PERFECT ROAST TURKEY by Martha Stewart

If your roasting pan only fits sideways in the oven, turn the pan every hour so the turkey cooks and browns evenly. For step-by-step photos, see our Roast Turkey and Gravy feature.

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 (20 pound) fresh whole turkey giblets and neck removed from cavity and reserved
2. 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter melted, plus
3. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4. 1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry white wine
5. 2 teaspoons salt
6. 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
7. Classic Stuffing
8. 1 cup dry red or white wine for gravy (optional)
9. Giblet Stock

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse turkey with cool water, and dry with paper towels. Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature.
2. Place rack on lowest level in oven. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Combine melted butter and white wine in a bowl. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters and cut it into a 17-inch, four-layer square. Immerse cheesecloth in the butter and wine; let soak.
3. Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a heavy metal roasting pan. If the turkey comes with a pop-up timer, remove it; an instant-read thermometer is a much more accurate indication of doneness. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Fill large cavity and neck cavity loosely with as much stuffing as they hold comfortably; do not pack tightly. (Cook remaining stuffing in a buttered baking dish for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.) Tie legs together loosely with kitchen string (a bow will be easy to untie later). Fold neck flap under, and secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey with the softened butter, and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper.
4. Lift cheesecloth out of liquid, and squeeze it slightly, leaving it very damp. Spread it evenly over the breast and about halfway down the sides of the turkey; it can cover some of the leg area. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, baste cheesecloth and exposed parts of turkey with butter and wine. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue to cook for 2 1/2 more hours, basting every 30 minutes and watching pan juices; if the pan gets too full, spoon out juices, reserving them for gravy.
5. After this third hour of cooking, carefully remove and discard cheesecloth. Turn roasting pan so that the breast is facing the back of the oven. Baste turkey with pan juices. If there are not enough juices, continue to use butter and wine. The skin gets fragile as it browns, so baste carefully. Cook 1 more hour, basting after 30 minutes.
6. After this fourth hour of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Do not poke into a bone. The temperature should reach 180 degrees F (stuffing should be between 140 degrees and 160 degrees F) and the turkey should be golden brown. The breast does not need to be checked for temperature. If legs are not yet fully cooked, baste turkey, return to oven, and cook another 20 to 30 minutes.
7. When fully cooked, transfer turkey to a serving platter, and let rest for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Pour all the pan juices into a glass measuring cup. Let stand until grease rises to the surface, about 10 minutes, then skim it off. Meanwhile, place roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup dry red or white wine, or water, to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the pan until liquid boils and all the crisp bits are unstuck from pan. Add giblet stock to pan. Stir well, and bring back to a boil. Cook until liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the defatted pan juices, and cook over medium-high heat 10 minutes more. You will have about 2 1/2 cups of gravy. Season to taste, strain into a warm gravy boat, and serve with turkey.

Yield: 14 servings

NUTRITION INFO Per Serving:

• Calories: 1276 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0 g
• Fat: 71 g
• Protein: 132 g
• Sugars: 1 g

Roast Turkey with Pomegranate Glaze by MARTHA STEWART

The pomegranate glaze makes for a beautiful, burnished bird. This turkey is delicious stuffed with Cornbread, Wild Mushroom, and Pecan Stuffing or Classic Stuffing. - Martha Stewart

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 (12 pound) fresh turkey
2. 2 onions cut into wedges
3. 3 carrots peeled and cut into 6-inch lengths
4. 3 stalks celery cut into 6-inch lengths
5. 3 parsnips peeled and cut into 6-inch lengths
6. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
7. 4 pomegranates
8. 1 quart Homemade Chicken Stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth skimmed of fat
9. 3 tablespoons red currant jelly
10. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
11. 1/4 cup cognac

