Maple Apple Roasted Turkey Recipes

APPLE-SAGE ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a small saucepan, combine apple cider, jelly and butter. Cook and stir until butter is melted. Remove from heat and set aside., In a small bowl, combine minced sage and butter. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the turkey breast; rub butter mixture under the skin. Brush turkey with apple cider. Sprinkle salt and pepper over turkey and inside cavity., Place apples, onion and sage leaves inside the cavity. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan., Bake, uncovered, 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, basting occasionally with cider mixture. Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly. Cover and let stand 20 minutes before slicing. Freeze option: Place sliced turkey in freezer containers; top with any cooking juices. Cool and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a covered saucepan, gently stirring and adding a little broth or water if necessary.

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.

MAPLE ROAST TURKEY AND GRAVY

Steps:

• Boil apple cider and maple syrup in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and mix in 1/2 of the thyme and marjoram and all of the lemon zest. Add the butter, and whisk until melted. Add salt and ground pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until cold (syrup can be made up to 2 days ahead).
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place oven rack in the lowest third of oven.
• Wash and dry turkey, and place in a large roasting pan. Slide hand under skin of the breast to loosen. Rub 1/2 cup of the maple butter mix under the breast skin. If planning on stuffing turkey, do so now. Rub 1/4 cup of the maple butter mixture over the outside of the turkey. With kitchen string, tie legs of turkey together loosely.
• Arrange the chopped onion, chopped celery, and chopped carrot around the turkey in the roasting pan. If desired, the neck and giblets may be added to the vegetables. Sprinkle the remaining thyme and marjoram over the vegetables, and pour the chicken stock into the pan.
• Roast turkey 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and cover turkey loosely with foil. Continue to roast, about 3 to 4 hours unstuffed or 4 to 5 hours stuffed, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C) and stuffing reaches 165 degrees F (75 degrees C). Transfer turkey to a platter, and cover with foil. Reserve pan mixture for gravy. Allow turkey to sit about 25 minutes before removing stuffing and carving.
• To Make Gravy: Strain pan juices into a measuring cup. Spoon fat from juices. Add enough chicken stock to make 3 cups. Transfer liquid to a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix reserved maple butter mixture with flour to form a paste, and whisk into the broth. Stir in thyme, bay leaf, and apple brandy. Boil until reduced and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

MAPLE ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine apple cider and maple syrup in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until reduced to 1/2 cup, then remove pan from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon marjoram, and lemon zest. Stir in butter until melted, and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until cold.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place rack in lower third of oven.
• Place turkey on a rack set in a roasting pan. Reserve 1/4 cup maple butter for gravy, and rub the remaining maple butter under the skin of the breast and over the outside of turkey. Arrange onion, celery, carrots turkey neck and giblets around the turkey. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 tablespoon marjoram over vegetables. Pour 2 cups broth into pan.
• Roast turkey for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover entire turkey loosely with foil. Continue roasting for about 2 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Transfer turkey to platter, and let stand 30 minutes.
• Strain the pan juices into a large measuring cup, and then remove any excess fat. Add enough chicken broth to pan juices to measure 3 cups. Transfer liquid to a saucepan, and bring to boil. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup maple butter and 1/3 cup flour until smooth. Whisk flour and butter mixture into broth mixture. Stir in remaining thyme and the bay leaf. Boil until reduced to sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in apple brandy, if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

MAPLE-ROASTED TURKEY WITH SAGE BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and remove the top rack of the oven.
• Put the butter and sage in a mixing bowl and mash with a fork or spoon until the sage is well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.
• Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the turkey breast and slip the remaining seasoned butter under, massaging the breast meat as you go. Truss the bird by crossing the legs over one another and tying with a piece of kitchen twine. Shingle the bacon strips over the breast so it's totally covered. Put the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan, cover the turkey with aluminum foil, and place in the oven.
• In a small bowl, stir the maple syrup with 2 tablespoons of hot water to thin. Roast the turkey for 2 hours, basting with the maple glaze every 30 minutes. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F. The thigh juices will run clear when pricked with a knife, about 3 hours total (15 minutes per pound). About 1/2 hour before you think the turkey is done, remove the foil so that it can brown. When done take the turkey out of the oven and put the roasting pan on the stovetop. Transfer the turkey to a serving tray to rest at least 20 minutes before carving. Serve with gravy.

