Bourbon And Canadian Maple Syrup Roast Turkey ©

8-10 Persons

 

 

 

Cooking Time : 20 mins per 450g plus 35 mins.

 

Oven Temperature : 220.C / 425. F. For the first 30 minutes.

Then turn down to 180.C /350. F for the rest of the cooking time.

 

Special equipment :  Trussing needle 10-15 cms long, Trussing string. Roasting Trivet.

Large oven roasting tin big enough to fit potatoes too!

 

 

Ingredients

One 3.5-4.5 kilo turkey

2-3 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper, to rub over Turkey

1 large onion for inserting into cavity

A few sprigs of thyme for inserting into cavity

1 lemon cut in half for inserting into cavity

 

For Butter mixture 

1oog softened butter. ( Remove butter from fridge 1/2 hr before.)

1 tsp fresh thyme

Finely grated zest of lemon

1 tsp Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 tbs Canadian Maple Syrup

4 tbs Kentucky Bourbon

 

Olive oil to generously drizzle over turkey when trussed.

 

My Gravy

Giblets, 1 carrot, stick celery, small onion

Juices from turkey, fat removed

1 tbs flour

1 tbs bovril ( Bovril is an English concentrated beef stock, available in International food Halls.)

1 tsp dijon mustard

dash of worcestershire sauce

4 tbs brandy

 

Garnish

225 g hungarian or dry-cured bacon, rolled into roles

Fresh herbs for decoration: Thyme, Rosemary,Parsley.

 

Method

Place oven shelf 1/3rd up from the bottom, so that turkey sits in center of oven.

Pre-heat oven 220.C/425.F. if cooking straight away. (1/4 hour beforehand is enough.)

Preparation of turkey:

1. Remove turkey from plastic wrapping. Remove Giblets ( Neck, liver, stomach,) from cavity and wash thoroughly under the running tap. Place giblets in saucepan, together with vegetables, cover with water and simmer for one hour. Reserve for gravy.

2.Wash turkey thoroughly, remove any lingering feathers and leave to drain. Pat dry with kitchen paper and place on large wooden board.

 

Preparation of Butter

1. In a mixing bowl cream softened butter with a wooden spoon.

2. Add finely chopped thyme and lemon zest.

3. Season well and add 1 tbs  of Canadian maple syrup, followed by 1 tbs of Kentucky Bourbon.

4. Chill mixture in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

5. At the cavity end, place your fingers under the skin either side of the breast bone and carefully separate the skin from the flesh. Spread most of the flavored butter over the breast, keeping a little to rub over turkey and inside main cavity.

6. Place onion, lemon and thyme in cavity.

7. At this point if you are also stuffing your turkey, place half the stuffing in the neck  and pin down and the other half in the main cavity and sew up with trussing string. See photographs. ( Greek Chestnut Stuffing will soon be featuring for Christmas!)

8. Truss turkey into a nice shape, using a large cook’s trussing needle, 10-15 cms long and trussing string. See photographs and link below…

https://whatscookinginjaneskitchen.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/how-to-truss-a-chicken/

9. Weigh turkey to calculate cooking time. ( Times given above.)

10. Rub over generously with salt, freshly ground pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil. Place turkey breast downwards in tin, or on ‘Trivet’ in tin and cover loosely with tin foil. ( No foil underneath.)

 

Turkey Cooking:

1. Pre- heat oven 15 minutes before beginning cooking at 220.C/425.F.

Cook turkey for 20 minutes per 450g plus 15 minutes.

After 35 minutes, turn down oven to 180.C/350.F

Make sure the turkey is gently bubbling always, if not turn heat up a little.

2. One hour before cooking time is up, add par-boiled, ( bring potatoes to the boil, boil five minutes, take out of water, season and oil and place around turkey. ( If potatoes don’t fit cook in separate tray, but add some of the oil and juices from the turkey roasting tin.

*IMPORTANT : If at any time during cooking the roasting tin starts to dry, add a little stock or water.

BASTE THROUGH OUT, every half hour.

