Christmas is nine days away and it’s time to get ready. If you’re preparing turkey like me, it is time to order your fresh turkey. With some organization you should be able to prepare a fantastic meal and enjoy it too! So here is my version hope you will like.
Preparation time: About 5 hours.
Serves 10-12
Ingredients
• 1 turkey, approx. 15 lbs( 6-7 kilos)
• Juice of a lemon
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil or 1 stick melted butter
• 1 orange zest plus whole quartered
• Ginger ½ inch piece peeled and grated
• Sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
Method
To start, if the turkey has been refrigerated, bring it to room temperature before cooking. Keep it in its plastic wrapping until you are ready to cook. If you get a frozen turkey, you will need to defrost it in the refrigerator for several days first.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Wash out the turkey with water. Pull out any remaining feather stubs in the turkey skin. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Lather the outside and the inside of the cavity with the juice of half a lemon. Take a small handful of salt and rub all over the inside of the turkey.
For flavor, put inside the turkey the quartered orange. Close up the turkey cavity with either string or metal skewers. Make sure that the turkey's legs are tied together, held close to the body, and tie a string around the turkey body to hold the wings in close.
The neck cavity can be stuffed with thyme, rosemary and tied closed with thin skewers and string.
Rub either melted butter or olive oil all over the outside of the turkey. Continue with Grand Marnier, soy sauce then sprinkle salt generously all over the outside of the turkey. Add the pepper and orange zest, paprika, and grated ginger, rosemary thyme.
Place turkey on the bottom of a rack over a sturdy roasting pan big enough to catch all the drippings.
Put the turkey in the oven. The recommended cooking time is about 15 minutes for every pound (1/2 Kilo). For the 15 lb turkey, start the cooking at 400 F for the first 1/2 hour. Then reduce the heat to 350F for the next 2 hours. Then reduce the heat further to 225 F for the next hour to hour and a half.
Take the temperature readings with a meat thermometer, the dark meat in the thigh should be about 175°F. The white meat in the breast should be 160°F to 165°F. If you don't have a meat thermometer, spear the breast with a knife. The turkey juices should be clear, not pink.
Note when breast turn golden brown in color cover with foil to prevent from turning black
Once you remove the turkey from the oven, let it rest for 15 -20 minutes.
Gravy:
Scrape all the drippings off of the bottom of the roasting pan. Pour drippings into a smaller skillet. Ladle off excess fat with a gravy cup and discard. In a separate small bowl take a quarter cup of corn starch and add just enough water to dissolve the corn starch. Beat cornstarch with a whisk to remove lumps. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the drippings, stirring constantly. You may not end up using all of the cornstarch mixture. Only add as much as you need to get the desired thickness. Allow time for the cornstarch to thicken the gravy. Add salt, pepper, sage, thyme, or other seasonings to taste.
Note: you can substitute Grand Marnier and soy sauce for dry white wine and some bacon for a different flavor.
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