How to Roast a Turkey: The Best Ways to Roast Turkey

Before determining how to roast a turkey properly you have to determine what kind of turkey you want! You can get a whole bird, a turkey breast, turkey legs, a frozen bird, or a fresh turkey. Each of these choices has different benefits and drawbacks including:

1. Availability. Fresh birds may be hard to find, but they do taste different than frozen. They're generally better.
2. Timing. Frozen birds require days to safely defrost in the refrigerator (one day per five pounds) but are readily available at the market even on Thanksgiving day!
3. The Kind of Meat. Turkey legs and most of the thighs are solely dark meat, meaning they're moist. For those watching calories, however, this meat is fattier. White meat is leaner, but tends to be less moist and need more babying.
4. Size and Cut. Turkey breast is a great choice for white meat lovers but may not offer enough food for a large family. Learning how to roast a whole turkey perfectly, though, can take some practice.
5. How Much. A whole bird has a lot of bone --meaning you have to buy a bigger one than you might think to get enough meat-- but it provides both white and dark meat rather than just white.
For the purpose of this page, I'm going to go on assuming that you're looking for how to roast a turkey the traditional way: a whole turkey roasted in the oven. That said, what is the best way to roast a turkey depends on you. You can also:

• Roast just a turkey breast
• Fry your turkey
• Smoke your turkey

Preparation for Roasting a Whole Turkey

Remove the giblets. When you're learning how to roast a turkey remember that most turkeys you buy at the store include the giblets in the middle cavity, wrapped in paper. Some people use these parts for stuffing, others use them to make giblet gravy, while others cook them and give them to the pets as a special treat. In either case, they need to be removed so you can clean the bird. Rinse the bird. Using cool water rinse the turkey inside and out. Then dry thoroughly, or let air-dry in the refrigerator. If you're seasoning your turkey, the next step is sprinkling your herbs all around the skin and the interior (or potentially placing butter and herbs gently under the skin of the turkey for both moisture and flavor).
You can also at this point choose to brine your turkey, use a marinade injection, or to dry brine it using a method like this one. You'll find lots of specific recipes for how to cook a turkey here.
Stuff the bird. If you plan to stuff the bird wait until just before you put it in the oven. This decreases the chances of any contamination. Make sure to put the stuffing inside rather loosely as it expands from the turkey's juices. Also to keep the stuffing firmly in place, truss the turkey legs in front of the cavity of the bird.
Check here for some great recipes for turkey stuffing.

Roasting a Turkey

Prepared to learn how to roast a turkey? Then let's get started! Start off by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Use the Right Pan. Move the turkey into a shallow roasting pan (deep roasting pans tend to steam the turkey instead of roasting it). Make sure that the turkey has plenty of room on all sides as the air flow facilitates evenness of cooking. A rack at the bottom of the roasting pan helps with that, too.
Cover with Foil. Cover the top of the bird with an aluminum foil tent. If you don't have or don't want to use aluminum foil, roast your turkey with the breast side down for most of the required time. Turn it over for the last 40 minutes to get golden brown skin.
You'll want to leave the aluminum foil in place until about 40 minutes before the bird is completely cooked. Remove it so that you get a golden color, crispy skin. This is the perfect time to baste and gather up some of the turkey drippings for your gravy.

How Long does it Take to Roast a Turkey?

Depending on how steady the heat in your oven runs, and how much airflow you get around the bird, a 15 pound turkey will require about four hours to cook to an interior temperature of 165 degrees, which is considered safe for consumption. Add about 40 minutes more if you've stuffed the bird. Check here for a chart of cooking times for turkey.

Serving the Turkey

The mystery of how to roast a turkey doesn't stop when the bird comes out of the oven. Now you need to let the bird rest so that the turkey's juices move away from the center of the turkey. You'll find the meat is much moister after resting, and easier to carve up perfectly. The 20-30 minutes of resting won't make the turkey cold, and if you're serving your turkey gravy hot, that will also give the meat a little extra heat. Avoid microwaving or re-heating your turkey as it dries the meat out.
Last but not least don't forget those side dishes that round out your roast turkey dinner perfectly. Be it stuffing and mashed potatoes or green bean casserole, turkey goes well with just about anything!