MAPLE APPLE ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Turkey must be thoroughly thawed with neck and giblets removed.
• Wash cavities well with cold water. Pat dry.
• In a saucepan combine of the apple juice, maple syrup, and apple brandy and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue cooking until reduced to ½ cup, them remove pan from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon marjoram, and lemon zest. Stir in ¾ cup of butter until melted, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cold.
• Place turkey in a large roasting pan and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place rack in lower third position of oven.
• Gently loosen the turkey skin on the breast by sliding your hands between the skin and the bird. Insert ½ cup of butter between the skin and the breast of turkey.
• In a bowl toss together chopped celery, chopped apple, carrot, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Fill up the turkey cavity and use the left overs to arrange around and on the bottom of the roasting pan with chicken broth.
• Place the giblets and neck in the bottom of roasting pan.
• Pour apple juice maple mix inside the turkey cavity and outside the turkey. Leave 2 cups of broth in pan.
• Roast turkey for 30 minutes in preheated oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F Cover entire turkey loosely with foil. Continue roasting for about 3 hours or until turkey thermometer reads 175-180°F in thighs. Baste often.
• Transfer turkey to platter, and let stand for 30 minutes.
• Stir turkey juices into a large measuring cop, them remove any access fat. Add enough chicken broth to pan juices to measure approximately 3 cups. Transfer liquid to a saucepan, and bring to boil. Add 1/4 cup of flour until smooth. Whisk flout and butter mixture into broth mixture. Stir remaining thyme and bay leaf. Boil until reduced to sauce consistency for about 10 minutes Season with salt and pepper to taste.

MAPLE SAGE ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• 24 to 48 hours before cooking, rinse the turkey inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels. Mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder in a small bowl. Liberally sprinkle the inside and outside of the turkey with the seasoning mix and place on a sheet pan; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 24 to 48 hours. Eight to 10 hours before cooking, remove the plastic wrap and continue to refrigerate uncovered.
• Mix the butter with the minced sage. Use your fingers to loosen under the skin of the turkey, then rub the butter under the skin. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. If any moisture forms on the turkey skin, pat dry with paper towels.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Stuff the turkey's cavity with the onion, garlic and sage bundle. Truss the turkey with kitchen twine, place on a rack in a large roasting pan and put in the oven.
• Combine the chicken stock, maple syrup and bay leaf in a small saucepan over low heat. Bring to a very low simmer, then remove from the heat. After 30 minutes of roasting time, begin basting the turkey every 30 minutes with this mixture.
• The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F in the breast and 165 degrees F in the thigh, 15 to 20 minutes per pound of turkey (3 hours to 4 hours 40 minutes). Tent the turkey with foil and let rest 45 minutes to 1 hour. Carve and serve.

ROAST TURKEY WITH MAPLE-BUTTER GLAZE

Steps:

• Bring turkey to room temperature before roasting.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Wash and dry turkey. Stuff with lemon, apple, onion and celery. Truss, and season with salt.
• Melt butter in maple syrup over medium heat, and pour over turkey. Place on a rack in a pan. Roast 10 to 12 minutes for each pound. Baste every 20 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer inserted into thigh without touching bone. (Pop-up thermometers that come with turkeys are unreliable.) Thigh should register 175 to 180 degrees at thickest part, breast meat 170 degrees. Before carving, let rest out of the oven for at least 20 minutes.

MAPLE ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine apple cider and maple syrup in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until reduced to 1/2 cup, then remove pan from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon marjoram, 1 tablespoon sage, and lemon zest. Stir in butter until melted, and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until cold.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place rack in lower third of oven.
• Place turkey on a rack set in a roasting pan. Reserve 1/4 cup maple butter for gravy, and rub the remaining maple butter under the skin of the breast and over the outside of turkey. Arrange onion, celery, carrots, reserved left over lemon, turkey neck and giblets around the turkey. Sprinkle 2 1/2 tablespoon thyme, 2 1/2 tablespoons sage, 2 1/2 tablespoon marjoram, and lemon juice over vegetables. Pour 2 cups broth into pan.
• Roast turkey for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover entire turkey loosely with foil. Continue roasting for about 2 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Transfer turkey to platter, and let stand 30 minutes.
• Strain the pan juices into a large measuring cup, and then remove any excess fat. Add enough chicken broth to pan juices to measure 3 cups. Transfer liquid to a saucepan, and bring to boil. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup maple butter and 1/3 cup flour until smooth. Whisk flour and butter mixture into broth mixture. Stir in remaining thyme. marjoram, and sage. Boil until reduced to sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Note: I use a turkey baking bag and make this in my counter top roaster oven so that I have my oven free for all the other items.

MAPLE-GLAZED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with roasting rack in lowest position. Stuff and prepare turkey for roasting.
• Set roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Place turkey on rack; rub all sides with butter, and season generously with salt and pepper. Pour 3 cups water into roasting pan. Loosely cover turkey with aluminum foil (unbuttered). Roast 1 hour, then baste every 30 minutes with pan liquids until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) registers 125 degrees, 2 to 3 hours.
• Remove foil; raise oven heat to 400 degrees. Continue roasting, brushing 3 to 4 times with maple syrup, until thigh reaches 170 degrees, 45 to 60 minutes more (temperature will rise about 10 degrees as turkey rests after roasting).
• If bird browns too quickly, loosely cover with buttered foil; add more water if pan becomes dry. Transfer turkey to a serving platter, cover loosely with buttered foil, and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving so juices are reabsorbed. Reserve pan for making gravy.

