THE PERFECT TURKEY - By Waldy Malouf, chef-owner of Beacon

BRINED HERB-ROASTED TURKEY
1 12 lb. Turkey (preferably Eberly Organic and Free-range)
Brine:
1 C. Sugar
1 C. Kosher Salt
1 bunch fresh Sage
1 bunch fresh Thyme
3 Tbsp. cracked Black Pepper
Turkey Stock:
Turkey giblets, neck, and other trimmings
1 Onion, sliced
1 stalk Celery, sliced
1 Carrot, sliced
2 Cloves Garlic, sliced
Coarse Salt and freshly Ground Pepper
4 C. Chicken stock
Herb Butter: (make day of roasting)
8 Tbsp. softened unsalted Butter
¼ C. Extra-virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp. chopped Shallots
1 tsp. chopped Garlic
¼ C. chopped Parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped Chives
1 Tbsp. chopped Sage
1 Tbsp. chopped Thyme
1 tsp. chopped Tarragon
Roasting the Turkey:
1 Onion, sliced
4 stalks Celery, sliced
2 Carrots, sliced
Coarse Salt and freshly Ground Pepper
4 to 5 C. Turkey Stock
1 C. Dry White Wine
3 Tbsp. Butter
3Tbsp. Flour

Brine: One or two days before serving, place 1 gallon of water in a large stock pot with the sugar, salt, sage, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and chill. Place the turkey in a deep casserole or roasting pan that is large enough to allow most of the turkey to be submerged in the brine (1). Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Turn the turkey in the brine every few hours if it is not totally submerged. Let steep for 24 to 36 hours.

Stock: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the last two joints off each turkey wing, leaving the wing drumstick on the bird, and put them in a small roasting pan. Roast until the skin is well browned, 45 minutes to and hour. Put the roasted wings in a soup pot with the giblets and the neck, setting the liver aside. Add the vegetables, 1 tsp. salt, and several grinds of pepper, chicken stock, and 3 C. cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium-low heat, partially covered, for 2 to 3 hours, until the meat is falling from the bones and the turkey gizzard is very tender. Poach the turkey liver in the stock for 6 to 7 minutes; remove, cover, and refrigerate. Strain the stock into a bowl, reserving the giblets, and refrigerate. There should be 5 to 6 Cups.

Herb Butter: On serving day, place all the ingredients for the herb butter in a food processor (2) and blend. Transfer to a small pastry bag or Baggie, and set aside.

Cooking the Turkey: About 5 hours before serving time remove the turkey from the refrigerator. Lift it out of the brine, and rinse off under fresh cold water. Dry the bird with paper towels. Slide a small rubber spatula between the skin and the breast meat to separate them. Pipe half of the herb butter under the skin of both breasts from the cavity opening (3), spreading the butter evenly over the whole breast area with the fingertips. Rub the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the bird. Fill the body cavity and the neck cavity loosely with stuffing. Truss the bird loosely with butcher's twine and season with salt and pepper. Spread the sliced vegetables over the bottom of a large roasting pan and lay the turkey on top (4). Add a cup of stock to the pan. About 4 hours before serving time, preheat the oven to 375°, and position the rack in the lower half of the oven. Put the turkey in the oven and roast for 1 ½ hours. Check to see if the turkey is browning evenly, and turn the pan, adding more stock if it gets low. If the turkey is browning too fast, fold a 30" length of aluminum foil in half, then fold it loosely again and set it lightly over the turkey breast for the remainder of the roasting time. Reduce the temperature to 325°. Roast the turkey for another 1 ½ hours or until the internal temperature of the thigh is 165° on the thermometer (5) and the juices run clear yellow with no tinge of pink when the thigh meat is pierced. If the turkey is not too brown, remove the foil for the last ½ hour of cooking. Take the bird out of the oven, and let it rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes while making the gravy. While the turkey is roasting, remove the congealed fat from the top of the stock, and heat the stock in a saucepan, cut the reserved giblets and, if desired the liver in-to very fine dice. While the turkey is resting, use a little of the stock to deglaze the roasting pan, and strain the pan juices into a pitcher and reserve the vegetables. Allow to rest for a few minutes until the fat separates, then skim the fat from the surface. Melt the butter in the roasting pan with the vegetables over medium heat, stirring to combine, then sprinkle with flour. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently (6), until it is very thick and brown. Add the wine, stir to blend thoroughly, and cook and stir until the wine has nearly evaporated and the mixture is very thick. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn. Add half the stock and the strained roasting-pan juices, and stir to blend well' strain the thickened sauce, and add to the remaining stock in the saucepan. Simmer the gray for 20 minutes or so, skimming as necessary. Add the chopped giblets to the gravy, and simmer 5 minutes more. Taste, and check seasonings. Present the turkey on a large platter decorated with some grapes and a bunch of fresh sage.

