Roasted Turkey

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Roasted Turkey. Those two simple words instill so much fear and worry into home cooks, all over this  country, this time of year. I remember being intimidated – I mean, 20 pounds can be a lot of bird! But, you really shouldn’t be. Since I started brining my turkey, there hasn’t been a dry bird in the house for years.

Another key component for a good turkey is a nice variety of aromatics stuffed into the cavity. You can use what you have around – but, I’ve settled on oranges, onions, and rosemary. It infuses the meat subtly with those wonderful flavors. And, the juices drip down into the roasting pan infusing the gravy with the flavors as well. I didn’t list it in the recipe, but I love this seasoning mix from Penzey’s. The dried orange peel and coriander really shine through, and I love using it on my turkey.

Then there’s the cheesecloth thing. It’s mainly to keep the breast from browning too much, but it keeps the skin constantly soaked in delicious basting juices – which I don’t think hurts, either. Martha’s original recipe called for white wine, but a couple years ago all I had on hand was some home brewed hard cider so I subbed that. And wowza, talk about awesome. Tomorrow I’m posting my recipe for hard cider gravy, made from pan drippings. So, be sure to check back – you don’t want to miss that one!

Roasted Turkey

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:
2 oranges, halved
1 small onion, quartered
4 sprigs rosemary
Canola oil

For the basting liquid:
2 sticks butter
1 (12 ounce) bottle hard cider
large square of cheesecloth (about 18″ x 18″)

2 to 3 days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you’d like to eat: Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Prepare the basting liquid by combining the butter and hard cider in a large saucepan. Heat over medium until the butter has melted. Stir to combine, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine. Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add the aromatics to the turkey’s cavity. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes until the breast is starting to brown. Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Dip the cheesecloth into your basting liquid, gently squeeze to remove the excess liquid, and carefully spread it over the breast of the turkey in an even layer, covering the breast completely. Return bird to oven.

Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the thigh and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Baste the turkey (including the cheesecloth) every half hour or so, basting with the pan liquids if you run out of your butter/cider mixture.

Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the cheesecloth before serving and carving.

Source: adapted from Alton Brown and Martha Stewart

Cranberry Relish

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Cranberry sauce has long been my favorite thing at the Thanksgiving dinner table. For many years I preferred the kind from the can. There was something about that sweet-tart magenta cylinder of gelatin that I adored. Then I made my own a few years ago, and couldn’t go back to store-bought. Imagine that!

At first I started with a pure, unadulterated cranberry sauce. But over the years I’ve added things. Orange juice and zest, as well as toasted pecans. It’s sweet, it’s savory, it’s tart – it’s wonderful. And, leftovers are killer on turkey sandwiches. I’m looking forward to sharing a few other Thanksgiving recipes with you guys next week, so make sure to check back. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Cranberry Relish

12 oz fresh cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
zest from 1 orange or tangerine
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup pecan halves

Toast the pecans in a small, dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes – until starting to brown and are fragrant. Set aside to cool, and then roughly chop.

In a large saucepan combine the cranberries, sugar, water, and orange juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once cranberries begin to burst, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in pecans and orange zest. Place into small serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Apricot Glazed Green Beans

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First off, in case you didn’t notice, the site is looking quite a bit different this morning. I’d like to send a big shoutout and thank you to my friend Jen for doing the redesign. She is so talented, and I really can’t thank her enough.

So, these green beans. They’re amazing! I’m not usually a fan of green beans, unless in a soup or the like. But, sauteed in some of this sweet (yet, sour sauce) with a little bacon thrown in for good measure – and I could have ate the whole bowl.

It’s perfect for Thanksgiving. Green beans are a traditional side on most turkey day tables, but it’s usually in the form of green bean casserole. This is much lighter and fresh, leaving more room for turkey & gravy! But, I also see myself enjoying this take on beans in the summer too – when green beans are pouring out of my garden. Definitely a keeper!

Apricot Glazed Green Beans

1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
6 clives of bacon, cut into pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup apricot preserves
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
kosher salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 Tbsp salt, then add the green beans, and cook until just tender 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and shallot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic begins to brown, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the jam, vinegar, and 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper. Add the green beans and toss to coat. Fold in the bacon. Serve warm.

Source: adapted from Woman’s Day, November 2012

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

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I first had this salad at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse several years ago, and was completely blown away. I’d never had a salad that was served with a warm dressing, much less one that had a bunch of bacon drippings added to the mix. It’s just enough to barely wilt the spinach, red onions, and thinly sliced mushrooms.

It couldn’t be any easier to make at home either, and makes for a wonderful lunch or dressier side salad for dinner. I served it with alongside the French onion soup I made last week, and it was great. This is Alton Brown’s recipe (because you can never go wrong with AB), and it uses red wine vinegar. But, I’ve also used balsamic as well – and just cut out the sugar from the recipe. Hands down, my favorite salad. Make it!

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinagirette

8 ounces baby spinach, washed and drained
2 large eggs
8 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced

Place the eggs into a small saucepan, cover with water, and place over medium-high heat with the lid on. Bring to boil. Once boiling, turn off heat and let sit covered for 12 minutes. Drain, cool, and peel the eggs. Slice egg and set aside.

While the eggs are cooking, fry the bacon and remove to a paper towel to drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Transfer the fat to a small saucepan set over low heat and whisk in the red wine vinegar, sugar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper.

Add the mushrooms and the sliced onion to the spinach and toss. Add the dressing and bacon and toss to combine. Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them. Season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.

Source: Food Network