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse turkey breast; pat dry. Rub breast with salt and pepper.
2. Arrange vegetables in a large, heavy roasting pan, making sure that the vegetables are more or less flat in the bottom of the pan.
3. Truss legs together with kitchen twine, if desired. Rub the bird with butter, and place on bed of vegetables in roasting pan.
4. Roast turkey for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, loosely cover bird with an aluminum-foil tent, if necessary, and continue roasting, basting every half hour with the juices in the pan.
5. Meanwhile, slice pomegranates in half crosswise. Using a hand-held wooden lemon reamer or manual juicer, collect the juice in a small bowl. Strain juice through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Combine juice and 1 cup of the stock in a small saucepan. Cook over high heat until mixture is reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes. Stir in currant jelly. Set aside.
6. When a meat thermometer placed between breast and thigh reads 170 degrees, remove turkey from oven (the total cooking time to this point should be about 3 hours and 15 minutes). Discard aluminum-foil tent, and brush bird evenly and smoothly with pomegranate reduction. Lower temperature to 325 degrees, return bird to oven, and continue roasting for 5 minutes. Brush again with pomegranate reduction, and roast for 5 to 10 minutes more. Do not allow glaze to burn.
7. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and transfer to serving plate. Let turkey rest for 20 minutes before carving.
8. Remove vegetables from roasting pan with a slotted spoon, transfer to a food processor, and process until smooth.
9. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings in pan, reserving juices in a fat separator or Pyrex measuring cup; discard fat that rises to the top. Place pan over medium-low heat, and add flour, working it in with a wooden spoon until mixture is smooth. Add 3 tablespoons of the pureed cooking vegetables to pan, and stir until smooth. (Remaining puree can be served as an additional side dish or discarded.)
10. Add cognac to pan, and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any particles on the bottom. Continue cooking slowly over medium-low heat. Stir constantly while adding degreased pan juices and the remaining 3 cups stock. Raise heat to medium high, and cook until the gravy thickens, 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in a gravy boat alongside turkey.

Yield: 10 servings

Maple Roast Turkey with Riesling Gravy by Matha Stewart

"The pomegranate glaze makes for a beautiful, burnished bird. This turkey is delicious stuffed with Cornbread, Wild Mushroom, and Pecan Stuffing or Classic Stuffing." - Martha Stewart

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS
(12 pound) fresh turkey
2 onions cut into wedges
3 carrots peeled and cut into 6-inch lengths
3 stalks celery cut into 6-inch lengths
3 parsnips peeled and cut into 6-inch lengths
2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
4 pomegranates
1 quart Homemade Chicken Stock, or canned low-sodium
chicken broth skimmed of fat
3 tablespoons red currant jelly
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cognac

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse turkey breast; pat dry. Rub breast with salt and pepper.
2. Arrange vegetables in a large, heavy roasting pan, making sure that the vegetables are more or less flat in the bottom of the pan.
3. Truss legs together with kitchen twine, if desired. Rub the bird with butter, and place on bed of vegetables in roasting pan.
4. Roast turkey for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, loosely cover bird with an aluminum-foil tent, if necessary, and continue roasting, basting every half hour with the juices in the pan.
5. Meanwhile, slice pomegranates in half crosswise. Using a hand-held wooden lemon reamer or manual juicer, collect the juice in a small bowl. Strain juice through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Combine juice and 1 cup of the stock in a small saucepan. Cook over high heat until mixture is reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes. Stir in currant jelly. Set aside.
6. When a meat thermometer placed between breast and thigh reads 170 degrees, remove turkey from oven (the total cooking time to this point should be about 3 hours and 15 minutes). Discard aluminum-foil tent, and brush bird evenly and smoothly with pomegranate reduction. Lower temperature to 325 degrees, return bird to oven, and continue roasting for 5 minutes. Brush again with pomegranate reduction, and roast for 5 to 10 minutes more. Do not allow glaze to burn.
7. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and transfer to serving plate. Let turkey rest for 20 minutes before carving.
8. Remove vegetables from roasting pan with a slotted spoon, transfer to a food processor, and process until smooth.
9. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings in pan, reserving juices in a fat separator or Pyrex measuring cup; discard fat that rises to the top. Place pan over medium-low heat, and add flour, working it in with a wooden spoon until mixture is smooth. Add 3 tablespoons of the pureed cooking vegetables to pan, and stir until smooth. (Remaining puree can be served as an additional side dish or discarded.)
10. Add cognac to pan, and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any particles on the bottom. Continue cooking slowly over medium-low heat. Stir constantly while adding degreased pan juices and the remaining 3 cups stock. Raise heat to medium high, and cook until the gravy thickens, 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in a gravy boat alongside turkey.

Yield: 10 servings

BARBEQUED TURKEY for Thanksgiving from Martha Stewart

BARBEQUED TURKEY
Provided by Martha Stewart

"A firestarter chimney or second smaller grill is essential to barbecuing turkey. For best results, use a natural hardwood charcoal"