Maple Butter Turkey Recipes

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-BUTTER TURKEY WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• For maple butter, in a small heavy saucepan, bring cider and syrup to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the butter, thyme, sage, marjoram, salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until set., With fingers, carefully loosen the skin from both sides of turkey breast. Rub 1/2 cup maple butter under turkey skin. Refrigerate remaining maple butter. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together. Place on a rack in a roasting pan. Cover with foil and bake at 325° for 2 hours. , Brush top with 1/3 cup maple butter. Bake, uncovered, 1 to 1-1/2 hours longer or until a thermometer reads 180°, basting occasionally with pan drippings. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.) Remove turkey to a serving platter and keep warm. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes before carving. , Pour drippings and loosened brown bits into a 4-cup measuring cup. Skim and discard fat. Add enough broth to drippings to measure 3 cups. In a large saucepan, combine flour and broth mixture until smooth. Stir in remaining maple butter. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with turkey.

MAPLE BUTTER TURKEY

Steps:

• The night before: Take butter and place in bowl to soften. Once the butter has softened to roughly room temperature, put in the bowl the maple syrup, herbs, the zest of the lemon, and juice from 1/2 of same lemon. Stir well until it has an almost whipped consistency. Cover and refrigerate.
• When ready to make the turkey the next day, preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Take butter mixture out of fridge and set on counter. Take giblets and etc. out of turkey. Put the gibblets in a saucepan on the stove, adding water to cover. Clean the turkey. After cleaning, take a sharp knife (fillet knife recommended) and carefully slice the membrane right under the skin at the hind end of the bird to separate the skin and the meat. After separating an inch or so if skin from meat, use hand(s) to very carefully continue the process for the rest of the breast sections. If a rip happens, take a metal pin or some other such implement and patch it back together. Be careful not to leave any broken skin patches, no matter how small.
• By this time the butter mixture should be about room temperature. Using about 1/2 to 3/4 of the mixture, mash the butter mixture under the skin (still being careful not to break the skin) covering as much of the meat as possible. Once the meat under the skin has been covered, use the remaining about on hands to smear the rest of the bird with the mixture. Put rest of butter mixture in with the giblet stock on the stove. Place turkey on a rack in your roasting pan.
• Taking a piece (or pieces) of cheesecloth that has had warm water run through it to get it moist, cover every inch of the exposed turkey. If your roasting pan has a cover, use it, otherwise take a couple sections of aluminum foil and use it to cover the turkey. Take turkey and place in hot oven and allow to cook uninterrupted for an hour and a half.
• While the turkey is cooking, prepare the basting sauce/stock by first bringing the giblet/butter mixture to a boil and then lower the temperature to a simmer. Leave mixture simmering throughout the process.
• After the first hour and a half is up, take turkey out of the oven, carefully remove aluminum cover (leave cheesecloth on) and baste liberally with giblet/butter mixture. Repeat this process every half hour. If the mixture on the stove runs out, use the drippings that are in the bottom of the pan. Once the turkey is nearing it's last 10-20 minutes of cooking, baste a final time and place back in oven completely uncovered. Take out roughly 3 minutes before done, re-cover with aluminum foil, and place back in oven. This is to have the inner sanctum reheated to keep the bird nice and warm during the resting period.
• After the bird has finished cooking (see Cooking Times below), let the bird rest in pan, covered, for at least a half hour (an hour would be better) before carving.
• Cooking Times: The bird will require approximately 13-15 minutes per pound total cooking time (this includes the first hour and half in oven). These times are approximate, though, and there are only two real methods of telling when the bird needs to come out of the oven: probe thermometer and the little turkey done indicator. The probe thermometer is more reliable but can be more of a hassle. Basically you will want to place the probe into the turkey no less than an hour before your expected done time. The magic temperature that you are looking for is 160 degrees. Once the bird hits that, remove it from the oven. Carryover heat will take it the rest of the way. If using a turkey done indicator, pull out of the oven when you see it start moving or looking like it's going to pop soon.

