Recipe: Martha Stewart's Turkey 101

Here it is. Martha Stewart's Turkey 101. This includes: Turkey 101, Perfect Roast Turkey Recipe, Classic Stuffing Recipe, Giblet Stock Recipe and Gravy 101 with recipe.

Roast Turkey 101

1. GETTING STARTED
Have ready the following equipment:

Large, heavy roasting pan (not nonstick)
Roasting rack (V-shaped or flat)
Toothpicks or small metal skewers
17-inch square of four-ply cheesecloth
Kitchen twine
Pastry brush
Instant-read thermometer
Fat separator

Remove giblets from the body and neck cavities, and reserve them; you can make Giblet Stock while the turkey is roasting.

Rinse the turkey under cool running water, and pat it dry with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body to prevent them from burning.

2. STUFFING THE BIRD
Insert the stuffing just before the turkey goes into the oven; never do it ahead of time. And don't pack it too tightly, as the stuffing won't cook evenly and bacteria may grow; also, don't forget to stuff the neck cavity.

3. SECURING THE NECK FLAP
Pull the flap of skin at the neck down, and use toothpicks or small metal skewers to fasten it.

4. TRUSSING
Pull the legs together loosely, and tie them with kitchen string; a bow will be easy to untie later. Any kind of sturdy white string or twine will do, as long as it's made of cotton, not polyester (which may melt in the oven's heat). Rub the turkey with butter, and season it with salt and pepper.

5. THE BASTING PROCESS
Cover the turkey with cheesecloth that has been soaking in butter and wine; the cloth should cover the breast and part of the leg area. Make sure the cheesecloth never dries out or comes into contact with the inside walls of the oven; in either situation, it may ignite.

Every 30 minutes, use a pastry brush (better than a bulb baster) to baste the cheesecloth and exposed area of the turkey with the butter-and-wine mixture. (The turkey pictured here is out of the oven, but basting should be done in the oven and as quickly as possible, so the oven temperature doesn't drop.) Watch the pan juices; if they are in danger of overflowing, spoon them out and reserve them for the gravy.

After the third hour of cooking, take the turkey out of the oven. Carefully remove the cheesecloth, which will have turned quite brown, and discard it. Baste the turkey with pan juices, taking care not to tear the skin, and return it to the oven.

6. TEMPERATURE TAKING
After the fourth hour of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh (if you poke a bone, try again); when the temperature reaches 180 , the bird is ready.

7. CARVING
Use a thin-bladed, flexible carbon-steel knife to carve the meat into thin slices.

Perfect Roast Turkey

Serves 12 to 14
If your roasting pan only fits sideways in the oven, turn the pan every hour so the turkey cooks and browns evenly. For step-by-step photos, see our Roast Turkey and Gravy feature.

1 twenty- to-twenty-one-pound fresh whole turkey, giblets and neck removed from cavity and reserved
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 bottle 750-ml dry white wine
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Classic Stuffing
1 cup dry red or white wine, for gravy (optional)
Giblet Stock

1. Rinse turkey with cool water, and dry with paper towels. Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature.

2. Place rack on lowest level in oven. Heat oven to 450 . Combine melted butter and white wine in a bowl. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters and cut it into a 17-inch, four-layer square. Immerse cheesecloth in the butter and wine; let soak.

3. Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a heavy metal roasting pan. If the turkey comes with a pop-up timer, remove it; an instant-read thermometer is a much more accurate indication of doneness. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Fill large cavity and neck cavity loosely with as much stuffing as they hold comfortably; do not pack tightly. (Cook remaining stuffing in a buttered baking dish for 45 minutes at 375 .) Tie legs together loosely with kitchen string (a bow will be easy to untie later). Fold neck flap under, and secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey with the softened butter, and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper.

4. Lift cheesecloth out of liquid, and squeeze it slightly, leaving it very damp. Spread it evenly over the breast and about halfway down the sides of the turkey; it can cover some of the leg area. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, baste cheesecloth and exposed parts of turkey with butter and wine. Reduce oven temperature to 350 , and continue to cook for 2 1/2 more hours, basting every 30 minutes and watching pan juices; if the pan gets too full, spoon out juices, reserving them for gravy.

5. After this third hour of cooking, carefully remove and discard cheesecloth. Turn roasting pan so that the breast is facing the back of the oven. Baste turkey with pan juices. If there are not enough juices, continue to use butter and wine. The skin gets fragile as it browns, so baste carefully. Cook 1 more hour, basting after 30 minutes.

6. After this fourth hour of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Do not poke into a bone. The temperature should reach 180 (stuffing should be between 140 and 160 ) and the turkey should be golden brown. The breast does not need to be checked for temperature. If legs are not yet fully cooked, baste turkey, return to oven, and cook another 20 to 30 minutes.

