is too assertive.

Turkey

Stuffing

Sauce

1. For the turkey: Combine salt, pepper, and thyme in bowl. Place turkey on large plate and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle all over with salt mixture. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

2. For the stuffing: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray large heavy-duty roasting pan with vegetable oil spray, then add oil to pan. Heat oil in roasting pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until onion is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Off heat, stir in broth, wine, sage, thyme, pepper flakes, and remaining 1½ teaspoons salt, scraping up any browned bits. Add bread and, using tongs or your hands, toss until bread is evenly coated. Break sausage into ¾-inch chunks and toss with bread mixture to combine.

4. Nestle turkey, skin side up, into stuffing in center of roasting pan. Roast until thickest part of turkey registers 160 degrees, 2¼ to 2¾ hours.

5. For the sauce: Meanwhile, combine all ingredients in bowl; set aside.

6. Transfer turkey to carving board, skin side up, and let rest, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

7. Meanwhile, stir stuffing in roasting pan. Return pan to oven and cook until top of bread looks golden brown and is evenly dry, 10 to 15 minutes.

8. Remove breast meat from bone and slice thin crosswise. Toss parsley with stuffing in roasting pan. Arrange turkey over stuffing in pan. Drizzle with sauce. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

To Use a Disposable Roasting Pan

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until onion is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Off heat, stir in broth, wine, sage, thyme, pepper flakes, and remaining 1½ teaspoons salt, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer mixture to 16 by 12-inch disposable aluminum roasting pan. Add bread and sausage as described in step 3. Place disposable pan on rimmed baking sheet before roasting for added stability. Increase roasting time for turkey in step 4 to 2½ to 3 hours. Increase cooking time for stuffing in step 7 to 30 to 35 minutes.