Roast Turkey with Brown Sugar-Mustard Glaze and Bourbon Pan Gravy

Serves : 8-10

Comments: This recipe comes from Martha Stewart's "Everyday Food".

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 (12 pound) turkey, thawed if frozen
  • 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup spicy mustard
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

Let turkey stand at room temperature up to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in lowest position.

Reserve the turkey neck and giblets. Discard the liver or use it for some other purpose. Rinse the turkey and pat it dry. Place the turkey on a roasting rack set in a large roasting pan. Season the inside of the turkey with salt and pepper. Bend the wing-tips forward and tuck them under the neck cavity to prevent them from burning during cooking. Rub the turkey all over with butter and then season with salt and pepper. Add neck and giblets to roasting pan along with 3 cups of water. Cover the turkey loosely with aluminum foil.

Roast 1 hour, then baste the turkey with pan juices every 30 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding bone) registers 125 degrees, 30 to 90 minutes more.

Remove foil. Increase oven temperature to 400degrees. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and mustard. Brush turkey with the glaze. Rotate pan and continue to roast the turkey, brushing with glaze 2 or 3 more times, until thermometer registers 165 degrees. (This will be approximately 45 mintues to 1 hour more. Tent with buttered foil if the turkey browns too quickly.) Add more water to the pan if it dries out during the cooking process.

Transfer the turkey to a warmed platter, cover loosely with foil and let rest for about 20 minutes before carving.

While the turkey is resting, make the pan gravy in the roasting pan. Discard the neck; coarsely chop the giblets and return them to the roasting pan. Place pan on the stove, and bring the drippings to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, scraping up browned bits, until liquid is brown and syrupy, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is very syrupy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until incorporated, about 1 minute. Gradually add the broth, then 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until gravy reaches desired thickness, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the bourbon, and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Pour gravy through a fine-mesh sieve into a serving container. Serve immediately with sliced turkey.