Serves 8/10 Ingredients 5kg ( approx 12lb ) Turkey 100g butter Carrot, onion and celery 2 mugs water /wine 1 tbsp freshly chopped thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley Sea salt and black pepper Garnish Pomegranate Clementine Fresh rosemary and thyme
Method Bring the turkey to room temperature an hour before you want to cook it. Preheat the oven to 180?. Roughly chop up an onion, carrot, and celery and place them in the roasting tin. Make the butter by chopping up all the herbs. Mash the herbs, butter and seasoning together. Using your hands gently loosen the skin on the breast away from the flesh. Rub 2/3 of the butter under the skin. Place the remaining butter all over the skin. Pour 2 mugs of water/wine into the roasting tray. Butter the inside of the tin foil and place the foil over the top like a tent. Roast for 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove the foil, baste with the juices and return to the oven for 30 minutes. To test if it is cooked, cut a slit in the thickest part of the back thigh. If it is cooked the juices will run clear not pink. Also, a fail-safe method is to use the thermometer. The internal temperature is to reach 75?. Now let it rest for 30/45 minutes. Get a new sheet of tinfoil. Butter the inside and sit this loosely on top of the turkey. Cover with a big warm bath towel and allow to rest and stay warm. Carve and serve with piping hot gravy. Enjoy.
Sage and Chestnut Stuffing 250g sausage meat 500g breadcrumbs 2 tbsp chopped rosemary, thyme, parsley and sage 1 medium onion 75g butter Lots of sea salt and black pepper 50g cooked chestnuts
Method Mash up the sausage meat really well in a large bowl. Finely chop all the herbs and onion. Finely dice the chestnuts. Slowly cook the onion in the butter for 20 minutes. Combine the cooked onions, chestnuts, seasoning, herbs and breadcrumbs with the sausage meat. Roll into balls, paint with a little melted butter and roast for 45 minutes or alternatively place in an oven-proof dish, cover with foil and roast for 1 hour removing the tin foil for the last 15 minutes.
Luxe Cranberry Sauce Ingredients 250g fresh cranberries 100g caster sugar / brown sugar 50mls water 4 tbsp port or orange juice Twist of orange rind 1 spring rosemary 3 star anise
Method Place the cranberries, star anise, water and juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue to stir as it bubbles gently. Add in orange juice, a twist of orange skin and the port. Allow to cook and bubble for about 10 minutes or until the cranberries have popped. Allow to cool and transfer to a sealed container or bowl. Cover and chill until needed. This is best prepared about 2/3 days in advance. Remove the star anise, rosemary and orange twist before serving. Serve at room temperature, not cold from the fridge. Garnish with a twist of orange.
