Achiote Butter Basted Turkey With Ancho Chili Gravy Food

BUTTER-BASTED TURKEY AND GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Stuff the turkey: Place the turkey on a flat surface, season with salt and pepper on the inside and out and stuff the cavity with stuffing if using. Tie the legs closed with a strong piece of kitchen twine or string by wrapping them around and around the drumsticks and pulling them closed like you're tying a shoe.
• Prepare the turkey: Soak 1 large double-layered piece of cheesecloth in the butter. Brush any remaining butter on top of the bird and cover the breast meat with the cheesecloth to keep it moist for the first part of cooking, tucking it into the natural crevices of the bird to keep it in place. Arrange the garlic, carrots and onions in the bottom of a roasting pan and arrange the turkey on the roasting pan right above them. Place the pan in the center of the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
• Lower the oven to 350 degrees F and count about 12 minutes per pound of the turkey weight.
• After about 2 hours, take the turkey out, gently remove the cheesecloth from the top of the breasts, baste the turkey with any pan juices, rotate the pan halfway and return to the oven. Place the turkey neck and the chicken stock in a medium pot and simmer gently on the stove as the turkey finishes cooking. Reduce the stock by about half.
• How do you know when the turkey is done? The temperature of the thigh meat (where the meat is thickest and takes the longest time to cook) should register 160 to 165 degrees F when tested with a thermometer. The thigh juices should also be clear, not pink. When done, remove the bird from the oven, transfer to a flat surface and allow it to rest, breast side down, for 30 minutes. Why rest the turkey breast side down after cooking it breast side up? So the juices flow back through the meat as it sits.
• Make the gravy: Place the roasting pan over the burners of the stove, whisk in the sherry and mustard to the pan and warm it over low heat. Scrape the bottom to get the drippings and tasty bits off the bottom of the pan as the sherry reduces almost completely. Strain the neck out from the stock and add the stock to the roasting pan. Simmer over medium heat, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce further until the mixture starts to thicken. Puree half of the gravy (with the cooked vegetables) in a blender until smooth, and then stir back into the gravy. The vegetables are a natural thickener that is healthier and lighter than the classic cornstarch or flour! Stir in the vinegar. Taste for seasoning. Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.

ANCHO CHILE TURKEY WITH MAPLE BOURBON GLAZE

Steps:

• In 1-quart saucepan, place chiles; cover with water. Heat to simmer over medium heat. Simmer 15 minutes or until chiles have softened. Remove chiles from water; reserve water.
• Place chiles in food processor. Add remaining Chili-Garlic Paste ingredients. Cover; process until a paste forms. Add 1 tablespoon reserved chile water to thin. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Can be made up to 2 days ahead.)
• In 1-quart saucepan, heat Glaze ingredients over medium heat to boiling. Remove from heat; set aside.
• Heat oven to 400°F. Place cooling rack or roasting rack in bottom of large roasting pan.
• Wash turkey inside and out; dry well. Season with salt and pepper, pressing it in to adhere. Slide hand under turkey breast skin to loosen; place 1/2 cup Chile-Garlic Paste under skin and rub all over top of turkey. Place orange wedges, half of the onion and the bay leaf inside cavity. Tie legs together with string. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh and does not touch bone. Place turkey on rack in pan; arrange celery and remaining onion in pan around turkey. Pour 2 cups chicken broth over vegetables. Brush turkey with Glaze. Roast 30 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 325°F. Roast about 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes, basting with pan broth and glaze every 30 minutes, until thermometer reads 165°F and drumsticks move easily when lifted or twisted.
• Remove turkey from pan onto carving or cutting board; let rest 15 minutes before carving. Strain pan juices; reserve. Discard vegetables, orange and bay leaf.
• While turkey is resting, in 2-quart heavy saucepan, cook butter and flour over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until a blond roux forms. Add remaining 1/2 cup Chile-Garlic Paste, all strained pan juices and carton of chicken broth (4 cups); heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer until thickened. Serve gravy with carved turkey.

