Best Turkey Braised With Cranberries Recipes

TURKEY BRAISED WITH CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Combine tablespoon of butter with oil in deep skillet or casserole large enough for turkey legs to fit comfortably. Turn heat to medium high; after a minute add garlic and thyme. Cook for a minute, add turkey legs. Brown on both sides (they will brown unevenly, because of their shape), sprinkling with salt and pepper, and stirring garlic so it does not burn. Remove turkey.
• Add onion, mushrooms, sugar, pinch of salt, and some pepper, and cook; stir occasionally, and adjust heat so vegetables do not burn. When very soft, add 1 cup liquid, half the zest, and cranberries. Bring to boil, return turkey to pan; cover and adjust the heat for a steady simmer.
• Cook about 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes and adding more liquid if necessary, until meat is very tender. Taste sauce, and add more salt, pepper, and sugar if necessary. Remove meat; if sauce is soupy, raise heat and reduce a little; stir in remaining butter. Carve meat as neatly as you can; serve on a bed of sauce, garnish with remaining orange zest.

CRANBERRY-ORANGE ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Combine garlic powder, salt and pepper. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from turkey breast; spread half of the seasoning mixture under the skin. Sprinkle skin with remaining mixture. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together., Juice the orange, reserving the rind. In a large bowl, mix cranberry sauce, teriyaki sauce, honey, marmalade, soy sauce and orange juice. Remove 3-1/2 cups mixture for sauce; refrigerate, covered, until serving., Rub remaining cranberry mixture under turkey skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks. Place herb sprigs and reserved orange rind in turkey cavity., Arrange onions in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Place turkey over onions. Roast 3 to 3-1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.), Remove turkey from oven; tent with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before carving. Discard herb sprigs and orange rind. Place reserved sauce in a small saucepan; heat through. Serve with turkey.

BASIC BRAISED TURKEY

Steps:

• Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the turkey and brown the leg (and, if you're using them, wing) portions on the skin side well, 10 minutes or more; turn and cook for another 2 minutes on the skinless side. Remove to a plate and brown the breasts in the same skillet, again mostly on the skin side; remove and keep them separate.
• Heat the oven to 300, and cook the bacon or pancetta (if using) in the remaining fat in the skillet until nearly crisp; remove with a slotted spoon. Cook the onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery and herbs, in batches if necessary, until beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer with the bacon or pancetta to a large roasting pan, then nestle the dark meat in there, leaving room for the breasts. Add stock or water to come about one-third to halfway up the sides of the thighs.
• Roast uncovered for about 90 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure liquid levels remain sufficiently high and stirring vegetables if they threaten to brown too much. When thigh meat is tender, place the breasts in the pan, and cook until tender, 30 to 45 minutes more, or until done. (They should register 155 on an instant-read thermometer.)
• Slice breast and thigh meat and serve on a platter with the vegetables garnished, if you like, with parsley.