Oven Roasted Earl Grey Tea Lemon Rosemary Brined Turkey Recipes

OVEN ROASTED EARL GREY TEA, LEMON & ROSEMARY BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• Bring 6 1/2 quarts water to a boil. Remove from heat and add tea, lemon peel and rosemary. Cover and let steep for 20 minutes. If using tea bags, remove them. If using bulk tea, remove lemon peel and rosemary, set aside and strain the mixture and discard the tea leaves. Pour the mixture back in the pot and stir in salt, sugar and the set-aside lemon peel and rosemary. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Stir in the ice, cool to below 50 degrees F. Line a large pot with two 30-gallon plastic garbage bags, one inside the other. Place turkey in the bag-lined pot, breast-side down. Pour brine over turkey; press to submerge. Twist off bags to eliminate air pockets and tie. Refrigerate turkey in brine for 2 days (48 hours).
• Drain turkey, discard brine. Pat turkey dry. Stuff cavity with rosemary, punctured lemons, celery and onion. Fold wing tips under; tie legs. Rub olive oil all over the turkey.
• Place oven rack in the lowest third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Place turkey on a rack in large roasting pan. Place bird in oven and roast for 2 hours, then baste with 1/2 cup broth.
• Continue to roast until turkey is brown and thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F. Basting frequently with the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth and pan juices. Cover loosely with foil if browning too quickly. Transfer turkey to a large platter or carving board. Tent loosely with foil. Let stand at least 30 minutes or up to 45 minutes prior to carving.

BRINED AND ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey and reserve for the gravy. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.
• Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place breast side down in a large, heavy roasting pan, and rub on all sides with the butter. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and thyme. Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string.
• For the turkey broth: Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Add the turkey neck, heart, and gizzard to the pan and saute until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add the chopped vegetables and bay leaf to the pan and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Pour the stock and 3 cups of water into the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the stock is reduced to 4 cups, about 1 hour, adding the chopped liver to the pan during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
• Strain the stock into a clean pot or large measuring cup. Pull the meat off the neck, chop the neck meat and giblets, and set aside.
• Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, turn, and baste with 1/2 cup stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.
• Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
• For the pan gravy: Pour the reserved turkey pan juices into a glass-measuring cup and skim off the fat. Place the roasting pan on 2 stovetop burners over medium heat add the pan juice and 1 cup turkey broth and the white wine to the pan, and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining 3 cup of broth and bring to a simmer, then transfer to a measuring cup.
• In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, to make a light roux. Add the hot stock, whisking constantly, then simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the reserved neck meat and giblets to the pan and adjust seasoning, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Pour into a gravy boat and serve.
• To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary.

CLASSIC BRINED AND ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Put salt, sugar, onions, leeks, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, and 10 cups water in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, stirring until salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat; let brine cool completely.
• Add turkey, breast first, to the brine. Cover; refrigerate 24 hours. Remove from brine; pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in lowest position. Stir together melted butter and wine in a medium bowl. Fold a very large piece of cheesecloth into quarters so that it is large enough to cover breast and halfway down sides of turkey. Immerse cloth in butter mixture; let soak.
• Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a roasting pan. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Loosely fill body and neck cavities with stuffing. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Fold neck flap under; secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey all over with softened butter; season with salt and pepper.
• Remove cheesecloth from butter mixture, squeezing gently into bowl. Reserve butter mixture for brushing. Lay cheesecloth over turkey. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Roast 30 minutes. Brush cheesecloth and exposed turkey with butter mixture. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Roast, brushing every 30 minutes, 2 1/2 hours more; cover with foil if browning too quickly. If making gravy, add giblets and neck to pan 1 1/2 hours after reducing temperature; roast 30 minutes, and reserve.
• Discard cheesecloth; rotate pan. Baste turkey with pan juices. Roast, rotating pan halfway through, until skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees and stuffing reaches 165 degrees, about 1 hour. Transfer to a platter. Set pan with drippings aside for gravy. Let turkey stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes. Garnish, if desired.

TURKEY AND EARL GREY HONEY BUTTER TEA SANDWICHES FOR TEA-TIME!

Steps:

• In a mini food processor or in a bowl, blend the butter, honey, ground tea and salt.
• In a medium bowl, toss the apple with the lemon juice. Squeeze out any excess liquid and pulse or mix the apple into the honey butter.
• Spread a scant 1/2 tablespoon of the apple butter onto each slice of pumpernickel or wheat bread.
• Top half of the slices with the smoked turkey and close the sandwiches.
• Using a sharp serrated knife, trim off the bread crusts. Cut the sandwiches into 4 triangles, transfer to a plate and serve.
• MAKE AHEAD: The uncut sandwiches can be covered with a lightly moistened paper towel and plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.

MAPLE BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients, except the turkey, in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring until the salt dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Line a large stockpot with an unscented garbage bag and put the turkey into the pot. Pour the cooled brine over the bird, close and seal the bag, and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the turkey from the brine, dry well, and discard the brine.
• Roast the turkey as you normally would, approximately 15 minutes a pound. Let stand for 30 minutes before carving.