A few years ago I attended a cooking class at Sur La Table - the guest chef was Nicole Aloni. The class was all about the Thanksgiving Feast and while I had no intention of EVER changing my Thanksgiving menu, not wanting an all-out revolt from the mister and boy over their favorite meal of the year, I wanted to see what she had to say...it was a wonderful class - everything she made was incredibly delicious and not only did I change my T-day menu - I've made those changes permanent - to rave reviews!
What makes this turkey so great is the marinade...maple syrup, orange juice and butter...one could bathe in this stuff it smells so good! Basted every 30 minutes or so, the marinade drips down, along with the turkey drippings, onto veggies that have been stuffed under the rack...and those veggies are blended into the gravy...I know, not the usual way of doing things but you'll have to trust me on this - it will be the BEST turkey and BEST gravy you've ever had. I promise!
I wouldn't even think of asking you to change the way you do Thanksgiving unless it was going to be worth it - and it will - again, I promise! But no pressure...just know that in all the years I've been basting turkeys and in all the years my mom and grandma before me had basted turkeys, this way of cooking the turkey and making the gravy is the best - THE BEST...but like I said, no pressure.
The pan gravy recipe follows - you'll notice that the color of the gravy is a bit "orange-y" and that's because of all of the vegetables that are used to make it - they are pureed, then stirred back into the drippings, thickening the gravy WITHOUT flour. Those veggies, having been cooked for hours in the marinade and turkey drippings are so flavorful you will be shocked at how good it is. I know I was - and every Thanksgiving since I learned how to make it, this gravy has been on our T-day table - it's THAT good - by far the best tasting gravy I've ever had...worthy of being injected if that were possible.
Maple Glazed Thanksgiving Turkey - Adapted from Nicole Aloni
12 to 14 lb. turkey (or larger)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 can chicken broth (14 oz.)
4 bay leaves
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 sweet potato, roughly chopped (or yam)
1 parsnip, roughly chopped
3 carrots, roughly chopped
10 cloves garlic
Stuffing for Bird: (Not meant to be eaten but used to flavor the bird)
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
1 crushed bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove any innards from turkey. Remove any excess fat from the neck or chest cavity and rinse the cavities thoroughly with cool water and pat dry. Salt and pepper thoroughly. Combine butter, orange juice, maple syrup, thyme, salt and pepper and chicken stock in microwave proof bowl. Heat to melt, about 60 seconds. Set aside. Make the stuffing, add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix to combine. Stuff the neck cavity and the chest cavity with stuffing mixture, do not pack it in. If there is skin to pull together to cover the stuffing, secure it with skewers. If this skin has been trimmed off, cover the exposed stuffing with foil.
Place turkey on a rack inside a baking pan. Underneath the rack, stuff the carrots, celery, onion, parsnip and sweet potato all around and under the turkey. Pour 3/4's of the melted butter/orange juice mixture over the turkey. Cover loosely with foil and bake in a 325 degree oven for 4 to 4 1/2 hours, depending on the weight of your bird; refer to the baking time on the packaging your bird came with. Every 30 minutes or so, during the baking time, baste bird with the remainder of the butter/orange juice mixture and the drippings from the pan. Let turkey stand for 15 minutes before slicing.
Pan Gravy - Adapted from Nicole Aloni
2 cups white wine or stock
1/2 cup Madeira, optional
Using a slotted spoon, remove cooked vegetables from the roasting pan to a bowl and set aside. Discard bay leaves. When cool, puree vegetables in a food processor or blender, blending until smooth. (If needed, add a little wine or stock to help the blending process.) Tip the roasting pan to collect liquids in the corner. Spoon off all visible fat (or not). Put roasting pan on the stove, on medium heat. When the pan starts to sizzle, add white wine to deglaze the pan (or stock.) Use a spoon or whisk to stir up and dissolve the brown sticky bits in the pan. When all of these cooking solids are melted into the wine or broth, stir in 1/2 cup (or more) of the roasted vegetable puree. Let simmer to thicken 4 to 5 minutes, add Madeira, if using, and taste for salt and pepper. If too thin add a little more vegetable puree and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. (Save remainder of vegetable puree to use in soups or stews - freeze until you need it.) Serve with carved turkey and over mashed potatoes.
