Roast Kosher Turkey With Asian Ginger Butter Recipes

ASIAN FIVE-SPICE ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove the turkey neck and giblets from inside the cavity and set it aside if making homemade gravy, otherwise discard. Wash and pat dry the turkey completely with paper towel before adding seasoning.
• In a small bowl, whisk to combine five-spice powder, soy sauce, Shaoxing cooking wine, olive oil, sesame oil, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt and pepper, into a smooth paste.
• Place the turkey on a clean cutting board, and rub half of the marinade over the entire turkey including inside the cavity and underneath the skin of the breast. To spread the marinade underneath the skin, use a knife and a spoon to gently loosen the skin of the turkey breast, then place 2 tablespoons of the marinade under the skin and slowly press down on the skin to spread the marinade evenly. Wearing disposable gloves helps make clean up easier.
• Transfer the turkey (breast side up) onto the rack of a large roasting pan and tuck the wings underneath. Insert onion, lemon, garlic and sprigs of thyme inside the cavity. Optionally, truss the turkey by tying the legs together with kitchen string so that they stay close to the body.
• Wrap the roasting tray tightly with aluminum foil and let the turkey marinate in the refrigerator overnight, up to 2 days.
• Store the remaining marinade in the refrigerator until the turkey is ready.
• Remove the roasting pan and extra marinade from the refrigerator and place on the counter to slowly bring the turkey to room temperature, about 2 hours. Roasting the turkey directly from the refrigerator will cause uneven cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 450 F with a rack positioned in the lowest level of the oven. Place the second rack out of the way on the highest level at the top of the oven, or you may have to completely remove the second rack out of the oven to make room for the turkey, depending on how large your turkey is.
• Generously brush the entire turkey with the remaining half of the marinade. Add 1/2 cup of water or more to the bottom of the roasting pan to prevent the pan drippings from burning. Transfer the roasting pan to the lowest rack and roast at 450 F for 45 minutes.
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 F and continue to roast until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165 F. Check the internal temperature of the turkey by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey breast, without touching the bone. For a 10-12 pound turkey, this should take approximately 1.5 hours. Every 30-45 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and tilt to release juice from the cavity into the pan. Use a brush to baste the turkey with the pan drippings and return to the oven. This will help achieve a golden brown crispy skin.
• Also, monitor the turkey closely during these intervals to make sure that the skin doesn't become too burnt because of the five-spice rub. Cover the turkey by lightly tenting with aluminum foil if needed to prevent further browning.
• Remove from oven and loosely cover the turkey with aluminum foil. Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes. Resting helps the juices redistribute into the meat as the internal temperature continues to rise by 5-10 degrees, reaching 170 F while resting. Meanwhile, remove the turkey drippings and set aside for making homemade gravy.
• Carve the turkey with a sharp knife or electric carving knife and serve.

BUTTERFLIED TEA AND ORANGE BRINED ROASTED TURKEY WITH ASIAN GINGER BUTTER

Steps:

• The day before, remove the zest from the oranges in wide strips using a vegetable peeler, applying gentle pressure so that most of the white pith is left behind. Reserve the zest, juice the oranges into a medium saucepan. Add the zest, salt, bourbon, sugar, tea bags, peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves and 4 cups (1 quart) of water. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the mixture sit for 30 minutes. Pour the brine into a plastic container or pot large enough to hold the turkey, add 20 cups (5 quarts) ice water and stir to combine. Submerge the turkey, adding more ice water if needed. Weigh it down with a plate to keep it submerged and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours.
• The next day, drain, rinse and pat the turkey dry. Put on a large paper-towel-lined cutting board and let sit out at room temperature until it reaches room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Mix the butter, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, scallions and garlic in a medium bowl until well combined.
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Pat the turkey skin dry again and rub the ginger butter evenly over the surface, also getting underneath the skin of the breasts. Lay the turkey in a large roasting pan as flat as possible. If the pan is a bit small, tuck the wings behind the back with the drumsticks resting on the ledge of the pan and place a large rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil at the bottom of the oven to catch drippings.
• Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 165 degrees F, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with orange slices and chopped scallion if using.

