Happy Thanksgiving - recipes

Happy Thanksgiving

Below are a couple of recipes you may like to try over the holidays. Enjoy!

The World's Best Turkey (allrecipes.com)

1. Butterball Premium Frozen Turkey 10- to 24-lb
2. 1/2 cup butter, cubed
3. 2 apples, cored and halved
4. 1 tablespoon garlic powder  
5. salt and pepper to taste  
6. 2/3 (750 milliliter) bottle champagne \

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Rinse turkey, and pat dry. Gently loosen turkey breast skin, and insert pieces of butter between the skin and breast. Place apples inside the turkey's cavity. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place turkey in a roasting bag, and pour champagne over the inside and outside of the bird. Close bag, and place turkey in a roasting pan.

Bake turkey 3 to 3 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees F (85 degrees C) when measured in the meatiest part of the thigh. Remove turkey from bag, and let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving.

Herb and Butter Roasted Turkey (www.halfbakedharvest.com) 

1. 1 (14-16) pound turkey, giblets + neck removed, rinsed + patted dry
2. 2 sticks (1 cup or 16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
3. 2 tablespoons fresh sage, plus more for stuffing the bird
4. 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, plus more for stuffing the bird
5. 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
6. zest of 1 lemon
7. 3 teaspoons salt
8. 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
9. 1 large piece of double lined cheesecloth
10. 2 lemons, halved
11. 1 garlic head, tips sliced off
12. 1 onion, halved
13. 7-8 cups low sodium chicken or turkey broth

White Wine Pan Gravy

• 1 cup white wine, divided
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• drippings from the turkey
• 2-3 cups chicken or turkey broth, as needed
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage
• salt + pepper, to taste

Instructions

Remove the turkey from the fridge one hour before roasting. Remove the giblets + neck and rinse the bird off, pat dry and allow to come to room temperature.

To make the compound butter, finely chop the sage, thyme + parsley and add to a bowl with the butter. Add the lemon zest, salt and pepper, mix well to combine, making sure the butter is smooth and the herbs evenly mixed throughout (you can also add everything to a food processor and mix it that way).

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

Place the turkey in a large roasting pan.

Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and fill the cavity with the, lemons, garlic and onion. Gently lift the skin of the turkey by using your fingers and going in between the skin and body of the bird. Rub half of the compound butter under the skin of the bird, spreading some of the butter on top of the skin as well. Take the remaining butter and melt it over the low heat on the stove or in the microwave. Dampen your cheesecloth with warm water and squeeze dry. Submerge the cheesecloth in the melted butter, making sure all the cheese cloth has soaked up the butter. Lay the cheesecloth over the bird, covering most of the bird. Drizzle any remaining butter over the turkey.

Pour about 4 cups of chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting plan. Place the roasting pan in the oven and roast for 45 minutes at 450 degrees F. After 45 minutes reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and continue cooking for another 2 hours (until the turkey registers 160 F. on a meat thermometer), adding 1-2 cup of broth half way through roasting. I like to baste the turkey with the drippings 2-3 times throughout cooking and when doing so rotate the roasting pan.

Remove the turkey from the oven and remove the cheesecloth, transfer the turkey to a baking sheet, tent loosely with foil and let rest 20-30 minutes before slicing.

To make the gravy, strain the liquid from the roasting pan, skimming off most of the fat. I like to pour the broth into a 4 cup measuring cup and then place in the freezer for 10 minutes. This helps the fat rise to the top of the surface. Once you have skimmed the fat, add enough broth to equal about 4-5 cups total of drippings/broth.

Place the roasting pan over two burners and add a slash of wine (about 1/2 cup) to deglaze the pan. You want to scrape up all those brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Once the pan is throughly deglazed, add the butter and once melted, add the flour whisking to combine. Cook stirring constantly, until the mixture is golden, around 5 minutes.

Increase heat to medium high and add the remaining 1/2 cup of white wine, whisking as you go to let the wine reduce down. Slowly add reserved broth, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the sage and cook, continuing to stir, until the gravy has thickened to your desired thickness, around 8 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm with the turkey.