Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (167 page)
SERVES 10 TO 12
If using a self-basting turkey or kosher turkey, do not salt in step 1. Table salt is not recommended for this recipe because it is too fine. If you have a V-rack that, when inverted, still fits into your roasting pan, place the turkey on that rather than on the onions. See
BUTTERFLYING A CHICKEN OR TURKEY
for information on how to butterfly a turkey.
TURKEY
1 | (12- to 14-pound) turkey, trimmed, neck, giblets, and tailpiece removed and discarded |
Kosher salt and pepper | |
2 | teaspoons baking powder |
2 | large onions, halved |
GLAZE
3 | cups apple cider |
1 | cup frozen or fresh cranberries |
¹⁄ | cup molasses |
¹⁄ | cup apple cider vinegar |
1 | tablespoon Dijon mustard |
1 | tablespoon grated fresh ginger |
2 | tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces and chilled |
1. FOR THE TURKEY:
Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of backbone to remove it. Flatten breastbone and tuck wings underneath. Using your fingers, gently loosen skin covering breast and thighs. Using metal skewer, poke 15 to 20 holes in fat deposits on top of breast and thighs, 4 to 5 holes in each deposit. Rub bone side of turkey evenly with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Flip turkey skin side up and rub 1 tablespoon salt evenly under skin. Tuck wings under turkey. Push legs up to rest on lower portion of breast and tie legs together with kitchen twine.
2.
Combine 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and baking powder in bowl. Pat skin side of turkey dry with paper towels. Sprinkle surface of turkey with salt mixture and rub in mixture with hands, coating entire surface evenly. Transfer turkey to roasting pan, skin side up. Place 1 onion half under each breast and thigh to elevate turkey off bottom of roasting pan. Allow turkey to stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
3.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Roast turkey until breast registers 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 2¹⁄
2
to 3 hours. Remove pan from oven and allow turkey to rest in pan for at least 30 minutes or up to 1¹⁄
2
hours. Thirty minutes before returning turkey to oven, increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.
4. FOR THE GLAZE:
While turkey rests, bring cider, cranberries, molasses, vinegar, mustard, and ginger to boil in medium saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1¹⁄
2
cups, about 30 minutes. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into 2-cup liquid measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids (you should have about 1¹⁄
4
cups glaze). Transfer ¹⁄
2
cup glaze to small saucepan and set aside.
5.
Brush turkey with one-third of glaze in measuring cup, transfer to oven, and roast for 7 minutes. Brush on half of remaining glaze in measuring cup and roast additional 7 minutes. Brush on remaining glaze in measuring cup and roast until skin is evenly browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer turkey to carving board and let rest for 20 minutes.
6.
While turkey rests, remove onions from pan and discard. Strain liquid from pan into fat separator (you should have about 2 cups liquid). Allow liquid to settle for 5 minutes, then pour into saucepan with reserved glaze, discarding any remaining fat. Bring mixture to boil and cook until slightly syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter. Carve turkey and serve, passing sauce separately.
Substitute ¹⁄
2
cup dried apples for cranberries and ¹⁄
2
cup maple syrup for molasses.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
We wanted no less than the perfect turkey recipe—an approach that would get our fowl from supermarket to table in just a few hours. We required meat as moist as prime rib, crisp, crackling skin, and it all needed to be accompanied by rich gravy. For a greater challenge, we wanted to do it without salting the turkey or brining it, both of which take the better part of a day. Forgoing the impressive presentation of a whole bird, we opted for turkey parts. Without the insulating effect of the turkey’s backbone and breast meat, the thighs and drumsticks reached their proper temperature by the time the breast meat was done. We roasted a breast and two leg quarters (thighs and drumsticks) on a rack over a baking sheet to promote air circulation. The results? Tender, juicy meat. To achieve super-crisp skin without overcooking the meat, we let the turkey rest before returning it for a final blast of heat in a 500-degree oven.
See “PREPARING TURKEY WINGS” illustration that follows recipe.
SERVES 10 TO 12
Instead of drumsticks and thighs, you may use 2 (1¹⁄
2
- to 2-pound) whole leg quarters. The recipe will also work with a turkey breast alone; in step 2, reduce the butter to 1¹⁄
2
tablespoons, the salt to 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons, and the pepper to 1 teaspoon. Many supermarkets carry “hotel-style” turkey breasts. Try to avoid these if you can, as they still have the wings and rib cage attached. If this is the only type of breast you can find, you will need to remove the wings and cut away the rib cage with kitchen shears before proceeding with the recipe.
TURKEY
3 | onions, chopped |
3 | celery ribs, chopped |
2 | carrots, peeled and chopped |
5 | sprigs fresh thyme |
5 | garlic cloves, peeled and halved |
1 | cup low-sodium chicken broth |
1 | (5- to 7-pound) whole bone-in turkey breast, trimmed |
4 | pounds turkey drumsticks and thighs, trimmed |
3 | tablespoons unsalted butter, melted |
1 | tablespoon salt |
2 | teaspoons pepper |
GRAVY
2 | cups low-sodium chicken broth |
3 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
3 | tablespoons all-purpose flour |
2 | bay leaves |
Salt and pepper |
1. FOR THE TURKEY:
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Arrange onions, celery, carrots, thyme, and garlic in even layer on rimmed baking sheet. Pour broth into baking sheet. Place wire rack on top of vegetables.
