Savory Apple Onion Turkey Recipes

APPLE CIDER-BRINED TURKEY WITH SAVORY HERB GRAVY

Steps:

• To prepare brine, combine first 8 ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until sugar and salt dissolve. Cool completely.
• Remove giblets and neck from turkey; reserve for Savory Herb Gravy. Rinse Turkey with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Stuff body cavity with orange quarters. Place a turkey-sized oven bag inside a second bag to form a double thickness. Place bags in a large stockpot. Place turkey inside inner bag. Add cider mixture and ice. Secure bags with several twist ties. Refrigerat for 12 to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees:.
• Remove turkey from bags and discard bring, orange quarters, and bags. Rinse turkey with cold water; pat dry. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Place garlic, sage, thyme, parsely, onion, and broth in the botom of a roasting pan. Place roasting rack in pan. Arrange turkey, breast side down on roastick rack. Brush turkey back with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 500% for 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Remove turkey from oven. Carefully turn turkey over (breast side up) using tongs. Brush turkey breast with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into meat party of thigh registers 170 degrees. Remove turkey from oven; let stand20 minutes. Reserve pan drippings for Savory Herb Gravy.
• Directions for Gravy:.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add turkey neck and giblets; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Add water and next 7 ingredients (through bay leaf); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is reduced to about 2 1/2 cups (about 1 hours). Strain through a colander over a bowl, reserving cooking liquid and turkey neck. Discard remaining solids. Chill cooking liquid completely.Skim fat from surface, and discard. Remove meat from neck; finely chop meat. Discard neck bone. Add neck meat to cooking liquid.
• Strain the reserved turkey drippings throug a colander over a shallow bowl; discard solids. Place strained drippings in freezer for 20 minutes. Skim fat from surface; discard.
• Place flour in a medium saucepan; add 1/4 cup cooking liquid, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add remaining cooking liquid, turkey drippings, salt and pepper; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

APPLE & HERB ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Combine sage and rosemary. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the turkey breast; rub herbs under the skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks., Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Place apple, onion and celery in turkey cavity. Brush turkey with butter., Roast, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, 3 to 3-1/2 hours. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.) Remove turkey from oven; brush with apple jelly. Tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes before removing toothpicks and carving.

APPLE-ONION ROAST TURKEY WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Place turkey neck, heart and gizzard in large pot. Add 8 cups cold water and 2 celery stalks; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1 hour. Strain into large measuring cup. Return turkey stock to pot; simmer until reduced to 4 cups, about 30 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry. Remove excess fat from neck and main cavities. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Place onion, apple and remaining 2 celery stalks in main cavity. Rub outside of turkey with bacon drippings; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Loosely tie legs together to hold shape. Cover breast portion of turkey with sheet of heavy-duty foil. Pour turkey stock into pan around turkey.
• Roast turkey 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil from over breast. Baste turkey with pan juices. Continue to roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 1 1/4 hours longer. Transfer turkey to platter; let stand at least 20 minutes.
• Pour juices from roasting pan into large glass measuring cup. Spoon off fat, reserving 2 tablespoons. If necessary, add enough chicken broth to degreased pan juices to measure 2 1/2 cups. Heat 2 tablespoons turkey fat in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; whisk until beginning to color, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in pan juices and any collected juices from platter holding turkey. Boil gravy until thickened enough to coat spoon, whisking often, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve turkey with gravy.

SAVORY APPLE-ONION TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°. Prepare turkey for roasting, reserving giblets to make Giblet Stock if desired.
• Fasten neck skin to back of turkey with skewer. Fold wings across back of turkey so tips are touching. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the onion salt in cavity.
• Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Starting at back opening of the turkey, gently separate skin from turkey breast, using fingers. Place half slices of bacon under the skin; secure skin at lower edge with toothpick or metal skewer. Place onion and apple in turkey cavity. Brush oil over turkey; sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon onion salt. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh muscle and does not touch bone. (Do not add water or cover turkey.)
• Roast uncovered 3 hours to 3 hours 30 minutes. While turkey is roasting, make Giblet Stock to use in gravy. After roasting about 2 hours, when it begins to turn golden, place a tent of aluminum foil loosely over turkey.
• About 40 minutes before turkey is done, heat jelly and mustard to boiling in 1 1/2- quart saucepan; reduce heat. Simmer about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until jelly is melted. Set aside until turkey is almost done. Generously brush apple glaze over turkey frequently during last 30 minutes of roasting.
• Turkey is done when thermometer reads 180° and juice of turkey is no longer pink when you cut into center of thigh. The drumstick should move easily when lifted or twisted. If a meat thermometer is not used, begin testing for doneness after about 2 hours 30 minutes. When turkey is done, place on warm platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Let stand about 15 minutes for easiest carving.
• Make Apple Cider Gravy. Serve gravy with turkey. Cover and refrigerate any remaining turkey and gravy separately.
• Method for Giblet Stock: Place all ingredients in 3-quart saucepan; add enough water to cover. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer1 hour. Strain the stock through colander or wire strainer, discarding giblets, neck and onion. Refrigerate until need to make gravy. Method for Apple Cider Gravy: Pour drippings (turkey juices and fat) from roasting pan into 4-cup measuring cup, leaving brown bits in pan. Add enought Giblet Stock to drippings to measure 3 cups; pour into 3-quart saucepan and set aside. Pour apple cider into roasting pan; cook over medium heat, stirrin constantly, until all browned bits are released. Transfer cider mixture to liquid in 3-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Beat flour and water in small bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Beat flour mixture into boiling liquid, using wire whisk; continu boiling and whisking 1 minute. Stir in salt and pepper.