Sharon Lees Tarragon Turkey Recipes

ROAST TURKEY WITH TARRAGON-SHALLOT BUTTER

Steps:

• Let the turkey sit at room temperature for about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Remove the packet of neck and giblets from the turkey and set aside. Cut away any fatty pieces near the cavity or neck and discard. Pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper inside and out.
• Combine the butter, tarragon, lemon juice, shallot, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula. Loosen the skin over the turkey breast and push half of the butter mixture under the skin and over the breast meat. Rub the skin with the rest of the butter mixture. Stuff the cavity with the parsley and lemons. Tie the legs together with twine. Tuck the wings under the body and put the turkey breast-side up on a rack in a roasting pan.
• Roast until the turkey begins to turn golden, about 25 minutes. Loosely tent the breast with foil, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Continue roasting, basting with pan drippings every 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh joint reaches about 155 degrees F. Remove the foil and continue roasting until it reaches 165 degrees F, about 30 minutes longer. Transfer the turkey and rack to a cutting board and let rest about 30 minutes.
• Discard the parsley and lemons from the cavity before carving.

TARRAGON TURKEY

Steps:

• In a very large casserole, roasting pan or plastic tub, combine honey, vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, salt and dried tarragon. Add onion, garlic, lemon and five quarts of water. Submerge rolled turkey breast in mixture, adding 1 to 2 more quarts as needed to cover breast with liquid. Refrigerate overnight, preferably for 24 hours.
• Remove turkey from brine, and place on a rack for 30 minutes to drain and come to room temperature. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan combine olive oil and fresh tarragon, and place over medium-low heat until oil begins to sizzle. Remove from heat, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
• Transfer tarragon from oil to a clean roasting pan. Pat turkey dry with paper towels, and place on top of tarragon. Pour oil over turkey, and rub by hand until meat is completely covered with oil. Roast for two hours. No basting is necessary.
• Remove pan from oven. Transfer turkey to a sheet of foil, and allow it to cool for 20 minutes. Remove, and discard strings, wrap turkey in foil, and refrigerate until chilled, at least one hour. To serve, cut into slices.

LEMON AND HERB ROASTED THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Steps:

• For the turkey: Twenty-four hours before cooking your turkey, liberally season the inside and outside of the bird with salt and pepper. Using a mini chopper or mortar and pestle, grind the oregano, parsley, tarragon, sumac, thyme, shallots and lemon zest together with some salt and pepper; the salt will help draw the moisture and flavor from the mixture. Add the olive oil to form a paste. Spread the herb mixture all around the inside and outside of the turkey. Refrigerate the turkey, uncovered to dry the skin, for 24 hours.
• For the roasting: Remove the turkey from the fridge 90 minutes before roasting and allow it to come to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Season the turkey again with salt and pepper. Put the parsley and thyme sprigs in the cavity with the lemon and shallot halves.
• Put the carrots, celery and onions in the bottom of a roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack. Add a cup of water or stock to the bottom of the pan. Add the turkey to the rack and roast, adding a little more water or stock to the pan if necessary to prevent the drippings from burning, for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to roast, basting the turkey with the pan drippings every 30 minutes, until the thickest part of the leg registers an internal temperature of 155 degrees F, another 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Allow the bird to rest, tented with foil, for at least 1 hour before carving. The temperature will rise to about 165 degrees F during resting.
• Pour the pan drippings into a saucepan, set the pan over medium-high heat and cook until reduced by one-half, about 10 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted. Pour the reduced turkey drippings over the carved turkey just before serving.

ORANGE & TARRAGON ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a roasting tin with a very generous length of double-thickness foil. Weigh the turkey to calculate the cooking time, allowing 40 mins per kg for the first 4kg, then 50 mins for every kg over that weight (a turkey this size should take 3½-4 hrs).
• Put the butter in a bowl and finely grate the zest from the orange on top. Add the chopped tarragon, garlic and seasoning and mix well. You can make this 3 days ahead.
• Gently push your fingers under the turkey skin, starting from the neck end of the bird, easing the skin away from the breast and the top of the drumsticks. Now spread the flavoured butter under the skin, taking care not to tear it. You won't be able to reach all the way down to the drumsticks, but you can ease the butter along by smoothing it through the skin. Quarter the orange and tuck into the turkey cavity with the onion and the bunch of tarragon (step-by-step). You can do this the night before.
• Season the turkey with salt and pepper, then lift it onto the foil-lined roasting tin. Pour the wine into the cavity of the turkey, then bring up the sides of the foil and cover the top of the bird with a layer of foil. Roast according to your calculated time.
• Thirty mins before the end of cooking time, remove the foil from the top of the turkey and add the potatoes to the oven.
• To test if the turkey is cooked, pierce the fattest part of the thigh with a skewer - the juices that run out should be clear, not pink. If they are pink, continue to roast, checking at 10-min intervals.
• Remove the turkey, transfer to a warm serving platter and let it rest, covered loosely with the foil, for 30-40 mins before carving. Meanwhile, turn up the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cook the potatoes for 30 mins more, with the stuffing and sausages. Serve the turkey decorated with herbs.

TARRAGON TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F; Place the turkey breast into a baking pan.
• In a small bowl combine chicken broth and water; spoon it over the turkey.
• Bake in the preheated 350°F oven for 30 minute; then sprinkle the tarragon over the turkey breast.
• Bake 30 more minutes or until the turkey is 170°F and the juices run clear.

TARRAGON TURKEY SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cold water and drain. Place in a large bowl; add turkey, celery and oranges. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, orange juice, mustard, tarragon, orange zest, salt and pepper. Pour over pasta mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve over lettuce.

TARRAGON AND TURKEY SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk the last five ingredients together.
• Add rice and remaining salad ingredients.
• Toss well.
• Season with salt and pepper as desired.
• Chill about 30 minutes before serving.

TARRAGON TURKEY BURGERS

Steps:

• In mixing bowl, combine cubed bread and milk. Mash together until milk is completely incorporated.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Gently mix with spoon or hands, being careful not to overmix, but be sure to completely mix in bread mixture.
• Form into four patties.
• Grill (or cook in frying pan), as desired, turning once, until turkey is cooked through.

BRAISED SPRING CARROTS AND LEEKS WITH TARRAGON

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan or lidded skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and a generous pinch of salt. Cook gently until just about tender, about three minutes. Do not allow the leeks to color. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the carrots, water and salt to taste, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until the carrots are tender when pierced with a knife. Stir in the lemon juice and tarragon. Taste and adjust salt. Transfer to a platter if desired, making sure to scrape out the tasty residue from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula. Serve hot, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature. If serving at room temperature, sprinkle with additional fresh tarragon just before serving.

SHARON LEE'S TARRAGON TURKEY

Steps:

• Place the turkey breast in the crock pot with the water. Put 1/2 stick butter on top of the turkey. Sprinkle tarragon on top. Cover and cook until 185 F. On low, this is 4-5 hours in my crock pot.