2.
Pat turkey pieces dry with paper towels. Brush turkey pieces on all sides with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Place breast skin side down and drumsticks and thighs skin side up on rack on vegetable-filled baking sheet, leaving at least ¹⁄
4
inch between pieces.
3.
Roast turkey pieces for 1 hour. Using 2 large wads of paper towels, turn turkey breast skin side up. Continue roasting until breast registers 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 1 to 2 hours longer. Remove baking sheet from oven and transfer rack with turkey to second baking sheet. Allow pieces to rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 1¹⁄
2
hours.
4. FOR THE GRAVY:
Strain vegetables and liquid from baking sheet through fine-mesh strainer set in 4-cup liquid measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Add chicken broth to measuring cup (you should have about 3 cups liquid).
5.
Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is dark golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in broth mixture and bay leaves and gradually bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until gravy is thick and measures 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Off heat, season gravy with salt and pepper to taste. Cover to keep warm.
6. TO SERVE:
Heat oven to 500 degrees. Place baking sheet with turkey in oven. Roast until skin is golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Transfer turkey to carving board and let rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Carve and serve with gravy.
Cut through joint with sharp knife. If turkey wing comes with tip, cut through this joint as well.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Stuffing baked in a dish definitely has appeal—you can make as much as you want and you don’t have to time its doneness to coincide with the doneness of the meat—but it lacks the rich flavor from the bird’s flavorful juices. As the base for our stuffing we chose ordinary sandwich bread, which we “staled” in a low oven; this allowed it to soak up plenty of liquid. To infuse the stuffing with meaty turkey flavor, we browned turkey wings on the stovetop, then used the same pan to sauté the aromatics. When we placed the stuffing in a baking dish, we arranged the seared wings on top—as they cooked, their rendered fat infused the stuffing with rich flavor. Covering the baking dish with foil prevented the top of the stuffing from drying out, while placing a baking sheet underneath the dish protected the bottom layer from the oven’s heat.
SERVES 10 TO 12
Two pounds of chicken wings can be substituted for the turkey wings. If using chicken wings, separate them into 2 sections (it’s not necessary to separate the tips) and poke each segment 4 or 5 times. Also, increase the amount of broth to 3 cups, reduce the amount of butter to 2 tablespoons, and cook the stuffing for only 60 minutes (the wings should register over 175 degrees at the end of cooking). Use the meat from the cooked wings to make salad or soup.
2 | pounds hearty white sandwich bread, cut into ¹⁄ |
3 | pounds turkey wings, divided at joints |
2 | teaspoons vegetable oil |
1 | pound bulk pork sausage |
4 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
1 | large onion, chopped fine |
3 | celery ribs, minced |
Salt | |
2 | tablespoons minced fresh thyme |
2 | tablespoons minced fresh sage |
1 | teaspoon pepper |
2¹⁄ | cups low-sodium chicken broth |
3 | large eggs |
1 | cup dried cherries |
1 | cup pecan halves, toasted and chopped fine |
1.
Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 250 degrees. Spread bread cubes in even layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets; bake until edges have dried but centers are slightly moist (cubes should yield to pressure), 45 to 60 minutes, stirring several times during baking. (Bread can be toasted up to 1 day in advance.) Transfer dried bread to large bowl and increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.
2.
While bread dries, use paring knife to poke 10 to 15 holes in each wing segment. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add wings in single layer and cook until golden brown on both sides, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer wings to separate bowl and set aside.
3.
Return now-empty skillet to medium-high heat, add sausage, and cook, breaking it up into ¹⁄
2
-inch pieces with wooden spoon, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon and transfer to paper towel–lined plate.
4.
Melt butter in fat left in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and ¹⁄
2
teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in thyme, sage, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 cup broth, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Add vegetable mixture to bowl with dried bread and toss to combine.
5.
Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Whisk eggs, remaining 1¹⁄
2
cups broth, 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons salt, and any accumulated juices from wings together in bowl. Add egg mixture, cherries, pecans, and sausage to bread mixture and toss to combine; transfer to prepared baking dish. Arrange wings on top of stuffing, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and place baking dish on rimmed baking sheet.
6.
Bake on lower rack until wings register 175 degrees, 60 to 75 minutes. Remove foil and transfer wings to dinner plate to reserve for another use. Using fork, gently fluff stuffing. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Omit pecans. Substitute 12 ounces bacon, cut into ¹⁄
2
-inch pieces, for sausage. In step 3, cook bacon in skillet until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and transfer to paper towel–lined plate; pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. Proceed with recipe from step 4, substituting 2 leeks, white and light green parts, sliced thin, for onion, and 3 Granny Smith apples, cut into ¹⁄
4
-inch pieces, for dried cherries.
Omit sausage. After browned turkey wings have been removed in step 2, increase butter to 6 tablespoons and melt in skillet over medium heat. Proceed with recipe from step 4, substituting 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for dried cherries and pecans.
