Recipe: Perfect Roast Turkey with Porcini and White Wine Stuffing

She joined the FOX 61 Morning Extra how to prep the bird before you cook it – how to stuff it and what tricks make it stay moist and lock in flavors also how to stuff it with her unique stuffing recipe.

Perfect Roast Turkey with Porcini and White Wine Stuffing

Serves 10-12

Ingredients for Turkey Preparation:

• About ¼ cup kosher salt
• 10-12 pound organic free range fresh turkey generously salted 12-24 hours earlier
• 1 package of cheesecloth
• 1 750 ml bottle of dry white wine such as pinot grigio
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Ingredients for Stuffing:

• 6 cups of croutons homemade or store bought
• 1 liver from the turkey
• 2-4 tablespoons butter divided
• 1 small onion chopped
• ¾ cup celery finely chopped
• ¼-1/2 cup porcini mushrooms soaked in one cup hot water
• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• ¾ cup warm chicken broth
• ¾ cup warm milk

Ingredients for Gravy:

• Pan drippings
• 3 tablespoons Wondra flour
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 cup or more chicken stock
• Porcini water filtered
• 1-2 teaspoons gravy master (adds color)

Preparation for Turkey:

1. Season the entire turkey (including the cavity) generously with kosher salt the night before, and cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil.
2. Remove turkey from refrigerator two hours prior to cooking and place in a roasting pan.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Melt butter in a small pot and add bottle of wine. Place cheesecloth in mixture and let soak. Set aside

Preparation for Stuffing:

1. Place croutons in a large mixing bowl.
2. Sautee liver with one tablespoon butter in a non-stick pan until thoroughly cooked.
3. Finely chop liver and place in bowl.
4. Sautee celery and onions; add 2 more tablespoons of butter if pan is dry and the vegetables are starting to burn. Cook until just softened, about 2 minutes.
5. Filter mushrooms through a paper towel or cheesecloth lined colander, and finely chop them. Place in bowl.
6. Add the parsley and slightly beaten egg.
7. Add half a cup of both broth and warm milk.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Combine until it is moist, but holds together (add remaining broth and milk if needed)
10. Place stuffing in the cavity of the turkey, and place in the oven.
11. Roast the turkey at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. When the turkey begins to look like the skin is browning prematurely, immediately turn down the temperature to 350 degrees.
12. Remove the turkey from the oven and drape the cheesecloth wrung from the wine/butter mixture over the bird. Make sure all parts of the bird are covered.
13. Place the turkey in the oven and baste with the wine/butter mixture and drippings at least every 20 minutes until you’ve used all the butter/wine mixture. (If the turkey is very lean and does not have enough drippings, you may need to add more of the butter/wine mixture. Have an extra bottle on hand in case you need prepare more)
14. Cook turkey for a minimum of 2 ½ hours, or until the thickest part of the turkey registers 170 degrees on a thermometer.
15. Let turkey “sit” loosely covered for about 20 minutes while making gravy.

Preparation for the gravy:

1. Take the turkey pan with all the trimmings, and heat over two burners.
2. Mix together flour and water until a “paste” forms
3. Whisk in the paste and mix until the flour mixture is thoroughly incorporated.
4. Add half a cup of broth or more, depending on how thick or think you like gravy. Heat through thoroughly.
5. Filter the gravy through a sieve in order to remove all the turkey bits (optional if you don’t mind bits and pieces of fat or turkey in the gravy; more rustic and not suitable for an elegant dinner party).
6. Carve the turkey and serve!