Apple Gravy Recipes

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter. Stir in flour and seasonings. Whisk cornstarch and chicken stock until smooth; gradually stir into onion mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool slightly., Transfer to a blender; cover and process until smooth. Return all to pan and heat through. Stir in cream cheese and apple butter; cook and stir just until blended.

Steps:

• Brine the turkey: Tear the bay leaves to release their natural oils. Place in a large bowl with the buttermilk, sugar, salt, black pepper and cayenne, and stir to dissolve the sugar. Place the turkey in a brining bag or clean unscented garbage bag, pour in the buttermilk mixture and tightly tie the bag closed. Place in a pot or bowl that holds it snugly, making sure the legs are fully immersed in the brine, and refrigerate for at least 48 hours and up to 72 hours.
• Make the turkey: Position a rack at the bottom of the oven and heat oven (not convection) to 450 degrees. Tear the bay leaves to release their natural oils. Spread the apples, fennel, onions, 12 bay leaves and half of the thyme, ginger, garlic and orange across the bottom of a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and the whole peppercorns.
• Drain the turkey and wipe dry. (Discard the brine.) Place the turkey in the pan breast side up, and rub its cavity with salt and ground pepper. Stuff the cavity with the lemon and the remaining bay leaves, thyme, ginger, garlic and orange. Tuck the wings underneath and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Sprinkle the turkey with salt and ground pepper, and drizzle everything with oil. Drizzle more oil all over the turkey and rub to generously and evenly coat the skin. Transfer to the oven and roast until browned in spots all over but not burned, 20 to 40 minutes. (Ovens vary widely in how quickly they brown such a large bird, so start checking at 20 minutes and keep going until it's spotted all over.)
• Pour 2 cups water into the pan, cover the turkey with foil and loosely crimp around the edges of the pan. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and slide the pan back into the oven. Slow-roast until the turkey is almost cooked through (a meat thermometer will register 150 degrees in the thickest part of the breast and 160 degrees in the thigh), about 4 hours.
• Uncover, baste all over with the pan juices and roast uncovered until the skin is more evenly browned and the meat registers 155 degrees in the breast and 165 degrees in the thigh, 30 to 45 minutes. The internal temperature will continue to rise as the turkey rests. Let cool slightly in the pan, then transfer the turkey to a serving platter.
• Make the gravy: Smash the fruits and vegetables in the roasting pan. Set a colander with small holes or a medium-mesh strainer over a bowl or pot, and pour in everything from the pan, working in batches if needed. Press hard on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible along with fruit and vegetable pulp. Discard the solids in the colander; scrape any strained pulp into the bowl. Skim and discard fat from the strained juices.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk until deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. While whisking, add the defatted pan juices a little at a time, whisking until smooth, then stir in the brandy. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Keep warm over low.
• When ready to serve, season the gravy to taste with salt and pepper. Carve the turkey and serve with the hot gravy.

Steps:

• To brine the turkey:
• Line extra-large pot or bowl with two 13-gallon (or larger) plastic bags, 1 inside the other. Combine 1 quart water, salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, and allspice in large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until salt dissolves. Remove from heat. Add 1 quart cold water and cool to lukewarm. Pour into plastic bags; mix in remaining 6 quarts water. Wrap turkey neck and refrigerate. Submerge turkey in brine to cover completely, gathering bags tightly to eliminate any air; tie bags closed. Refrigerate turkey in brine in pot at least 18 hours and up to 20 hours.
• Line large roasting pan with 4 layers of paper towels. Remove turkey from brine and drain well; discard brine. Place turkey in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• For herb butter and gravy:
• Mix parsley, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, and nutmeg in small bowl. Transfer 1/4 cup herb mixture to small bowl; mix in 1/2 cup butter.
• Combine broth and apple cider in heavy large saucepan. Boil until reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes. Pour broth reduction into bowl. Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter in same saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Whisk in broth reduction, then cream, Calvados, and remaining herb mixture. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until gravy base is thickened and reduced to 2 3/4 cups, whisking often, about 20 minutes. Cool gravy base slightly. (Gravy base and herb butter can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)
• To roast the turkey:
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Remove turkey from roasting pan; drain any accumulated juices from main cavity. Discard paper towels from roasting pan. Melt herb butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Brush bottom of roasting pan with some of herb butter. Return turkey to prepared pan. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together loosely to hold shape. Place some apple quarters and onion quarters in main cavity. Brush remaining herb butter over turkey; sprinkle with pepper. Scatter remaining apples and onions around turkey in pan. Add reserved turkey neck to pan.
• Roast turkey 1 hour. Baste with 1/2 cup apple cider. Roast turkey 30 minutes. Baste with remaining 1/2 cup cider. Roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, basting turkey every 30 minutes with pan juices and covering breast loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 2 hours longer (3 1/2 hours total). Transfer turkey to platter; let stand at least 30 minutes before carving (internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees).
• Discard apples, onions, and turkey neck from pan. Pour pan juices into large glass measuring cup; spoon off fat from surface. Pour degreased juices into gravy base and bring to boil over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally. Boil until gravy thickens enough to coat spoon and is reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Season gravy to taste with pepper.
• Serve turkey with gravy.

Steps:

• Put the pork on a board and cut off the string if your pork has been rolled and tied. Slide a large sharp knife under the pork rind and fat, then lift it off completely. Set it to one side. Cut a hole about 4cm wide through the thickest part of the loin, or eye, of the pork. Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5.
• Finely chop the sage and parsley leaves and put them in a bowl. Add the lemon zest, garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Press some of this herby mix into the hole in the pork and then spread the rest over the surface of the pork until well covered.
• Cover the meat with the pork rind - this will protect the pork and keep it moist as it cooks. Tie the joint at 2cm intervals with kitchen string to keep it together and place in a small sturdy roasting tin. Roast for 30 minutes per 500g, plus 20 minutes. A 1.25kg joint should take 1 hour 35 minutes, but check it is cooked throughout.
• When the pork is ready, move it to a warmed board ready to carve and cover it with foil and a couple of dry tea towels to keep it warm. Holding the roasting tin carefully with an oven cloth, tilt all the juices to one corner and skim off as much of that naughty fat as possible with a spoon and throw it out.
• To make the gravy, put the roasting tin on the hob over a medium head and add the apple juice and 50ml of the cold water. Stir well to lift the juices and sediment from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Carefully strain the gravy through a sieve into a small saucepan and bring it back to a simmer. Mix the cornflour and the remaining cold water to make a thin paste. Stir this into the gravy and cook for 1-2 minutes more until thickened, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
• Remove the string from the pork and lift off the crackling and cut it up separately. Carve the pork and serve it without the crackling for anyone watching their weight! Pour the gravy into a jug to serve with the pork.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cut all the rind and fat off the pork and discard so that you are left with a lean chunk of meat. Spread with the mustard, scatter with the chopped herbs and season with black pepper. Place the prosciutto slices on top of the pork to protect the meat where the fat has been removed.
• Spray a large roasting tin with oil and put the pork in the centre. Surround with all the vegetables, scatter with the thyme sprigs, then spray again and cover with foil. Roast for 1 hr, then turn the heat up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Uncover, spray again and roast for 20 mins more.
• Meanwhile, make the gravy. Mix the cornflour with a little water to make a wet paste, heat the stock in a pan, stir in the cornflour mixture and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add the apple and cook for 5 mins until it's softened but still holds its shape.
• Remove the meat from the tin and pour any juices from the tin into the gravy. Spray the veg with oil and roast for 20 mins more (while the meat rests) to brown them. Serve the pork with the roasted and fresh vegetables, and the apple gravy.