Cook a turkey at a low temperature ... Pear salad

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Dear Lynne: I ordered a Heritage Bourbon Red turkey. After searching on the Web, I found two different recommended cooking techniques for this kind of turkey. One is to roast it low and slow; the other is to cook it hot and fast. Which should I do? -- Kate in Geneva, Ill.Dear Kate: Roast it low and slow at 300-325 degrees for about 13 to 15 minutes a pound for unstuffed; 14 to 18 minutes a pound for a stuffed bird, or until an instant reading thermometer stuck in the breast reads 165 degrees. Figure in an additional 30 to 40 minutes for resting after the turkey is done. This allows the turkey to finish cooking, for its juices to settle, and it is your buffer time in case it takes longer than anticipated.The reasoning here is that turkeys are essentially lean meat, so the way they stay moist when roasted hot and fast is by brining them first. You bought this heritage turkey to experience its distinctive flavor; brining mutes that. Stay with low and slow.Dear Lynne: When my wife was picking up carrots at the market, a shopper saw her throwing away the green tops and said it was wasteful and that she should eat them. Can you eat carrot tops? -- Leonard in Colorado.Dear Leonard: After digging into most of our reliable sources, I have found little about eating carrot tops except that some people have a bad reaction to them. I once used them in soup; they overpowered all the other ingredients, which was not a good result. So why take a chance on someone getting ill or a dish tasting unpleasant. Add the tops to the compost pile and use other greens instead.Dear Lynne: Please help me with an ultra-simple first course for Thanksgiving. And please have it be something not needing to be hot, because we won't have any burners available. -- Organizing in Wilmington.Dear Organizing: No problem. The classic autumn triumvirate of fruit, nuts and cheese with a little something extra always works. The trick to this dish is cutting the pears no more than an hour ahead and cloaking them in lemon juice so they don't darken.AUTUMN PEARS WITH BALSAMIC, NUTS AND CHEESEServes 6 and multiplies easily.This dish could just as easily end a meal as begin it.3 Anjou, Bartlett or Comice pearsJuice of l lemon4 ounces imported Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Spanish Manchego, American Cheddar or other full-bodied cheese in 1 piece1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar blended with 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar3 tablespoons toasted walnuts, or shelled salted pistachio nuts, barely crushedUp to an hour before dining, halve and core the pears, leaving their skins intact. Then slice each halve into long, thin slivers. Drizzle with a little lemon juice to keep from turning brown. Fan out about 4 or 5 pieces of pears on each of six salad plates.Just before setting out, use a vegetable peeler to shave the cheese over the pears, then drizzle with the balsamic and scatter the nuts over the fruit.Dear Lynne: Please arm me with some table etiquette so this Thanksgiving I can deal with my charming siblings. They all read your column.Here it goes: Should we "eat while it's hot," or wait for everyone to fill his or her plate? Should guests, even though they are family, evaluate the food as though they are writing a restaurant review? Is it impolite to ask men to help serve and clear? Is it rude to ask for leftovers to take home? -- Hoping for GuidanceDear Hoping: Poking into family gestalt is not smart for an outsider. That said, I'll give the textbook answers to your questions. After that, you are on your own.Hot, tepid or stone-cold, never start eating before everyone is served and the host has picked up her or his fork.Critiquing is sport for some groups, but 99 percent of the time it is a great way of being guaranteed a very limited social life.Not allowing men the same privileges as women at the dinner table (and in the kitchen) is sexual discrimination. Everyone should help if hosts allow it.Asking for leftovers is pushing it, especially when the hosts probably invested half a week's salary in the meal. Whether it's potluck, pork and beans, or caviar with truffles, leave the food unless very strongly encouraged not to.(Lynne Rossetto Kasper hosts "The Splendid Table," American Public Media's weekly national show for people who love to eat. For more information, visit www.splendidtable.org or call 1-800-537-5252. Tune in to our special Thanksgiving call-in show, "Turkey Confidential" on Thanksgiving morning. Find tune-in information at www.splendidtable.org.)