HONEY-GLAZED ROAST TURKEY
1 12 lb. Eberly Organic and Free-ranged Turkey
¾ tsp. Salt
fresh ground Black Pepper
2 Tbsp. Honey

Orange-and-sweet-potato stuffing:
Zest of 1 Lemon, cut into fine strips
4 Navel Oranges, the zest of 2 cut into fine strips
6 med. Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into ½" cubes
6 Tbsp. unsalted Butter
3 large Onions, chopped
¼ C. fresh Lemon Juice
½ C. unsalted Turkey of Chicken Stock
1/8 tsp. Salt
freshly ground Black Pepper
½ tsp. ground Cloves
¾ tsp. Dry Mustard
6 slices cracked-wheat Bread, cut into cubes and lightly toasted
2 Tbsp. Brandy

Port-and-Orange Gravy:
Turkey neck, gizzard and heart
1 Tbsp.Safflower Oil
1 Carrot, chopped
1 Celery Stalk, coarsely chopped
2 med. Onions, coarsely chopped
1 Garlic Clove, coarsely chopped
1 C. White Wine
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp. fresh Thyme, or ¼ tsp. dried Thyme leaves
Roasting Juices from the turkey (about 1 c.) degreased
Juice and grated zest of one Orange
1 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1/3 C. Port
½ tsp. Salt
freshly ground Black Pepper

Stuffing: Blanch the lemon and orange zest in 1 C. of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and set aside. Using a sharp knife, peel the oranges and divide them into sections. Cut each section in half and reserve. In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to boil. Drop in the sweet-potato cubes and blanch them for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a large, heavy-bottom casserole, melt 4 Tbsp. of butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook it until translucent, stirring occasionally about 10 minutes. Add the lemon and orange zest, oranges, sweet potatoes, lemon juice, stock, salt and pepper. Cook until the sweet potato cubes are tender 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cloves, mustard, the remaining 2 Tbsp. of butter, the bread cubes and the brandy. Mix thoroughly, Allow to cool before using.

Stock: To make a stock for the gravy, chop the turkey neck into pieces. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the neck, gizzard heart, carrot, celery, onions and garlic. Sauté, stirring, until vegetables begin to brown about 5 minutes. Add the white wine, bay leaf, thyme and 3 C. of water. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, skimming off impurities as necessary. Strain the stock, pushing down on the contents to extract all the liquid; there should be 2 to 2 ½ C. Set it aside.

Turkey: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water and dry it thoroughly with paper towels. Rub thee salt and pepper inside the body and neck cavities and outside the bird. To stuff the turkey, loosely fill both cavities. Tie the drumsticks together with butcher's twine and tuck the wing tips under the bird. Put the turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Add 1 cup of water to the pan. To keep the turkey moist and prevent it form overbrowning, make a tent of aluminum foil. Lay the foil shiny side down over the turkey, and tuck it loosely around the inside edges of the pan. Roast the turkey in the oven for 2 ½ hours. Take the turkey from oven and carefully remove foil. Brush the turkey all over with the honey. Turn the heat down to 325°F., then return the turkey to the oven, and roast it uncovered for 1 hour. The bird is done when a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 180°F. There should be about 1 C. of roasting juices in the pan.

Let turkey stand for at least 20 minutes before carving it. In the meantime, remove the stuffing from the cavities and set it aside in a bowl loosely covered with foil to keep it warm. To make the gravy, combine the stock, reserved roasting juices, orange juices and zest, and vinegar in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Mix the cornstarch and the port and whisk them into the saucepan; return the gravy to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper and serving piping hot with the carved bird and the stuffing.