Michelle's Gravy

This is from Cristina Ferrare on the Oprah Show.  

 

Chive Gravy

Ingredients

• 5 cups hot chicken broth
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/3 cup minced fresh chives
• Salt and freshly ground cracked pepper , to taste
• 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish
• Pan juices from Turkey with Marinade

Directions

Skim the fat from the Turkey with Marinade pan juices and discard. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan with a wooden spoon to release the cooked bits. Add 1 cup of chicken broth, strain into a sauce pan and add the rest of the chicken broth. Bring to a gentle boil.

In a separate sauce pan, combine 1 ladle of the hot chicken broth and cornstarch. Stir until lumps are gone and then pour back into stock pot. Repeat five or six times until gravy has reached your desired thickness. Add dry sherry and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chives and pomegranate seeds.

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/food/Chive-Gravy_1#ixzz1eU1pUn7e

This is my recipe for our Thanksgiving Turkey.  I have done it three years in a row and this will be my fourth and it has never failed!

Marinade:
1 1/2 cups Dijon mustard
3/4 c. soy sauce
3/4 c fresh lemon juice (do not discard the lemon rinds)

Turkey:
1 (15 lb) free range turkey
2 bunches fresh poultry herbs (oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, sage...sometimes they have pre packaged bunches, but sometimes I just have to buy them separately.  When I buy them separately then I just buy 1 bunch of each.
2-3 c. hot water.

To make marinade: combine ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk until smooth and creamy.

To make Turkey:  Preheat oven to 350

Clean out cavity of the turkey and rinse well, inside and out.  Pat dry and place turkey in a large roasting pan.  Pour the marinade over the turkey. 

Tie turkey legs together and cover tips with foil.  Stuff cavity of turkey with lemon rinds and one bunch of poultry herbs.  Place the second bunch of herbs in the roasting pan.  Place turkey breast-side up in the roasting pan.  Insert thermometer in the thickest part of the breast.  Cover with foil and roast for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, add hot water to the bottom of the pan.  Stir to make gravy for basting.  Baste turkey and cover with foil.  Roast turkey another 30 minutes and repeat basting process.  Continue basting every 15 minutes until the thermometer reaches 165, approximately 3-4 hours.

Remove turkey from oven and place on cutting board or platter.  Cover turkey well with foil to keep warm.  Let it rest 15 to 20 mins before carving. 

Keep the roasting pan with the pan juices to make gravy.