Getting the Turkey Right

If you're learning how to roast a turkey, there are a lot of tips and helpful hints here at Divine Dinner Party. Check out some of the following pages for help on how to roast a turkey to perfection every time-- with or without a recipe:

Perfect Ice Tea

Homemade Iced Tea

• 6 to 8 tea bags
• 1 quart hot water (4 cups)
• 1 quart cold water (4 cups)
• 1/2 cup sugar or 1/4 cup honey, optional

Iced tea is one of those delicious flavors that just makes the summer time seem worth while. It has all of the caffeine of soda pop, but with none of the artificial bubbly junk that feeds nameless corporations and their ilk. Iced Tea is natural, honest, and infinitely cheap. If your tastes run towards the exotic, and away from caffeine, then try your favorite herbal tea on ice. Brisk and refreshing, it will open up new avenues of beverage exploration.

 

Get out a 2-quart size sauce pan. Put the hot water in it and bring it to a boil. Add the tea bags. Remove the pan from the heat, and allow it to steep for 10 minutes. No more, no less. Set the timer. If the tea sits for too long, it will extract bitter elements from the tea leaves, making the finished product taste horrible. If it doesn’t sit long enough, it won’t be strong enough to give you the caffeine jolt which iced tea was designed for. When the time is up, remove the tea bags and blithesomely toss them into the garbage, they have served their purpose. Put the cold water into a 2-quart size pitcher. Pour the hot tea into the pitcher, over top of the cold water. You put the cold water in first, because the hot tea could melt the pitcher, seeing as it is so hot. The cold water acts as a buffer, and cools the tea. Add the sugar or honey if you like, stirring to dissolve it completely. Put the pitcher into the fridge to cool. Or it can be poured directly into an ice filled cup.
I like iced tea strong, so I use 8 tea bags. I buy the boxes of 100 tagless tea bags, usually a store brand, for about $1 a box. This makes 2 quarts of tea at a cost of 8¢! I don’t add sugar to mine, preferring it unsweetened. But that is a personal choice, and lots of folks like it with added sugar. The nicest thing about this recipe is that it makes perfect iced tea every single time.

If you liked this recipe, take a look at my ginger tea mix. It’s another frugal drink recipe from my extensive collection.

The Dining On A Dime Cookbook is packed with over 1,200 money saving recipes and tips, kids tips and snack ideas, gift baskets, menus, food storage directions, Cleaning Cents and Pretty for Pennies. The recipes are easy to cook with ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. To make shopping easy and economical, it also includes a pantry list and a shopping list.

13 Fun Things To Do on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Your family will love these fun things to do on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.  Start a new Christmas Tradition for your family with these entertaining family games that include Pin the Nose on the Reindeer, Reindeer Hunt, Christmas Trivia, Christmas Bingo, and snowball toss. Tip Junkie has 1451 Christmas Day and Christmas Eve ideas all with pictured tutorials to learn or how to make.  You can always search there if you’re looking for more  Christmas Day tutorials with step-by-step instructions. {wink}

Christmas Eve

1.  Mini Gingerbread Houses ~ These gingerbread houses are adorable! Made using graham crackers instead of the traditional gingerbread they are easier to build! Perfect to make with your kids this Christmas!

2.  Gingerbread Cookie Recipe ~ Decorating gingerbread cookies is a Christmas tradition I’ve always enjoyed, so this year I decided to spice things up by making large gingerbread people who represent my real-life friends and family, and to give each individual their own respective cookie as a Christmas gift.

3.  The Mini-Van Express Ticket ~ Ready to start a Christmas tradition that the whole family will enjoy? I know you’ve all seen The Polar Express, well, this is our own version of that fun adventure! Each year we hide the “Golden Tickets” in our kids’ beds. My husband starts the bedtime routine as usual, while I prepare little bags of popcorn and hot chocolate drinks and place them in the car, oh and don’t forget to have Christmas music playing in the car too!

 

 4.  Christmas Eve Pajama Pants ~ This is an easy tutorial showing how to make a pair of pajama pants. With this clever pattern idea you could make a pair for the whole family… maybe even in a Christmas theme!  My family tradition is to give new pajamas on Christmas Eve.  This tutorial is for size infant to 8 years.



5.  Curly Toed Stocking {free pattern} ~ You can make a cute Santa stocking to bring holiday cheer to all (well even more if you fill it up with fun treats).  This pattern comes in two styles and sizes.

6. Nativity Costumes ~ Make nativity costumes in one size fits most for a recreation of the night Jesus was born.  

7.  Christmas Eve Luminaries {tradition} ~ Happy Christmas Eve!  We just moved to Ohio, and Our new neighborhood invited us to come set up luminaries today throughout the entire neighborhood.  It’s a Christmas Eve Tradition they do every year.

Christmas Day

8.  Mr. Snowman Christmas Morning Brunch ~ Here is a fun way to serve breakfast to your kids this Christmas morning! Using pancakes, bacon and marshmallows you’ll create a Mr. Snowman themed meal! Yummy and festive!