ANCHO-RUBBED TURKEY

Steps:

• Cook the ancho chiles, sesame seeds and cumin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring, until the seeds are toasted and the anchos are pliable, 3 minutes. Transfer the anchos to a bowl; transfer the seeds to a food processor. Cover the anchos with hot water and let soften, 5 to 10 minutes; drain, then remove the stems and seeds. Add the anchos to the food processor. Add the Fresno chile, garlic, scallions, parsley and cilantro leaves, olive oil, raisins and 1 tablespoon salt to the food processor. Pulse to make a paste.
• Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey; set aside for the gravy. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Work your fingers between the skin and the meat on the breast and the top of the legs. Rub the chile paste under the skin and on the outside. Stuff the parsley and cilantro stems into the cavity. Season inside and out with 1 tablespoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Put the turkey on a rack set in a large roasting pan; tuck the wings under the body. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Position an oven rack in the lowest position (remove the other racks); preheat to 350 degrees F. Uncover the turkey and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours, tenting any parts that brown too quickly with foil. Meanwhile, start your gravy (or serve this turkey with defatted pan drippings).
• Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving. Serve with the gravy or pan drippings.

ACHIOTE BUTTER-BASTED TURKEY WITH ANCHO CHILI GRAVY

Steps:

• Char poblano chilies over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose chilies in paper bag. Let stand 10 minutes to steam. Peel and seed chilies.
• Toast ancho chilies in heavy large skillet over high heat until color darkens slightly and chilies are fragrant, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer ancho chilies to medium bowl. Add enough hot water to bowl to cover chilies. Let stand until chilies soften, about 20 minutes.
• Puree 4 ancho chili halves with 1/2 cup soaking liquid in blender. Add roasted poblano chilies; puree. Season with salt and pepper. Drain remaining 2 chili halves; chill. (Puree and soaked chilies can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Rinse turkey inside and out. Pat turkey dry. Sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper. Cut remaining 2 ancho chili halves into strips. Place chili strips and onion in turkey cavity.
• Mix butter and achiote paste in small bowl to blend. Run fingers between turkey breast skin and meat to loosen. Rub half of achiote butter over turkey breast under skin. Rub butter over outside of turkey. Place turkey in large roasting pan. Tuck wings under turkey. Tie legs together to hold shape. Pour 1 1/2 cups broth into pan.
• Roast turkey 45 minutes. Tent turkey loosely with foil. Continue roasting until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F, basting every 30 minutes with pan juices, about 3 1/2 hours. Transfer to platter. Tent with foil.
• Pour turkey pan juices into measuring cup. Spoon off fat from pan juices, reserving 1/4 cup fat. Add enough remaining broth to pan juices to measure 3 cups. Return 1/4 cup fat to roasting pan. Place pan over 2 burners set at medium heat. Add Masa Harina; whisk until mixture resembles paste, scraping up any browned bits, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in pan juices. Add chili puree; simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors. Season gravy with salt and pepper. Serve turkey with gravy.

ROAST TURKEY RUBBED WITH ACHIOTE-CHIPOTLE BUTTER

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. For the butter mixture, place chipotles and garlic in the food processor; process to a paste. Add the achiote paste, thyme, sage and orange zest; process until combined. Add the butter gradually, pulsing until smooth.
• Rub the bird inside and out with the salt; rub with the butter mixture, working some of the butter between the skin and the breast as well. Place the garlic, onions, orange halves, carrot, celery, thyme, sage and bay leaves inside the turkey cavity. Tie the turkey legs together with butcher's twine.
• Place the bird on a rack in a large roasting pan. Pour enough of the broth into the pan to cover the bottom of the pan by about ½ inch.
• Roast 30 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees. Cook, basting the bird with broth every 30 minutes, adding more broth to the pan as needed. Cook until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees, about 2½ hours. Transfer turkey to a cutting board; set aside, loosely covered with foil, 30 minutes.
• For the gravy, skim off the fat from the pan drippings; pour fat into a large skillet. Reserve pan drippings in the roasting pan. Heat the fat over medium heat; slowly whisk in flour, whisking until mixture begins to brown and thicken, about 10 minutes. Slowly whisk in all but { cup of the remaining broth.
• Heat mixture to a simmer over medium heat; slowly whisk this mixture into the reserved drippings in the roasting pan; heat. (If the gravy is too thick, add the reserved broth until you reach the desired consistency.) Carve turkey; serve with gravy.
• Note: Achiote paste, made from annatto seeds, is available in Latin American markets.

