Here is what we enjoyed today. (We can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!)
Honey Brined Turkey (see recipe below)
Homemade Cranberry Jelly (recipe below)
Honey Brined Turkey Recipe
I took this recipe and this recipe (both from Alton Brown) and created my own. I have been making AB's classic Roast Turkey for years now. But because it has sugar in the brine I needed a modification. This worked great! The only thing I would do differently is brush the turkey with melted coconut oil instead of rubbing it with ghee. The ghee caused the uneven browning that you see in the picture. It was still very moist and delicious if not very pretty.
Turkey Brine
1 cup hot water (I use filtered)
1 lb real salt
1 lb honey
Combine hot water, honey and salt and stir until salt dissolves. Add 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns and 1 1/2 tsp whole allspice berries. Pour into a 5 gallon bucket or cooler. Add in 2 quarts of vegetable broth and 1 seven lb bag of ice. Stir to combine. Place thawed turkey neck-side down in liquid until completely immersed. Let sit in cold place for 8 to 16 hours.
Aprox. three hours before serving. Remove turkey from brine. Throw away the brine and wash and pat dry the turkey. Rub the turkey with melted coconut oil and place in roasting pan. Add to the cavity 4 sprigs of rosemary, 4 sprigs of sage and 1/2 onion sliced, 1 red apple sliced and 2 cinnamon sticks. (Steam the onions, cinnamon, and red apple in one cup of filtered water until soft and then add to the cavity with sage and rosemary.)
Roast turkey uncovered on lowest rack at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn down the temp after that to 350 and roast for another 1 1/2- 2 hours until thickest part of breast reads 161 degrees on a meat thermometer. (I tent my turkey breast with foil to keep it from drying out after I turn down the heat to 350. I took the foil off the last 30 minutes. Let rest covered for 15 minutes before carving. My turkey was 13 lbs and took a little under 3 hours total.
Cranberry Jelly
I followed the basic homemade jello recipe from here and made it into what I was aiming for (tastes like the canned cranberry jelly that is GAPS legal).
1 Quart "Just Cranberry" Juice
Grade B Maple Syrup
4 Tbsp Great Lakes Gelatin Powder
In a pan over medium heat mix cranberry juice and maple syrup. (I added around 3/4 cup or less.) Taste to see how sweet you want it to be. Let cool. Then remove 1 cup of juice mixture and heat until hot in a small pan. Add gelatin powder mix well with a whisk until gelatin is fully dissolved. Add the rest of the cold juice mixture and set in fridge to chill over night.
PLEASE Note: I did not know until after Thanksgiving that maple syrup is not legal on GAPS. But it would be easy to add honey to taste instead. That's what I will do next year.