9.  Snowmen on a Stick  ~ If you don’t have any snow this winter or don’t want to trudge outside in the cold to build one, make these fun snowmen on a stick and let your kids build and decorate them inside where it is nice and warm.

10.  Beautiful and Fun Christmas Activity Pages ~ Looking for a festive holiday themed activity printable for your kids? Here are a few beautifully designed puzzle printables. Great for the older kids! All you need to do is print!

Family Games

11.  Pin the Nose on the Reindeer ~ Funny Christmas games are a vital part of Christmas Eve celebrations! This Pin the Nose on the Reindeer game is a version of the classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey. The reindeer shapes were cut from card stock and “pinned” to a cork board. If you have smaller children you could tape/glue the shapes to card board and eliminate the usage of thumb tacks.

12.  Reindeer Hunt ~ Print these fun free Reindeer Hunt Games cards. Hide the tags around the yard and the kids will love searching for the little reindeer. Scavenger hunts are a great party or holiday activity for children of all ages.

13.  Christmas Trivia Printable Games ~ Looking for a great way to keep the kids occupied for a little while with something really fun?! This is a post with printable trivia games all about Christmas! Print and play, easy peasy!

14.  Christmas Bingo ~ Who doesn’t love bingo?!  Kids and adults a like can sit down and enjoy this holiday themed

Cool Off this Summer with Mojito Mania

Beat the heat this summer as Hard Rock Café returns with the popular ‘Mojito Mania’. Get ready to indulge in this perfect summer drink and enjoy the specially crafted fruity range, as you relax and swoon to your favorite music. Hard Rock Café is constantly bringing its guests new experiences; be it live gigs, international music acts or fun food and drink festivals, and this mania is part of the same Endeavor.

Hard Rock Cafe brings a wide array of specially crafted, tasty thirst quenchers such as Bacardi Grape Mojito, Bacardi Orange Mojito. The list of mojitos continues with Bacardi Green Apple Mojito, Bacardi Bell Pepper Mojito and many others. Each of these refreshing drinks are perfectly in sync with the specially designed food menu which includes variety of appetizers like nachos, tupelo chicken, grilled shrimp skewers, Santa Fe and mains such as burgers, BBQ chicken, fajitas, fish n chips and yummy kathi rolls.

PIZZA... an ancient art in your successful business!

“Italian Pizza Courses” is the English partner of the renowned National Pizza School (SNP) and Italian Pizzerias Association. “SNP” qualification is recognized throughout Italy as the highest standard of training available. Based in Rome, The National Pizza School operates via 11 affiliated pizza colleges situated throughout Italy. All our instructors are qualified to award internationally recognised “SNP” diplomas.


“Italian Pizza Courses”, enables us to provide the full range of our SERVICES in English and Italian, anywhere in the world. Our fully qualified instructors deliver training in all aspects of the traditional Italian art of pizza making and our comprehensive course addresses key development skills tailored to the specifics of your business. We offer a complete package of instructions including the theory and practice for the highest quality pizza.

Our methods are in accordance with traditional practices developed in Italy since 1889 and we maintain a constant search for the most up-to-date studies in pizza. Our range of SERVICES is ideal for those with an entrepreneurial interest in the catering industry.

“Italian Pizza Courses” believes in the use of fresh ingredients of the highest quality, aiming to provide the consumer with a healthy and delicious alternative to the ubiquitous, low quality frozen food. Courses run in London, Rome and Catania (Sicily).

Stromboli recipe for leftover turkey

Need a new idea for how to use your holiday food surplus? We’ve got just the solution: a holiday stromboli that’s fun for kids to make. First, prepare our delicious dough. Next, top it with all your extra Thanksgiving fixings. We used a basic turkey and cranberry filling, but you can get creative and improvise. Finally, roll it up, bake it and — voila! Leftovers never tasted so good.
If you don’t have time to make dough from scratch, you can use 1 pound of store-bought pizza dough instead.