7. When fully cooked, transfer turkey to a serving platter, and let rest for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Pour all the pan juices into a glass measuring cup. Let stand until grease rises to the surface, about 10 minutes, then skim it off. Meanwhile, place roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup dry red or white wine, or water, to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the pan until liquid boils and all the crisp bits are unstuck from pan. Add giblet stock to pan. Stir well, and bring back to a boil. Cook until liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the defatted pan juices, and cook over medium-high heat 10 minutes more. You will have about 2 1/2 cups of gravy. Season to taste, strain into a warm gravy boat, and serve with turkey.

Classic Stuffing

Makes 12 cups
The terms stuffing and dressing are often used interchangeably, but they do have different meanings: Stuffing is cooked inside the bird, dressing is on its own.

12 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 onions (2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
16 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch dice
10 large fresh sage leaves, chopped, or 2 teaspoons crushed dried sage
6 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, or canned low sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat
2 loaves stale white bread (about 36 slices), crust on, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 cups fresh coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves (about 2 bunches)
2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)
2 cups dried cherries (optional)

1. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and celery, and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add sage, stir to combine, and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup stock, and stir well. Cook for about 5 minutes, until liquid has reduced by half.

2. Transfer onion mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients, including the remaining stock; mix to combine.

Giblet Stock

Makes about 3 cups
The giblets are edible when properly prepared and are the secret to a flavorful gravy. Make this stock while your turkey roasts.

Giblets (heart, gizzard, and liver) and neck reserved from turkey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 celery stalkwith leaves, stalk cut into 1/4-inch dice, leaves roughly chopped
1 small leek, trimmed, washed and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf

1. Trim any fat or membrane from giblets. The liver should not have the gallbladder (a small green sac) attached. If it is, trim it off carefully, removing part of the liver if necessary. Do not pierce the sac; the liquid it contains is very bitter. Rinse giblets and neck, and pat dry.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add chopped onion, celery and leaves, and leek. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper, and cook 5 minutes. Add 4 cups water, bay leaf, gizzard, heart, and neck (do not add liver; it needs to be cooked separately or it makes the stock bitter). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a high simmer. Cook for 45 minutes, or until gizzard is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.

3. Meanwhile, chop liver finely. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add liver, and cook, stirring constantly, until liver no longer releases any blood and is fully cooked, 4 to 6 minutes. Set aside.

4. After the 45 minutes of simmering, the liquid should reduce to about 3 cups. If it has not, increase the heat, and cook 10 to 15 minutes more.

5. Strain stock. Chop gizzard and heart very fine, and add to strained stock along with chopped liver. Pick meat off neck, and add to stock. Set aside until needed for gravy.

Turkey Gravy 101

While the turkey is roasting, use the giblets (neck, liver, heart, and gizzard) to make a Giblet Stock. When the turkey is finished roasting, you're ready to make the gravy.

1. RESERVE PAN JUICES
Transfer the turkey to a serving platter, and set it aside to rest while you make the gravy. Carefully pour the warm pan juices from the pan into a fat separator, and set aside. The fat will rise to the top as the liquid cools; the dark drippings, which are filled with flavor, will stay at the bottom near a low-slung spout, which will later pour the juice straight into a pan.

2. DEGLAZE PAN
Meanwhile, return the roasting pan to the stove top over medium-high heat. Carefully pour 1 1/2 cups Madeira wine into the roasting pan; bring to a boil, and use a wooden spoon to scrape off the caramelized and crispy brown bits that are stuck to the sides and bottom of the pan. The roasting pan should appear to be virtually clean when it is properly deglazed. These cooked-on bits carry the turkey's flavor right into the gravy.

3. COMBINE FLOUR AND GIBLET STOCK
Strain the giblet stock, return it to the saucepan, and warm over low heat. Place 3 tablespoons of flour in a glass jar that has a tight-fitting lid. Fit a wide mouthed funnel in the top of the jar. Ladle 1 cup of the warm stock into the jar. Reserve the remaining stock in the saucepan, and keep warm over low heat.

4. SHAKE JAR TO MAKE A SLURRY
Close the jar tightly, and shake vigorously until all the flour is incorporated into the warm stock; this liaison is called a slurry. Combining the flour and stock before adding it to the gravy solves the problem of lumpy gravy.

Slowly pour the slurry into the roasting pan, stirring to fully incorporate. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the flour is fully cooked and all the traces of its raw, chalky flavor are gone, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir reserved warm giblet stock into gravy in roasting pan.

5. ADD SEPARATED PAN DRIPPINGS
Pour the pan drippings from the fat separator into the roasting pan, taking care to add only the dark drippings at the bottom. Discard the fat. Add rosemary, and stir well. Adjust seasoning. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to thicken, until reduced to about 3 cups, 10 to 15 minutes.

6. STRAIN TO REMOVE SOLIDS
Place a fine sieve (or a strainer lined with lightly dampened cheesecloth) in a quart-size measuring cup or medium bowl. Pour gravy into the sieve or strainer. Use a wooden spoon to press down on remaining solids to extract all the juices; discard solids. Adjust seasoning. Gravy may be kept warm by placing the bowl in a saucepan containing 1 inch of barely simmering water. To serve, transfer to a heated gravy boat.