Eric Riperts Turkey Two Ways Recipes

ERIC RIPERT'S TURKEY TWO WAYS

Steps:

• Remove the legs from the turkey and separate into drumsticks and thighs. Remove the backbone and cut breast in half. Remove the wingtips. (If you are not adept at butchery, ask the butcher to do this.) Reserve neck, all bones and wings for stock. Cover and refrigerate the breast.
• Place the leg parts, wine, onion, carrot, celery, garlic and bouquet garni in a bowl. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
• Drain the legs, thighs and vegetables, then boil the wine and bouquet garni, skimming off any foam for 15 minutes, reducing it by one-third. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, separate the turkey leg pieces and vegetables. Place 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Season the leg parts on both sides with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the leg parts and sear until lightly browned, about 4 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate.
• Add remaining oil to the pot. Add the vegetables and cook until caramelized, about 8 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes, until flour is toasted. Add wine and stir to release any browned bits. Return the legs, thighs and bouquet garni to the pot, add chicken stock and simmer until meat falls off the bone, about 2 hours.
• Drain legs, thighs and vegetables and strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a saucepan and set aside. Place the vegetables into a bowl. When the turkey is cool enough, remove the meat from the bones and shred into a bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of the reserved liquid.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a roasting pan over medium-high heat and add butter. Season the breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. When butter is sizzling, add the breasts, skin down. Sear about 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast breasts for 45 minutes, basting with the butter every 5 minutes. Remove and let rest for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cabbage leaves and cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove leaves and plunge them into ice water; drain. Trim the ends of the tough central rib from the leaves. Place a cabbage leaf on a cutting board (use two if they are small) and place 3 tablespoons of the leg meat and 1 tablespoon of the vegetables at one end. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the sides and roll up like an envelope. Repeat. (You should have about 12 parcels.) Place in a buttered baking pan, seam side down. Cover with foil.
• To serve, bring reserved liquid to a simmer and cook until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon. Heat cabbage parcels in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes, or until hot. Slice the breast meat. Place one cabbage parcel on each plate and fan out 3 slices of breast on top. Spoon the sauce around and serve.

THANKSGIVING TURKEY TWO WAYS

Steps:

• The morning before roasting, spatchcock one of the turkeys. Remove the backbone by cutting 1 1/2 inches to the left and right of the backbone (opposite side of breast) from front to back. Remove the backbone and reserve for stock if desired. Place the turkey breast-side up on a large flat surface. Place a clean kitchen towel on top and press down firmly on the breast to flatten. Season both sides of the spatchcocked turkey with 1 tablespoon each of the celery salt, granulated garlic, granulated onion and pepper.
• Season the whole turkey inside and out with 1 tablespoon black pepper and the remaining celery salt, granulated garlic and granulated onion. Allow both turkeys to sit in the refrigerator overnight, uncovered, to dry the skin.
• The next day, allow the turkeys to come to room temperature for 1 1/2 hours.
• Arrange one oven rack in the bottom lowest position of the oven and one in the top third. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the minced parsley, tarragon, oregano, minced thyme, lemon zest and shallots with some salt and pepper in a small bowl. The salt will help to draw the moisture and flavor from the mixture. Add the olive oil to form a paste. Divide the mixture between the turkeys and spread all around both sides of each turkey. Season again with salt and pepper. Halve 3 of the lemons. Stuff the cavity of the whole turkey with the lemon halves and parsley and thyme sprigs.
• Divide the carrots, onions and fennel between 2 roasting pans or baking sheets. Arrange the spatchcocked turkey skin-side up on the vegetables in one pan. Put the whole turkey breast-side up on the vegetables in the second pan. Divide the stock and wine between the 2 pans.
• Put the whole turkey on the bottom oven rack and the spatchcocked turkey on the top rack and roast, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices and adding a little more liquid to the bottom of the pans as needed to prevent burning. Keep an eye on the turkeys: when the spatchcocked turkey is nicely browned, remove the roasting pan and carefully move the top oven rack to the middle position (see Cook's Note). Move the whole turkey to the middle rack and the spatchcocked turkey to the bottom rack and continue to roast until the thickest part of the thighs registers 155 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 hours total (10 minutes per pound) for a 12-pound spatchcocked turkey and 2 hours 25 minutes to 3 hours total (12 to 15 minutes per pound) for a 12-pound whole turkey. Allow the turkeys to rest for at least 1 hour before serving.