Roast Turkey with Cream Gravy
A classic roast turkey served with a rich cream gravy made from pan drippings. Perfect for special occasions, this recipe yields a beautifully golden brown bird with a luxurious gravy enriched with heavy cream.
Ingredients
- •1 whole turkey
- •2½ cups water
- •4 cups turkey giblet stock
- •2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- •5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- •¾ cup heavy cream
- •equipment
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Put turkey on rack in roasting pan and season inside and out with 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Fold neck skin under body, then tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks together with string. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
60 min
- 2.
Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third.
15 min
- 3.
Add 1 cup water to pan and roast, without basting, rotating pan halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of each thigh (test both; do not touch bone) registers 165 to 170°F, 1 3/4 to 2 hours total.
120 min
- 4.
Carefully tilt turkey so juices from inside large cavity run into pan. Transfer turkey to a platter (reserve juices in roasting pan) and let rest, uncovered, 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 170 to 175°F). Discard string.
30 min
- 5.
Strain pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into 2-quart measure and skim off fat (or use a fat separator), reserving fat. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add remaining 1 1/2 cups water and deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Strain through sieve into measuring cup containing pan juices. Add enough turkey giblet stock to pan juices to bring total to 5 cups.
10 min
- 6.
Put 5 tablespoons reserved fat (if there is less, add melted butter) in a 4-quart heavy saucepan and whisk in flour. Cook roux over medium heat, whisking, 3 minutes. Add stock mixture in a fast stream, whisking constantly, then add cream, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bring to a boil, whisking, then stir in any turkey juices from platter and simmer 5 minutes.
15 min
- 7.
Serve turkey with gravy.
5 min
- 8.
Lagier Meredith Mount Veeder Napa Valley Syrah '06