3. When there is 40 minutes cooking time left, take turkey out of oven. Remove foil and with two large forks turn turkey breast up. Baste well with the remaining Maple Syrup and Bourbon, mixed together with the turkey juices and return to the oven. At this point watch over it carefully, because it can easily burn and you want a golden uniform color!

4. To test that the turkey is cooked, stick a skewer into the thickest part of the turkey thigh and the juices should run clear. If they are at all red, place in oven, covered with foil for another ten minutes. Test again.

5. Lift Turkey onto platter and cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 30 minutes somewhere warm! This is important as the turkey is much easier to carve when left to rest.

6. Place bacon rolls under grill and grill on both sides until crisp. Place round turkey and garnish with fresh herbs.

N.B. I usually carve the turkey before the guests arrive. This takes at least 20 minutes, but is well worth it as it is much easier to serve. I drizzle the turkey with the turkey juices and cover with tin foil and keep warm in the oven, 50.C. This gives you time to serve out your vegetable too, make the gravy and get the kitchen tidy!

 

To make gravy :

Pour off fat from roasting tin. Mix together in bowl liquid ingredients. Place roasting tin on medium heat on stove. Using a whisk add 1 tbs flour to absorb any fat. Cook until flour becomes frothy, 2-3 minutes, add rest of ingredients stirring continuously until it thickens. Dilute with a little giblet stock. Sauce should cover the back of a spoon in thickness. Boil for two minutes for alcohol to evaporate and flour to thoroughly cook. Taste and pass through sieve into gravy boat.

 

 

Gather your ingredients together.

Unwrap turkey from plastic wrapping, remove ‘Giblets’ from inside cavity and wash thoroughly. Reserve neck

liver and stomach for gravy, discard rest. ( I keep liver for Chestnut stuffing at Christmas, recipe coming up.)

 

 

 

 

Add onion, carrot and celery and cover with water. Simmer for one hours and use as stock for gravy.

 

Remove  lingering feathers using a sharp knife.

Cream softened butter and add thyme, bourbon and maple syrup

The bourbon and maple syrup get absorbed into the butter slowly.

 

Cream together and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

From the large cavity end of your turkey carefully separate the skin from the flesh either side of the breast bone, as far as your fingers will reach.

The further you reach the more the butter will keep the turkey breast moist.

Remove your butter mixture from the refrigerator and press  1/2 the cold butter down the breast, reserving the rest to rub in the cavity and over the outside.

In the main cavity place salt and pepper, some remaining better, your peeled onion, lemon halves and thyme sprigs. Now add half your stuffing, if using, keep the other half for the front.

Begin trussing your turkey by sewing up the main cavity.

Sew all the way round until completely closed. Take plenty of flesh, so it doesn’t break open during cooking. ( Here I have stuffed my turkey with Greek Chestnut Stuffing, recipe coming up!)

Now tie the legs together with the bottom.

Taking a new long piece of trussing string, double thickness, pass the needle right through your turkey, just under the thigh.

Then pass it back again and pull both ends tight. This pulls the turkey into a nice plump compact shape.

Tie a tight knot.

Now using your thumb, turn the turkey wings under the bird.

 

Push until they are trapped underneath.

Turn your turkey upside down, pull out the neck flap and stuff.

Press the stuffing well down and fill up to neck bone.

Then neatly turn flap over and secure with a couple of stitches!

Now re-thread your needle and push through wings.

Using a little kitchen paper to help, pull needle through and then thread back again.

Tie securely.

Here you have a nice compact, trussed, turkey!

Spread with the rest of the butter mixture.

Top and bottom. The underside was rather wet and the butter had difficulty in sticking, despite drying the skin off!!!!

Place upside down on trivet. Breast downwards, it keeps a lot more moist this way. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Add stock during cooking if the oven tray starts to dry out.

 

Cover loosely with tin foil. This you remove during the last 40 minutes of cooking, when you turn your turkey over to go golden. Be very careful, because the maple syrup can cause it to burn easily.

Baste every 30 minutes.