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY WITH GARLIC-ANCHO CHILI PASTE AND GRAVY

Steps:

• For paste:.
• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Separate heads of garlic into individual cloves (do not peel).
• Pierce each clove once with toothpick.
• Scatter garlic on baking sheet; roast until tender and beginning to brown, about 25 minutes.
• Cool 5 minutes.
• Peel garlic, cutting hard tip off each clove.
• Pack enough garlic into 1/2-cup measuring cup to fill (about 40 cloves); reserve any remaining garlic.
• Blend 1/2 cup garlic in processor to form course puree.
• Meanwhile, place chilies in small saucepan.
• Add enough water just to cover.
• Simmer over medium-low heat until chilies are soft and most of water evaporates, about 15 minutes.
• Add chili mixture, oil, cumin, and honey to garlic in processor.
• Puree until smooth.
• Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover paste and garlic; chill.).
• For turkey:.
• Pat turkey dry.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Slide hand under skin of turkey breast to loosen skin.
• Spread 1/2 cup garlic-paste over breast under skin.
• If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing into main cavity.
• Rub 2 tablespoons paste all over outside of turkey.
• Reserve remaining paste for gravy.
• Tie legs together loosely to hold shape of turkey.
• Place on rack set in roasting pan. (Can be done 1 day ahead if turkey is not stuffed. Chill turkey and paste separately.).
• Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 325°F
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over high heat.
• Add neck and giblets, turkey neck pieces and onion; sauté brown, about 15 minutes.
• Place contents of skillet around turkey in pan.
• Add celery, tomato, allspice and any reserved garlic to pan; pour in 2 cups broth.
• Roast turkey 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Tent turkey and entire pan loosely with heavy-duty foil.
• Continue to roast turkey until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F or until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with skewer, basting often with pan juices and 3 cups broth, about 1 hour 40 minutes longer for unstuffed turkey (about 2 hours 25 minutes longer for stuffed turkey).
• Place turkey on platter.
• Tent with foil; let stand at least 30 minutes.
• Reserve mixture in pan for gravy.
• For gravy:.
• Using tongs, remove turkey parts from pan; discard.
• Pour mixture in pan into sieve set over large bowl.
• Press on solids in sieve to release liquid.
• Spoon fat from pan juices; add enough broth to juices to measure 6 cups.
• Stir 1/2 cup reserved garlic-chili paste in heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until liquefied.
• Add flour and stir 1 minute (mixture will be very thick).
• Gradually add 6 cups broth mixture, whisking until smooth.
• Simmer until reduced to 4 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes.
• Season with cayenne, salt and pepper.
• Serve turkey with gravy.

TURKEY GRAVY FOR BUTTER-BASTED ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine giblets, celery, onion, and 6 cups water in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 1 hour. Pass mixture through a fine sieve. Reserve stock and giblets; discard other solids.
• Tilt roasting pan and skim fat from top with a spoon, or pour drippings into a fat separator. Combine 1/2 cup fat (add melted butter as needed to reach 1/2 cup) with flour in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture becomes nutty and golden and has texture of wet sand, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Place roasting pan across 2 burners over medium heat; stir reserved stock into drippings. Bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up browned bits. Slowly add flour mixture, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened to desired consistency. Pass gravy through a fine sieve; finely chop reserved giblets and stir into gravy. Season with salt and pepper.