Molasses Brined Turkey With Gingersnap Gravy Recipes

MOLASSES BRINED TURKEY WITH GINGERSNAP GRAVY

Steps:

• For brine and turkey:
• Line very large (about 16-quart) bowl with two 30-gallon plastic bags, one inside the other. (I used my canning pot.) Rinse turkey inside and out. Place turkey in plastic-lined bowl. Combine 7 quarts water, salt, sugar, molasses, 1 bunch thyme, and 1/2 bunch sage in large bowl or pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Mix in ice cubes. Pour brine over turkey in plastic bags. Gather tops of bags together, eliminating air space above brine; seal bags. Refrigerate turkey in brine 18 to 20 hours.
• Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 350°F Remove turkey from brine. Drain very well; discard brine. Pat turkey dry inside and out. Place turkey on small rack set in large roasting pan. Fill main cavity with remaining 1 bunch thyme and 1/2 bunch sage, onions, and garlic. Stir oil, pepper, chopped thyme, and chopped sage in small bowl to form paste; smear all over outside of turkey. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together loosely to hold shape.
• Roast turkey 1 hour, tenting loosely with foil if browning quickly. Turn pan around; roast turkey 30 minutes. Pour 1 cup broth over turkey; re-tent loosely with foil. Roast turkey, basting with 1 cup broth every 30 minutes until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, about 2 hours longer.
• Transfer turkey to platter. Remove vegetables and herbs from main cavity and discard. Spoon any juices from cavity into roasting pan. Let turkey stand 30 minutes (internal temperature will increase 5 to 10 degrees).
• For gravy:
• Strain pan juices into bowl. Spoon off fat, reserving 2 tablespoons. Heat reserved 2 tablespoons turkey fat in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and thyme. Sauté until onion browns, about 10 minutes. Add turkey stock, gingersnaps, 3 tablespoons cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Add 2 cups degreased pan juices and bring to boil, whisking to dissolve gingersnaps. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until gravy thickens, about 4 minutes. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper, adding remaining tablespoon vinegar and cream, if desired. (( I added the vinegar but not the cream )).
• Serve turkey with gravy.

MOLASSES-BRINED TURKEY WITH GINGERSNAP GRAVY

Steps:

• For stock:
• Combine broth, carrots, celery, onion, and bay leaves in large saucepan. Add reserved neck, heart, and gizzard. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until stock is reduced to 3 1/4 cups, about 1 hour. Strain turkey stock into medium bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover stock and refrigerate.)
• For brine and turkey:
• Line very large (about 16-quart) bowl with two 30-gallon plastic bags, one inside the other. Rinse turkey inside and out. Place turkey in plastic-lined bowl. Combine 7 quarts water, salt, sugar, molasses, 1 bunch thyme, and 1/2 bunch sage in large bowl or pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Mix in ice cubes. Pour brine over turkey in plastic bags. Gather tops of bags together, eliminating air space above brine; seal bags. Refrigerate turkey in brine 18 to 20 hours.
• Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 350°F. Remove turkey from brine. Drain very well; discard brine. Pat turkey dry inside and out. Place turkey on small rack set in large roasting pan. Fill main cavity with remaining 1 bunch thyme and 1/2 bunch sage, onions, and garlic. Stir oil, pepper, chopped thyme, and chopped sage in small bowl to form paste; smear all over outside of turkey. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together loosely to hold shape.
• Roast turkey 1 hour, tenting loosely with foil if browning quickly. Turn pan around; roast turkey 30 minutes. Pour 1 cup broth over turkey; re-tent loosely with foil. Roast turkey, basting with 1 cup broth every 30 minutes until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, about 2 hours longer. Transfer turkey to platter. Remove vegetables and herbs from main cavity and discard. Spoon any juices from cavity into roasting pan. Let turkey stand 30 minutes (internal temperature will increase 5 to 10 degrees).
• For gravy:
• Strain pan juices into bowl. Spoon off fat, reserving 2 tablespoons. Heat reserved 2 tablespoons turkey fat in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and thyme. Sauté until onion browns, about 10 minutes. Add turkey stock, gingersnaps, 3 tablespoons cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Add 2 cups degreased pan juices and bring to boil, whisking to dissolve gingersnaps. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until gravy thickens, about 4 minutes. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper, adding remaining tablespoon vinegar and cream, if desired.
• Serve turkey with gravy.

THE PERFECT TURKEY WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Remove the center oven rack and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey and rinse. Reserve for the dressing.
• Place chopped onions, celery, and carrots in the bottom of the roasting pan. Pick a few herbs off the stalks and add to the vegetables. Set aside.
• Pat dry the turkey with paper towels. Season the cavity with kosher salt (approximately 2 tablespoons). Place the quartered onion and the remaining herbs inside the turkey cavity. Cover the tips of the wings with aluminum foil and truss the turkey (see Cook's Note**).
• Rub the turkey with the softened butter. Place the turkey in the roasting pan breast side up on a roasting rack.
• Place the turkey in the oven with the lid on. Baste every hour starting after the first 1 1/2 hours. Cook until an instant read thermometer inserted in the leg meat near the hip joint reads 160 degrees F (approximately 3 hours). Remove the lid and turn the oven up to 400 degrees F. Continue to cook the turkey for 20 to 25 minutes, until the turkey skin is golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the leg meat near the hip joint reads 175 degrees F. Remove the turkey from the pan and let it rest in a warm place for 20 minutes before carving (see Cook's Note***.)
• Place roasting pan over medium heat and add 1/2 cup of water. Use a wooden spoon to help release the drippings from the bottom of the pan. Using a fine sieve, strain drippings into a medium saucepot. Place the saucepot over medium heat.
• Whisk the cream and flour together in a small bowl to create a smooth paste. Add a 1/2 cup of the pan drippings to the cream mixture and whisk together. Pour the cream mixture into the saucepot and whisk together. Cook for approximately 2 to 3 minutes and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the perfect turkey.