PEKING-STYLE ROAST TURKEY WITH MOLASSES-SOY GLAZE AND ORANGE-GINGER GRAVY

Steps:

• Steam the turkey:
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Season the inside of the turkey with salt and pepper and tie the legs together. In the bottom of a large pot fitted with a small round rack or crumpled foil, bring 8 cups water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and lower the turkey into the pot. Cover and steam for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in 1/2 cup orange juice, soy sauce, molasses, vinegar, and 5-spice powder. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the glaze is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Roast the turkey:
• In a large roasting pan, toss the scallions, celery, and reserved orange peels with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Fit a roasting rack over the vegetables and place the turkey on top. Brush all over with the glaze, lower oven to 350°F, and roast the turkey, basting every 20 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 165°F, about 2 hours. If the turkey is browning too quickly, tent with a piece of foil. Let the turkey rest about 20 minutes before carving.
• Make the gravy:
• While the turkey is cooking, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the turkey neck, gizzard, and liver and cook until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes, flipping occasionally; season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium and add the shallot, garlic, ginger, cloves, star anise, and allspice, and cook until the vegetables are softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the stock is flavorful and slightly reduced, about 1 hour. Strain the broth into a large clean saucepan and set aside on the stovetop to keep warm.
• In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until butter mixture is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until gravy is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Once the turkey has been removed from the roasting pan, strain the drippings into the pot with the gravy, discarding the solids. Place the roasting pan over two burners over medium-high heat. Pour in the wine and orange juice and bring to a boil. Scrape up brown bits on the bottom of the pan, and cook until reduced, about 1 minute. Pour pan juices into the gravy. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the turkey.

PEKING-STYLE ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• For the brine-2 days in advance: Roughly cut up the orange, lemongrass, and ginger into pieces. Smash garlic. Bring water to a boil and add garlic, ginger, chilies, lemongrass, orange, salt, sugar, soy sauce, and sweet soy sauce. Let it simmer until sugar and salt dissolve, about 10 minutes. Then remove from heat and refrigerate overnight.
• For brining the turkey-1 day in advance: Place turkey and turkey neck into the chilled brine. Add more water, enough to cover the turkey. Cover with lid and refrigerate, 24 hours.
• For the turkey: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove turkey from the brine and place it on a sheet tray lined with paper towels; allow it to dry and come to room temperature, 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare the aromatics to be cooked with the turkey. Roughly chop the fennel with stems, onions, apples and ginger. Place aromatics around the turkey and inside the cavity. Next, make a compound butter by combining butter and sweet soy sauce. Rub a quarter of the butter all over the turkey. Discard the thermometer probe that comes with the turkey and replace it with a kitchen thermometer in the same spot or in the deepest part of the turkey. Roast the turkey to 160 degrees F, about 3 hours. (Note: it will continue to cook after it comes out of the oven.)
• As the turkey cooks, baste it with more compound butter every 20-30 minutes.
• When the kitchen thermometer in the turkey reads 160 degrees F, remove it from the oven and let it rest. The temperature will continue to rise slowly as it rests outside the oven. Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

CANTONESE-STYLE TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove turkey from refrigerator and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a rack in a roasting pan and allow turkey to come to room temperature while you prepare the sauce.
• Swirl 3 tablespoons oil into a wok or large Dutch oven and set over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add scallions, leeks and celery and cook, stirring often, until vegetables soften and cook down, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add soybean sauce, orange peel, sugar, rice wine or sherry, white pepper, soy sauce and oyster sauce to the vegetable mixture, along with 2 cups water. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and allow mixture to simmer and thicken, 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 20 minutes.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spoon 1 cup of the sauce over turkey and spoon 2 tablespoons into its cavity. Tuck the tips of the wings under the bird and truss its legs together with kitchen string. Pour remaining sauce and 2 cups water into roasting pan and transfer to oven. Roast turkey, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Baste turkey with pan juices, and tent it with foil. Continue roasting another 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes with pan juices, until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees. If pan starts to look dry, add hot water or turkey or chicken stock, if you have any, 1 cup at a time.
• Transfer turkey to a cutting board or platter and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving. Pour pan drippings into a small pot, adding enough warm water or stock to equal 1 cup, and keep warm on the stove.
• Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Grease a large sheet pan with 1 tablespoon oil, and arrange halved potatoes on the pan, cut side down. Season with salt and black pepper, and slide potatoes into the oven. Cook, undisturbed, until potatoes are tender and cut sides are nicely browned and crisped, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Remove pan from the oven, drizzle reserved drippings all over potatoes, toss and return to the oven to finish cooking, 5 minutes longer. Serve potatoes with turkey.