SLOW-ROASTED TURKEY WITH APPLE GRAVY

Steps:

• Brine the turkey: Tear the bay leaves to release their natural oils. Place in a large bowl with the buttermilk, sugar, salt, black pepper and cayenne, and stir to dissolve the sugar. Place the turkey in a brining bag or clean unscented garbage bag, pour in the buttermilk mixture and tightly tie the bag closed. Place in a pot or bowl that holds it snugly, making sure the legs are fully immersed in the brine, and refrigerate for at least 48 hours and up to 72 hours.
• Make the turkey: Position a rack at the bottom of the oven and heat oven (not convection) to 450 degrees. Tear the bay leaves to release their natural oils. Spread the apples, fennel, onions, 12 bay leaves and half of the thyme, ginger, garlic and orange across the bottom of a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and the whole peppercorns.
• Drain the turkey and wipe dry. (Discard the brine.) Place the turkey in the pan breast side up, and rub its cavity with salt and ground pepper. Stuff the cavity with the lemon and the remaining bay leaves, thyme, ginger, garlic and orange. Tuck the wings underneath and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Sprinkle the turkey with salt and ground pepper, and drizzle everything with oil. Drizzle more oil all over the turkey and rub to generously and evenly coat the skin. Transfer to the oven and roast until browned in spots all over but not burned, 20 to 40 minutes. (Ovens vary widely in how quickly they brown such a large bird, so start checking at 20 minutes and keep going until it's spotted all over.)
• Pour 2 cups water into the pan, cover the turkey with foil and loosely crimp around the edges of the pan. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and slide the pan back into the oven. Slow-roast until the turkey is almost cooked through (a meat thermometer will register 150 degrees in the thickest part of the breast and 160 degrees in the thigh), about 4 hours.
• Uncover, baste all over with the pan juices and roast uncovered until the skin is more evenly browned and the meat registers 155 degrees in the breast and 165 degrees in the thigh, 30 to 45 minutes. The internal temperature will continue to rise as the turkey rests. Let cool slightly in the pan, then transfer the turkey to a serving platter.
• Make the gravy: Smash the fruits and vegetables in the roasting pan. Set a colander with small holes or a medium-mesh strainer over a bowl or pot, and pour in everything from the pan, working in batches if needed. Press hard on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible along with fruit and vegetable pulp. Discard the solids in the colander; scrape any strained pulp into the bowl. Skim and discard fat from the strained juices.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk until deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. While whisking, add the defatted pan juices a little at a time, whisking until smooth, then stir in the brandy. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Keep warm over low.
• When ready to serve, season the gravy to taste with salt and pepper. Carve the turkey and serve with the hot gravy.

ROAST TURKEY WITH MAPLE HERB BUTTER AND GRAVY

Steps:

• Make turkey:
• Boil apple cider and maple syrup in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until reduces to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in half of chopped thyme, half of marjoram and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel. Add butter and whisk until melted. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Slide hand under skin of turkey breast to loosen shin. Rub 1/2 cup maple butter over breast under skin. If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing into main cavity. Rub 1/4 cup maple butter over outside of turkey. Reserve remaining maple butter for gravy. Tie legs together loosely to hold shape of turkey. Arrange onion, celery, carrot and reserved turkey nick and giblets around turkey in pan. Sprinkle vegetables with remaining 1 tablespoon thyme and remaining 1 tablespoon marjoram. Pour 2 cups broth into pan.
• Roast turkey 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Cover entire turkey loosely with heavy-duty foil and roast until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F or until juices rum clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with skewer, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 2 hours 25 minutes for unstuffed turkey (2 hours 55 minutes for stuffed turkey). Transfer turkey to platter. Tent turkey with aluminum foil and let stand 30 minutes; reserve mixture in pan for gravy.
• Make gravy:
• Stain pan juices into large measuring cup, pressing on solids with back of spoon. Spoon fat from pan juices. Add enough chicken broth to pan juices to measure 3 cups. Transfer liquid to heavy medium saucepan and bring to boil. Mix 3 tablespoons reserved maple butter and flour in small bowl to form smooth paste. Whisk paste into broth mixture. Add chopped fresh thyme and bay leaf. Boil until reduces to sauce consistency, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in apple brandy, if desired. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper.
• Brush turkey with any remaining maple butter and serve with gravy.