Thanksgiving Roast Turkey (Serves: 10 - 12)

Organic roast turkey with Crispin Honey Crisp hard cider and Honeycrisp apples

HoneyCrispRoastTurkey

Preparation time 30 minutes to 1 hour
Cooking time over 2 hours

Ingredients

  • 5.5kg/12lb oven ready organic turkey (thoroughly defrost if frozen)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 450mL/ 15.2 Fl. Oz Crispin Honey Crisp Hard Apple Cider
  • 25g/1/2 Lb softened salted butter
  • 25g/1/2 Lb organic flour
  • 4 tablespoons crème fraîche
  • Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

For the stuffing

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 2 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and chopped
  • 175g/6.2 oz fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 75g/ 2.6 oz ready to eat dried prunes, chopped
  • 2 tablespoon freshly chopped mint
  • 1 large organic egg, beaten

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F, 10 minutes before cooking.
  2. Wipe the turkey inside and season the body cavity. Put to one side whilst preparing the stuffing
  3. Make the stuffing
    a. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic for 5 minutes or until softened.
    b. Stir in the chopped Honeycrisp apples, remove from the heat and add remaining stuffing ingredients with seasoning to taste and mix well to form a stiff consistency.
  4. Stuff the neck cavity only with the prepared stuffing then fold the neck flap over and secure either by sewing using fine twine and a trussing needle or with skewers.
  5. Place the onion wedges and whole garlic cloves in the body cavity.
  6. Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time allowing 18 minutes per 450g/1Lb.
  7. Roll any remaining stuffing into balls and cook round the turkey for the last 20 minutes of cooking time.
  8. Place breast side down in the roasting pan, pour over 200mL/6.8 Fl. Oz of Crispin Honey Crisp Hard Apple Cider
  9. Place roasting pan in the oven and roast in the oven for the calculated cooking time. (By cooking the turkey upside down, the natural juices will baste the turkey as it cooks, leaving the cooked bird more tender & moist.
  10. 10.  20  minutes before the end of the cooking time, turn the turkey over, pour over a further 200mL/6.8 Fl. Oz of Crispin Honey Crisp Hard Apple Cider and continue to cook for the rest of the cooking time. If the turkey is browning too quickly, cover loosely with tin foil.
  11. Check the turkey is thoroughly cooked by inserting a long skewer in the thickest part of the thigh. If after 1 minute the juices run clear the turkey is cooked.
  12. Remove from the oven, place turkey on a serving plate, loosely cover with tinfoil and let stand for 20 minutes before carving.
  13. Strain 300ml/10 Fl. Oz of the juices from the cooked turkey into a saucepan and stir in the remaining 50mL/2 Fl. Oz Crispin Honey Crisp Natural Hard Apple Cider,  bring to boil.
  14. Cream the butter with the flour then gradually whisk into the hard cider mixture.15. Cook for 2 minutes, adjust seasoning and stir in the crème fraîche. Heat gently for 1 minute then serve with the cooked turkey, garnished with fresh mint sprigs and herbs.

Serve with lots of cranberry jelly, rosemary and garlic roast potatoes, gravy and seasonal vegetables.

Published by Scott Tuffield

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