MOLASSES-AND-CIDER-GLAZED TURKEY WITH RYE-AND-BLACK-WALNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Turkey: Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with rack in lower third. Boil 1/2 cup cider in a small saucepan until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in molasses until combined. Season body and neck cavities of turkey generously with salt and pepper. Rub butter evenly over skin; season with salt and pepper. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Stuffing: Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onion, celery, apple, and garlic; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add wine; bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; toss with bread, walnuts, parsley, and 1 cup broth until combined. Fold in eggs.
• Lightly pack half of stuffing into body and neck cavities of turkey. Toss remaining stuffing with remaining 1 cup broth; transfer to a lightly buttered 2-quart baking dish and cover with parchment-lined foil. Tie turkey legs together with twine. Transfer to a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Pour broth and remaining 3/4 cup cider into pan.
• Roast turkey 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Brush turkey with some of cider-molasses glaze. Continue roasting, brushing with more glaze every 20 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) and into stuffing registers 165 degrees, 1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on size of bird. (Add more broth as needed to prevent bottom of pan from scorching.) Transfer turkey to a carving board. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bake extra stuffing in baking dish 15 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until top is crisp and golden brown in spots, about 15 minutes more.
• Gravy: Remove rack from roasting pan; skim excess fat from pan drippings with a large spoon. Heat pan across two burners over medium-high. Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Add 2 1/2 cups broth; return to a boil. Whisk together remaining 1/4 cup broth and flour in a small bowl. Slowly pour flour mixture into pan, whisking constantly, until gravy thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter until combined. Strain gravy through a fine-mesh sieve; transfer to a gravy boat.
• Remove twine from turkey and transfer to a platter. Garnish with apples, pears, and fennel. Carve turkey and serve, with stuffing and gravy alongside.

BOURBON AND MOLASSES-GLAZED TURKEY BREAST

Steps:

• Stir whiskey, molasses, and brown sugar in a saucepan until brown sugar has dissolved. Place over medium heat, bring to a simmer, and turn off heat; stir salt and hot pepper sauce into mixture. Pour marinade into a large bowl.
• Place turkey breast into the marinade with skin side down; let stand for 1 hour, turning turkey breast over occasionally. Transfer turkey to a roasting pan. Retain marinade for basting.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Roast turkey breast in the preheated oven until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), about 45 minutes. Baste turkey occasionally with retained marinade. Allow turkey breast to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

BRINED AND ROASTED THANKSGIVING TURKEY WITH SIMPLE GRAVY

Steps:

• BRINING TURKEY: ONE DAY BEFORE baking turkey, prepare brine. Combine all the brine ingredients. Place the turkey in a bucket or very large pot and pour brine over turkey to submerge. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. Remove turkey from brine; dry off turkey with paper towels. Discard brine.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Brine turkey as instructed above. Salt and pepper the brined turkey and cavity. Fill the cavity with carrots, celery, apple, orange, and garlic; bind the legs with kitchen twine.
• In a large roasting or braising pan (or disposable aluminum pan), spread onion, carrot, celery, garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley and bay leaves. Place the turkey on top of the bed of vegetables and herbs.
• Put butter on turkey, or between skin and breast meat.
• Place the turkey in the oven and roast 45 minutes. Pour half the chicken stock over the turkey; roast 45 minutes. Pour remaining stock over the turkey and roast 45 more minutes; it will start turning golden brown.
• Baste with pan juices, cover loosely with foil and roast an additional 45 minutes. When the turkey has reached and internal temperature of 165 to 175 degrees, remove from oven, keep covered, and let rest at least 10 minutes before carving. Transfer to platter.
• TO MAKE SIMPLE GRAVY: From the bottom of the roasting pan, discard herbs and measure out 1 cup of vegetables and 3 cups of pan juices; puree in blender. To thicken, add more vegetables; to thin add more pan juice. pour through a mesh strainer to make a smooth gravy. Makes 4 cups. TIP: For silken gravy, forget the flour. Avoid using flour, because that's usually what causes lumps. Instead, puree the vegetables you roast along with your turkey; they become your thickening agent. That, along with your pan juices, becomes your gravy. You can strain it through a mesh strainer, or use cream and reduce it.

POMEGRANATE MOLASSES-GLAZED TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring continuously, until sugar is dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until reduced down to 1 1/2 cups, about 1 hour. Remove from heat. Let pomegranate molasses cool to room temperature, at least 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Whisk the pomegranate molasses, horseradish, mustard, and sage together in a bowl to make the glaze.
• Remove any giblets or gizzards from the turkey and place the turkey in a roasting pan. Brush with olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven, basting with the juices from the bottom of the pan every 15 minutes, for 2 hours. When an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, reads 175 degrees F (79 degrees C), brush turkey with 1 cup glaze. Continue roasting until no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes more.
• Remove turkey from the oven and brush with the remaining glaze. Cover with a loose tent of aluminum foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving up that turkey.