Apple Rosemary Brined Roast Turkey Food

BRINED ROSEMARY CRUSTED TURKEY WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• For the brine: Combine 8 quarts cold water, the salt, sugar, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, garlic, bay leaves, carrots, celery and onions in a large container. Immerse the turkey in the brine and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days.
• To prepare the turkey for cooking: Remove the turkey from the brine the night before roasting and pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels. Combine the butter, rosemary and some salt in a small bowl. Taste it to make sure it tastes good. Work the butter under the skin of the turkey and massage it into the breasts and the legs. Massage the butter on the outside of the skin as well. Tie the legs together and over the breast so they will protect it during cooking to help keep it moist and juicy. Place the turkey on a sheet tray and refrigerate overnight UNCOVERED! Yes, that's right, uncovered. This will help the skin dry out and become really brown and crispy. Pay close attention not to have any food that will not be cooked near the turkey in the fridge.
• Thanksgiving Day: Take the turkey out of the fridge 1 hour before placing in the oven.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• For the gravy: Place the garlic, celery, onions, celery root, fennel, bay leaves, sage and thyme in a roasting pan and season with salt. Put the chicken stock and wine in the bottom of the roasting pan and place the turkey on top.
• Put the turkey in the oven until the skin of the turkey gets really nice and brown, about 40 minutes. Lower the heat of the oven to 350 degrees F for the remainder of the cooking time. Baste the turkey every 30 minutes or so and add more stock to the roasting pan if needed. Think about 17 minutes per pound for the turkey. Tent the turkey with aluminum foil when it gets to the proper color to prevent it from getting too dark.
• Remove the turkey from the oven when a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the turkey reads 160 degrees F. Be sure the thermometer is not touching a bone when doing the reading.
• When the turkey has reached the proper temperature, remove it from the roasting pan and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
• To finish the gravy: Remove the bay leaves, sage and thyme and from the roasting pan. Using an immersion blender, blend the veggies together until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed (it will).
• Carve the turkey, and don't fight over the drumsticks.
• Give thanks for such a great turkey!!!

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.

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 ROSEMARY PORK TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together rosemary, thyme, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Rub herb mixture over tenderloin. Place in a container, and pour hard cider over roast. Add water until pork is completely submerged. Cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Place roast in a roasting pan, elevated from the bottom, and pour marinade around the meat. Bake for 1 hour in preheated oven.
• In a large bowl, mix apples and onion. Put mixture around and on top of roast. Spoon brown sugar over entire pan evenly. Place roast back into oven, and continue to cook for 1 hour more, or until meat reaches 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Transfer roast, apples, and onion to a serving platter.
• For the gravy, brown flour in a skillet. Pour the marinade/drippings mixture into the skillet. Stir in syrup. Cook and stir over high heat until liquid has thickened to desired consistency.
• Slice roast, and serve with gravy.

GOOD EATS ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Two to three 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.
• The night before or early on the day 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.
• 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.
• Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. 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. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast 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. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

CARAMELIZED APPLES WITH FRESH ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450, with rack in top position. Bring cider and rosemary to a boil. Remove from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Discard rosemary.
• Combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add apples, and toss. Coat a nonstick rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange apples in a single layer on sheet. Bake for 9 minutes, then flip each slice, and bake for 5 minutes more. Pull out baking sheet on oven rack, and carefully pour infused cider over apples. Return sheet and rack to oven, and bake until apples are soft and glossy, about 5 minutes.
• Broil apples with oven door slightly ajar, rotating sheet halfway through, until edges are golden, about 2 minutes. Divide apples and juices among bowls. Serve with yogurt, if desired.

APPLE-ROSEMARY ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove giblets and neck from turkey, reserving neck. Rinse turkey with cold water; pat dry. Sprinkle outside of turkey and cavity with salt and 1 teaspoon pepper; stuff cavity with apple, half of onion, and 6 rosemary sprigs. Loosen skin from turkey breast without detaching it; insert remaining 2 rosemary sprigs and sage beneath skin. Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan.
• Stir together 1 cup apple juice concentrate, 12 oz apple cider and butter. Warm till butter is melted Attach needle to marinade injector, and fill with apple juice concentrate mixture according to directions. Inject marinade into turkey breast several times and into thighs and drumsticks.
• Bake at 425° for 20 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 330°, and bake 4.5 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into turkey thigh registers 170°. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Remove turkey from pan, reserving 1/2 cup drippings. Cool. Remove onion, apple, and rosemary from cavity, and discard; wrap turkey in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Chill 8 hours.
• Bring 2 cups water, remaining apple juice concentrate, turkey neck, and remaining half of onion to a boil in a saucepan; boil 15 minutes. Pour through a wire-mesh strainer into a measuring cup, discarding solids.
• Heat reserved drippings in a heavy saucepan over medium heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add apple juice mixture, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Chill 8 hours. Serve warm with turkey and whole-berry cranberry sauce, if desired.
• NOTE: Turkey may be basted with apple juice concentrate mixture every 30 minutes if marinade injection isn't available.
• Apple-Rosemary Turkey Breast: Substitute 1 (6-pound) bone-in turkey breast for whole turkey. Bake at 350º for 1 1/2 hours; cover and bake 1 more hour or until meat thermometer registers 175º. Yield: 8 servings.