ROAST TURKEY WITH POMEGRANATE GRAVY

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Roast Turkey with Pomegranate Gravy image

Categories     Onion     turkey     Roast     Thanksgiving     Fall     Pomegranate     Thyme     Gourmet

Yield Makes 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

For turkey
1 (14- to 16-lb) turkey, any feathers and quills removed with tweezers or needlenose pliers, and neck and giblets (excluding liver) reserved for making stock
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, 5 tablespoons softened and 5 tablespoons melted
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 onion, quartered
4 large fresh thyme sprigs
For gravy
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh pomegranate juice (see cooks' note, below)
Pan juices (and roasting pan) from turkey
About 3 cups hot turkey giblet stock
1 cup water
6 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Garnish: quartered pomegranates
Special Equipment
a small metal skewer; kitchen string; a flat rack or V-rack; an instant-read thermometer

Steps:

  • Roast turkey:
  • Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Working from neck (small) cavity, run your fingers between skin and meat to loosen skin from breast, legs, and thighs, being careful not to tear skin. Rub softened butter between skin and flesh, then sprinkle turkey cavities and skin with salt and pepper. Fold neck skin under body and secure with metal skewer and fold wing tips under breast. Stuff large cavity with onion and thyme sprigs and tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. Brush skin all over with some melted butter.
  • Put turkey on rack in a large flameproof roasting pan and roast, basting with some melted butter and/or pan juices every 20 minutes (if turkey is browning too fast, cover loosely with foil), until thermometer inserted into fleshy part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.
  • Carefully tilt turkey so any juices from inside large cavity run into roasting pan, then transfer turkey to a platter (do not clean roasting pan) and let stand, loosely covered, 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 180°F).
  • Make gravy while turkey stands:
  • Cook sugar in a dry 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar is melted into a deep golden caramel. Add 1/2 cup pomegranate juice (use caution; mixture will bubble and steam vigorously) and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramel is dissolved. Remove syrup from heat.
  • Pour pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a 1-quart glass measure or bowl, then skim off fat and reserve 1/4 cup of it. Add enough turkey stock to pan juices to total 3 1/2 cups liquid. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add water and deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Pour through fine-mesh sieve into glass measure with stock.
  • Whisk together reserved fat and flour in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and cook roux over moderately low heat, whisking, until pale golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Add hot stock mixture in a stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, whisking, and add pomegranate syrup, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in any turkey juices accumulated on platter and simmer gravy 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and stir in remaining tablespoon pomegranate juice.
  • Remove string and skewer from turkey and discard onion and thyme from cavity. Serve turkey with gravy on the side.

MD Billal Gd
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This recipe was a disaster! The turkey was dry and the gravy was lumpy.


Michael Bem
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The turkey was cooked perfectly, but the gravy was a bit bland.


Prajwal Budhathoki
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This recipe is a keeper! The turkey was moist and flavorful, and the gravy was delicious. I will definitely be making this again.


Rose Mikwa
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I'm not sure what I did wrong, but my turkey came out dry. The gravy was good though.


Cheryl Bavidge
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This was the best turkey I've ever had! The pomegranate gravy was the perfect addition.


Donald Andrews
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The pomegranate gravy was a bit too sweet for my taste, but the turkey was cooked perfectly.


brandon sawers
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This recipe was easy to follow and the turkey turned out perfect. I would definitely recommend it.


Arckonicon Arckonicon
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I'm not a big fan of turkey, but this recipe changed my mind. The turkey was so moist and flavorful, and the gravy was delicious.


Zwar Abbas
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The turkey was a bit dry, but the gravy helped to make up for it.


Jannat Mon
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The pomegranate gravy was a nice twist on the traditional turkey gravy. It added a bit of sweetness and tartness that really complemented the turkey.


Sadeq Yousufi
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This roast turkey with pomegranate gravy was a hit at our Thanksgiving dinner! The turkey was moist and flavorful, and the gravy was the perfect complement. I will definitely be making this again next year.