Turkey Stromboli

Hands-on time: 30 minutes / total time: 2 hours 25 minutes (includes rising) / serves: 8
Ingredients:
For the dough:

• 1 cup warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼-ounce packet active dry yeast
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the filling:

• ¾ cup cranberry sauce
• 1 generous cup thinly sliced or shredded cooked turkey
• 1 cup stuffing
• Egg wash of 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Step 1. First make the dough. Pour the water into a large bowl and stir in the sugar until it’s dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture, stir it briefly, then set it aside until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add 1½ cups of the flour, as well as the salt and the oil, and beat the mixture with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and you can form it into a ball of dough that’s firm enough to knead.
Step 2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it until it’s smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. If needed, add more flour to keep the dough from sticking to your work surface. Transfer the dough to a large, oiled bowl and turn it until it’s coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm spot until the dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Step 3. Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper and set it aside. Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a 10- by 14-inch rectangle. Spread the cranberry sauce over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Layer on the turkey and scatter the stuffing on top.
Step 4. Use a pastry brush to paint one long edge of the dough with the egg wash. Starting at the opposite long edge, roll the dough into a cylinder. Pinch together the seam, then pinch and tuck under each end.
Step 5. Transfer the stromboli, with the seam down, to the prepared baking sheet. Brush it with egg wash, then bake it until golden brown and crusty, about 30 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Sweet Potato Puffs

3

large (about 2 pounds) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4

cup butter or margarine, softened

2

tablespoons packed brown sugar

1/2

teaspoon grated orange peel

1/4

teaspoon ground cardamom

2

eggs, beaten

1

tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

2

tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger, if desired

 

• Place sweet potatoes in 3-quart saucepan; add enough water to cover. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer covered about 20 minutes or until tender; drain. Shake potatoes in saucepan over low heat to dry.
• 2 Heat oven to 425ºF. Mash potatoes in medium bowl until no lumps remain. Add remaining ingredients except 1 tablespoon butter and the ginger. Beat vigorously until potatoes are fluffy.
• 3 Drop potatoes by 1/2 cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, forming 8 mounds. (Or spoon potatoes into decorating bag and form 8 rosettes.)
• 4 Brush 1 tablespoon melted butter over potatoes. Bake about 15 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with ginger.
• 
  
  To make ahead of time, cover potato mounds on cookie sheet and refrigerate no longer than 24 hours. Heat oven to 425ºF. Brush potatoes with butter. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until hot.
  You can double this recipe to serve a larger crowd. Just be certain you have a large enough Dutch oven or other pan for boiling the potatoes and enough refrigerator space to hold two cookie sheets if you make these ahead of time.
   

 

Sweet Potato Casserole

Total Time: 1 hr 35 min

Prep : 20 min

Cook : 1 hr 15 min

Yield: 6 servings

Level: Easy

Ingredients

Casserole:

• 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3)
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 diced dried apricots

Topping:

• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pea-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Put the sweet potatoes on a sheet tray and roast for 35 to 40 minutes. The sweet potatoes might still be a little hard in the center- no problem!
While the sweet potatoes are baking make the topping. In a food processor, combine the oatmeal, brown sugar, olive oil, butter, and walnuts and pulse until mixture comes together.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Discard the skins. Put the potatoes into a large dish and add the remaining ingredients. Mash together with a potato masher until well combined.
Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish. Crumble the topping mixture over the potatoes. Bake until the mixture hot all the way through and the topping is brown and crispy, about 30 minutes.
That's a hot sweet potato!

Thanksgiving Recipes: Shannon Overmiller’s Green Bean Casserole

The Majestic chef gussies up a Turkey Day classic with fresh mushroom cream sauce and fried shallots.

Chef Shannon Overmiller of the Majestic has two green bean casseroles on her Thanksgiving table every year: a home-style classic with Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup and French’s onions, and this (just slightly) dressed-up spin, which features green beans folded into a fresh mushroom cream sauce and crowned with a fried shallot topping.

Her brothers insist on the former, but we couldn’t help begging for the latter.

Green Bean Casserole

Serves 6 to 8

Casserole
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
½ pound butter
1 cup yellow onions, large diced
4 cups button mushrooms, sliced1 cup flour
½ cup dry sherry
1 quart heavy cream
pinch sugar
dash Worcestershire sauce
dash hot sauce
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup chopped thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Shallot Topping
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shaved shallots or white onions

Make the casserole: Boil a large pot of salted water and blanch beans until they are al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes (the beans shouldn’t be too crunchy or too soft). Shock immediately in ice water, drain, and set aside.

Melt butter in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until colored, about 3 to 4 minutes. Bring the temperature down to medium, add the onions and salt and pepper, and sauté, stirring, until tender, about 15 minutes.

Once the mushroom-onion mixture is cooked, sprinkle the flour over it, stirring for about a minute. Add the sherry and let it reduce, stirring, for two minutes. Add the cream slowly, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Add the pinch of sugar, the Worcestershire and hot sauces, the nutmeg, a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, and the bay leaves.

