Lemon Honey Rosemary Turkey Recipes

LEMON, HONEY & ROSEMARY TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Zest the lemons; reserve zest. Cut zested lemons in half. Remove leaves from rosemary stems and finely chop; reserve stems. In small bowl, mix butter with half of each of the lemon zest, chopped rosemary and pepper.
• With fingers, gently loosen the turkey skin on breasts. Spread half the butter mixture underneath the skin. Rub the remaining butter mixture on the outside of the turkey. Sprinkle remaining pepper in the cavity. Insert the 4 lemon halves, reserved rosemary stems and onion. Tie legs together with butcher's twine. Place turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Tent with foil. Roast bird on the lowest rack 1 1/2 hr. Remove foil. Continue roasting another 1 1/2 hr.
• Meanwhile, mix 1/4 cup (60 mL) wine and honey. After turkey has roasted 3 hr., baste with wine and honey mixture. Roast up to another 30 min., or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh reads 180°F (82°C).
• Remove turkey from oven; transfer to serving platter. Tent with foil. Let rest 15 min. Meanwhile, pour pan drippings into a bowl. Allow oil to rise to the surface, skim off with a spoon. Pass drippings through a fine mesh strainer (yield should be about 1 1/2 cups/375 mL).
• Set roasting pan on stovetop over medium-high heat. Stir in remaining white wine; scraping browned bits from bottom of pan. Add drippings and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Dilute cornstarch in 1/4 cup (60 mL) water, mixing until smooth. Whisk cornstarch mixture into dripping mixture until smooth. Bring to boil, stirring, until gravy thickens. Stir in remaining zest and chopped rosemary. Serve with turkey.

ROSEMARY LEMON ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Step 1) In the kitchen sink, remove your turkey from the wrapping. Find the bag of giblets and remove it from your turkey. Check both ends of your turkey for that bag of giblets!
• Step 2) Rinse your turkey with cold water on the inside and the outside. Lift the turkey and turn it upside down to drain for a moment. Pat the turkey dry with a clean kitchen towel (and put that towel immediately in the hamper, so you don't accidentally use it for anything else).
• Step 3) Place your turkey in a pan or on a roasting sheet. Rub salt and pepper onto the skin.
• Step 4) Poke a few holes with a paring knife in each lemon. Insert rosemary sprigs into several of the holes in each lemon, as shown.
• Step 5) Insert one of the rosemary lemons completely inside of the turkey. Rest the other rosemary lemon near the opening of the turkey cavity.
• Step 6) Coat the outside of your turkey with melted butter. Don't use so much butter that it drips all over the pan (try to avoid that), but make sure at highest part of the turkey is covered. The butter will spread down the sides of the turkey as it roasts, sealing in flavor and giving the turkey skin a golden color.
• Note: We are buttering our turkey skin instead of basting. It's easier and prevents the meat from drying out. A buttered turkey will have a slightly darker color than a basted turkey (or a turkey in a bag), and the skin will be crispy. The end result is delicious!
• Step 7) Showtime! Place your turkey in a preheated, 325 degree oven on the lowest rack possible. Your turkey needs to slowly roast until a meat thermometer poked into the thickest part of the turkey (but not against a bone) registers 165 degrees. Your turkey might have a little red timer attached - this timer will pop out when your turkey is done. It's STILL a good idea to check the temperature. Your turkey needs to reach 165 degrees in order to prevent food-borne illness!
• How long will your turkey need to roast? That is the million dollar question! Every turkey and every oven is a little bit different. At 325 degrees, a 10 - 12 pound turkey will require approximately 3 hours of roasting time. Check your turkey after 2 1/2 hours, but don't open the oven door before then!
• Step 8) Let your roasted turkey rest on the countertop for 15 minutes before carving. A "tent" of aluminum foil (just a very loose covering of foil) can be used to prevent heat loss, but that's not entirely necessary.
• Enjoy your roasted turkey!
• PS - Don't wash that pan! In our next Crowded Earth Kitchen post, we'll show you how to make gravy with the drippings on that turkey pan!

ROAST TURKEY WITH ROSEMARY AND LEMON

Steps:

• Let turkey sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in lower third. In a small saucepan, heat oil, rosemary, garlic, and lemon zest. Bring to a simmer over medium-high and cook until garlic is soft and lemon is slightly shriveled, 1 minute. Remove rosemary-lemon oil from heat and let cool.
• Tuck wing tips underneath body of turkey. Season inside of turkey with salt and pepper. Loosely fill large cavity and neck cavity with stuffing; fold neck skin over opening. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Brush turkey all over with 1/2 cup rosemary-lemon oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Place onion in a heavy-bottomed roasting pan. Set a roasting rack over onion and place turkey on top. Roast until turkey is golden brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Reduce heat to 375 degrees, add 1 cup water to pan, and roast, brushing turkey with remaining rosemary oil every 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh reads 165 degrees, 1 1/2 to 2 hours (add some water, if pan becomes dry).
• Transfer turkey to a platter or cutting board and loosely tent with foil; let rest 30 minutes. Reserve pan with drippings for White Wine Gravy. To serve, scoop out stuffing and carve turkey.

ROSEMARY LEMON ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°. Place rosemary and lemon fourths in cavity of turkey. Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Brush with oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt.
• Bake uncovered 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours or until thermometer reads 180° and juice of turkey is no longer pink when center of thigh is cut. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.