Turkey a la Carte

Hello everybody! Now I want to share one more great turkey recipe, that will definitely make you asking for more. Here it is, and please don't forget to check for daily updates of best international cuisine recipes. You may also bookmark our blog so you would not type in the address next time.

First, we will need the following ingredients:
-6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
-6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and skimmed, for basting
-2 tablespoons fennel seeds
-1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
-Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
-1 (12 pound) turkey, legs and breast separated (ask your butcher to do this) and breast left whole on the bone (discard the carcass or set aside for another use)
Note: you may take less butter if you want, as the turkey itself should be moist and juicy.

Now, the cooking directions: (makes 8 servings)

1/ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the softened butter, fennel seeds and sage and season with salt and pepper. Carefully slide your hands under the skin of each turkey piece until it separates from the flesh, then spread the herb butter evenly between the meat and skin. Season the turkey pieces with salt and pepper. Place the pieces, skin side up, in a single layer in a large roasting pan outfitted with a rack. Transfer to the oven.

2/ After 15 minutes, baste the turkey with the melted butter. Continue basting every 15 minutes, until both breast and legs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F when a thermometer is inserted in the thickest parts, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove the turkey from the oven and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Note: in the next post I will give you some hints and ideas on how to carve a turkey in a nice and convenient way.

Tips & Tricks:
Roasting a turkey breast and legs that have been separated from the carcass makes sense for several reasons. First, it takes up less oven space, so you can bake your stuffing or other sides simultaneously. Also, the bird cooks faster than it does when roasted whole.

Bon appetit! Enjoy!

As usual, the nutrition info for those who cares:
Per Serving
Calories: 1164 kcal
Carbohydrates: 0 g
Dietary Fiber: 0 g
Fat: 64 g
Protein: 136 g
Sugars: 0 g

Via [food.yahoo.com]

Roast Turkey with Oranges, Bay Leaves, Red Onions, and Pan Gravy

Here we go guys, it's now time to the things up and running, and what I want to do now is to share one of my favourite recipes on how to make a Thanksgiving Roast Turkey.

First, we need the following ingredients:
1 (12 pound) turkey (preferably kosher), any quills removed if necessary and neck and giblets (excluding liver) reserved for making stock
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 navel oranges, each cut into 8 wedges
3 small red onions, each cut into 8 wedges
5 bay leaves (not California)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Pan juices from roast turkey
4 cups turkey stock
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 roasted onions, each cut into 8 wedges (optional)
Fresh bay leaves (do not eat)

Ready with the ingredients? Ok, now we proceed to the cooking directions:

1/ Roast turkey: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2/ Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Sprinkle turkey inside and out with salt and pepper, then fold neck skin under body and secure with small skewer. Stuff large cavity with oranges, 1 onion, and bay leaves. Tie drumsticks together with kitchen string and secure wings to body with small skewers.
3/ Put turkey on a rack set in a large flameproof roasting pan and roast in middle of oven 30 minutes.
4/ While turkey is roasting, toss remaining 2 onions with 2 tablespoons melted butter.
5/ Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Brush remaining 1/4 cup butter over turkey and roast 30 minutes more. Baste turkey and scatter buttered onion wedges around it, then roast, basting turkey every 30 minutes (add a little water to pan if onions get too dark) until an instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170 degrees F, 1 1/2 to 2 hours more (total roasting time: 2 1/2 to 3 hours). Transfer turkey to a platter (do not clean roasting pan) and let stand 25 minutes (temperature will rise to 180 degrees F).
6/ Make gravy: Transfer pan juices with onions to a 2-quart glass measure, then skim off and reserve 1/4 cup fat. Add enough turkey stock to pan juices to make 4 1/2 cups total. Set roasting pan across 2 burners, then add 1 cup stock mixture and deglaze pan by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Add remaining stock mixture and bring to a simmer. Pour stock through a fine sieve back into glass measure and discard onions.
7/ Whisk together reserved fat and flour in a large heavy saucepan and cook roux over moderately low heat, whisking, 3 minutes. Add hot stock mixture in a fast stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in any additional turkey juices accumulated on platter and season gravy with salt and pepper.
8/ Serve turkey with gravy on the side. It should make 10 servings altogether.

Enjoy!

For those, who is interested in the Nutrition info, here it is: (Per Serving)
Calories: 1040 kcal
Carbohydrates: 17 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Fat: 55 g
Protein: 112 g
Sugars: 10 g

Via [food.yahoo.com]