Stir roux mixture with a whisk until smooth and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. There should be no raw flour taste. Fold in green beans and thyme.

Place the mixture in a casserole dish and sprinkle Parmesan and bread crumbs on top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, until top is browned slightly.

Make the shallot topping: Fill a heavy pot with vegetable oil and heat until an instant-read thermometer reaches 350 degrees.

Combine all the ingredients except the onions in a bowl. Dredge the onions or shallots in the seasoned flour. Shake off excess flour. Fry in batches until golden and crisp, draining the cooked shallots on paper towels and seasoning with salt. Sprinkle atop the baked casserole when it’s done.

COMPANY GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE A NEW WAY

• 3 cups julienned (cut into thin strips lengthwise) fresh green beans or 2 (9-ounce) packages frozen French-cut green beans
• Boiling salted water as needed
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms (any variety or a combination), thinly sliced
• 1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 cup fresh or canned bean sprouts, well drained
• ½ cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced peeled onion
• 1 (10 ½-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 2/3 cup milk or reduced-fat or skim milk
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or to taste (optional)
• Several drops hot pepper sauce (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground white or black pepper to taste
• ¾ cup finely shredded sharp Cheddar or Casserole-blend or Swiss cheese or other desired cheese
• 1 (3½-ounce) can French-fried onions

In a medium heavy saucepan, cook fresh green beans in boiling salted water to just cover beans, uncovered, for 15 minutes; or cook frozen beans according to package directions.  Drain beans well and set aside.

In a second medium heavy saucepan, melt butter over moderate heat; add mushrooms, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, sweet red pepper, and onion; cook, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp tender.
Arrange half of the beans in a 2½-quart casserole lightly coated with non-caloric vegetable cooking spray.  Evenly top with half of the mushroom mixture.  
In a small bowl, combine soup, milk, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce, if desired, and salt and pepper, blending well.  
Evenly spoon half of the soup mixture over the vegetables in the casserole.   Repeat layers of vegetables and soup mixture.  Evenly sprinkle cheese over the top layer of soup.  
Bake in a preheated hot oven (400 degrees F.) for 20 minutes; remove from oven and evenly sprinkle French-fried onions over the cheese layer.  Return casserole to oven and continue to bake for 5 minutes.

Green Beans With Water Chestnuts

Easy green bean casserole from the slow cooker.

Ingredients:

• 3 cans cut green beans, drained
• 1 can (10 1/2 oz.) French fried onion rings crumbled
• 3 (8 oz) cans sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 3 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 3 cans cream of chicken of mushroom soup
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation:

In crockpot, layer green beans, onion rings and water chestnuts.
Combine the mushroom soup, cheese, milk and pepper in a small bowl.
Pour soup mixture over top of green beans. Do not stir.
Cook on low 6 hours or high for 3 hours.

Unique Green Bean Casserole Moderne

Ever since I developed this update of that sentimental favorite of yesteryear, the Green Bean Casserole, with fresh ingredients in place of the canned green beans, canned mushroom soup, and canned crispy onions, I have had a flood of requests for the recipe at this time of year. A favorite Thanksgiving side dish, my fresh version is so hearty it qualifies as a vegetarian entrée, which is why it can be found in the vegetarian chapter of Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals.  I prefer the thin French green beans called haricots verts to the husky variety we grow here, but our native fatties would work just fine, as would any variety of mushroom. Serve with Cole Slaw (Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals, page 38) and Sautéed Beets with Balsamic Vinegar (page 305).
Ingredients
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Total preparation time: 40 minutes
Kosher salt
1 large white onion, sliced (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Freshly milled black pepper
8 ounces haricots verts or green beans, trimmed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
12 ounces mixed shiitake and white mushrooms or any assortment of mushrooms, cleaned
2 teaspoons rinsed and dried fresh thyme or 2/3 teaspoon dried
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk, heated
4 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Preheat the broiler to high. Grease a shallow 2-quart baking dish.
• Toss the onion in a bowl with the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Spread the onion on a baking sheet and place under the broiler, about 5 inches from the heat source. Broil until the edges begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Set onion aside. Reduce the oven to 375°F.
• Add the haricots verts to the boiling water and cook 2 minutes; drain immediately and pat dry.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Discard the shiitake stems; slice the shiitake caps and white mushrooms. Turn the heat up to medium; add all the mushrooms and the thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid the mushrooms give off has evaporated. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
• Add the milk gradually, whisking constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in the green beans and half the cheese; season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer the mixture to the baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese and the broiled onion rings and bake until hot and bubbling, about 25 minutes.