MAPLE-BRINED ROAST TURKEY WITH SAGE BUTTER

Steps:

• Make the brine: Combine 8 cups water, the salt, maple syrup, sage, bay leaves, peppercorns, coriander seeds and lemon zest in a very large pot. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and add 1 1/2 gallons cold water. Stir to combine. Set aside to cool slightly, then refrigerate until cold.
• Once the brine is cold, slowly add the turkey, allowing time for the brine to enter the cavity so the pot doesn't overflow. Cover with a lid or a large plate and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove the turkey from the brine (discard the brine). Drain any brine from the cavity, then blot the turkey very dry with paper towels and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to cook.
• Meanwhile, make the sage butter: Combine the butter, sage, parsley and a big pinch each of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Loosen the skin from the breast, thighs and drumsticks with your fingers, being careful not to tear the skin. Rub the sage butter under the skin, pressing down on the skin to help spread out the butter. (This can be done several hours before cooking.)
• Put an oven rack in the lowest position and remove the other racks. Preheat to 350˚ F. Set a metal cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Season the turkey lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Place on the rack on the baking sheet, breast-side up, and roast, rotating the pan after 1 hour, until the turkey is well browned all over and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 155˚ F, 2 1/2 hours to 2 hours 45 minutes total. (Start checking the internal temperature at 2 hours 15 minutes.) If the breast starts to get too dark, cover loosely with foil. Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

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-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.

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.

MAPLE GLAZED TURKEY ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Remove the plastic netting and wrap from the turkey roast, if any, but leave on string netting. (Remove and discard gravy packet, if any). Rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels.
• Mix together the maple syrup, smoke flavoring, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and cayenne pepper in a bowl, stirring to combine well. Brush the syrup mixture all over the turkey roast.
• Place the roast, skin side up, on a baking rack set in a roasting pan. Roast in the preheated oven, basting occasionally, until the roast is golden brown and a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast reads 170 degrees F (75 degrees C). Roasting time is about 1 1/2 hours. Wrap the roast in foil, and let stand 10 minutes before removing the string netting for slicing.

MAPLE BUTTER

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat butter until smooth. Gradually add syrup, continuing to beat until smooth. Freeze in small portions.

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.

ROAST TURKEY WITH MAPLE-PEPPER BUTTER

Steps:

• Make the glaze: In a food processor, combine the butter, 6 tblsps of the maple syrup, 3 tblsps of the lemon juice, the lemon zest, coarsely ground pepper and salt; process until blended and transfer to a bowll; in another bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup maple syrup, 1 tblsp lemon juice and finely ground pepper (can be made 1 day ahead – return to room temperature before proceeding).
• Marinate the turkey: In a 2-gallon plastic bag, combine the lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil, shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, lemon zest and pepper; add the turkey to the bag, squeeze out as much air as possible and seal the bag; distribute the marinade evenly over and inside the turkey (think of this as a therapeutic, turkey massage); set the turkey, breast side down, in a bowl in the refrigerator and marinate for 24 hours, turning occasionally.
• Preaheat oven to 450F; position the oven rack near the bottom of the oven.
• Wipe off the shallots and garlic from the turkey and pat dry; strain the marinade into a bowl, skim off the oil and reserve; set the herbs, garlic and shallots aside separately.
• Using your fingers, carefully loosen the turkey skin over the breast and thighs; put all but 3 tblsps of the softened maple-pepper butter under the breast and thigh skin, patting gently to spread the butter; put 1/3 each of the diced onions and celery in the cavity; tie the legs together with kitchen string and set the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan; rub the breast and thigh skin with the remaining maple-pepper butter and roast for 30 minutes, basting twice; because the sugar in the maple syrup may cause the turkey skin to brown quickly in places, cover loosely with foil; lower the oven temperature to 350F; spread the remaining onions and celery around the turkey and roast for about 1 ½ hours longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast, just above the wing-joint reaches 165F, and the juices run clear.
• Transfer to a carving board and let stand, loosely covered with foil, for 30 minutes; remove the whole legs from the turkey, cutting them off at the hip joint; cut off the wings from the breast; return the wings and legs to the pan and roast for about 30 minutes longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180F and the juices run clear; transfer the legs and wings to the turkey on the carving board, cover with foil and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.
• Make the gravy: Set the roasting pan over 2 burners over high heat and cook the vegetables, stirring, until golden brown; carefully pour off all but 2 tblsps of the fat; add the flour and whisk for 1 minute; add the reserved marinade and the chicken stock and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits; simmer, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes; strain the gravy into a saucepan and boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper; serve alongside the turkey.
• Note: The standing period before removing the turkey legs and wings, along with the extra roasting time for these parts will have resulted in the main carcass having cooled down considerably; while making the gravy, cover the turkey with foil and pop back into a slow oven to warm up.