Savory Apple Onion Turkey Food

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.

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.

SAVORY SAUSAGE BITES WITH APPLE AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Sausage -- In a medium saute pan, add the butter and bring to medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook 1-2 minutes. You want them a little brown but not too much. Then remove and transfer to the crock pot or a large pot on the stove.
• NOTE: As I said, there are turkey, chicken, pork sausages out there with a variety of flavors. I try to stick with a herb chicken or turkey sausage if possible, but use what you can find. www.aidelle.com has so many great flavors, I just asked my store manager and they ordered it even though they didn't have it. So just check and ask. Many meat markets will carry many flavors as well. Aidelle's is usually just found by the hot dogs and the sausages in most major grocery stores.
• Apple and Onions -- In the same pan to the sausage drippings, add the apples and onions and cook 3-4 minutes. Then transfer to the crock pot as well or a large pot on the stove.
• Sauce -- Add the apple cider, beer (wine or broth if you don't want the beer; however the beer really adds tons of flavor), bay leaf, thyme, brown sugar, butter and honey. At this point, I just add a pinch of both salt and pepper. You can also add more after they are done cooking. Stove is approximately 1 hour on medium low. For the crock pot - low for about 3 hours. Three hours works for me, but just test yours after 2 hours to make sure the apples and onions are good and soft.
• Baguettes -- As the sausage simmers, toast up your baguettes, I like to thin slice my baguette (or you can use your favorite bread) and toast in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes until golden brown. Nothing more.
• Dips -- Now my friend enjoys a honey mustard. Just mix dijon mustard and honey and set in a small bowl in the refrigerator. My favorite is my swiss cheese sauce. which takes just a minute to make.
• A standard bechemel/cheese sauce. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter on med heat and then stir in the flour and mix for about 1 minute until well combined. Add in the milk and stir until thickened. Then add in the cheese and mix on medium low until creamy.
• Serving -- Before serving, I check for seasoning - salt and pepper, add if needed. When ready to serve, you will have four bowls which I all put on one platter and then plate the baguettes all around the side. Transfer the apples and onions and juice to one bowl. I try to spoon most of the sausage into one bowl but don't worry if some of the onions and apples get mixed in, it is all part of the same dish (and don't forget to remove the bay leaf and stems from the thyme); and the two dips, the honey mustard and warm cheese dip in the other two bowls.
• I like to take a few baguettes, top with the apple & onion mix, a couple of sausage bites and a spoon of the cheese and set to the side so people can see how they go together. I have found some like just the sausage, some like just the apples and onions on the bread and some all separate, but at least I showed how it goes together. It is just really a unique appetizer which can all be made ahead which is the best part.

TURKEY APPLE BURGERS

Steps:

• Combine turkey, apple, onion, celery, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper in a bowl and form into 4 large patties.
• Preheat a large skillet or a grill pan to medium high heat.
• Drizzle skillet or brush grill with vegetable oil and cook patties 5 to 6 minutes on each side.
• Serve with FF mayo mixed with cranberry sauce for a gourmet touch, on toasted sourdough english muffins!

CURRY-APPLE TURKEY LOAF

Steps:

• Saute onion and apple until limp; add curry powder, coriander, and parsley; continue cooking for two more minutes.
• Thoroughly mix onion-apple mixture with remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pan-fry a small sample to check seasoning. Add salt, pepper, and curry to taste.
• Pat into a 9x5 loaf pan or 8" square pan; bake one hour at 350 degrees. Test by cutting to be sure that loaf is not pink in center.
• Turn out onto a platter and garnish with apple wedges and chutney to taste.