Thanksgiving Part I: Citrus-Herb Roasted Turkey

Well this is embarrassing... all my previous lapses in posting are nothing compared to this one! So let's catch up. My summer was great. The Mediterranean cruise was unbelievable (picture from Cannes to the right) and our new house is all we ever wanted. We attended five beautiful weddings this year, ending the wedding season at the beginning of November with one of my best friend from college's rustic carriage house wedding. Oh, I also turned 30, but we can gloss right over that one.

This fall my parents visited from Connecticut for Thanksgiving, which was held at my house with my sister and brother-in-law also in attendance. It was my first Thanksgiving! (If you don't count the time in college my family visited me and cooked a meal in my dingy college apartment while I was at work) The meal turned out so well that it inspired me to pick up the keyboard and type up a few blog posts about it. My mom and sister helped tremendously and we all had a great time cooking together while the boys built a bonfire out back.

First, let's focus on the main event: the turkey! I picked up a fresh 16 lb hen from Maple Lawn farms, which happens to be just a few miles from my house.

Because of its freshness I decided against brining, but I definitely would have brined if I had gotten a store-bought turkey. The recipe is Giada's, but the real expertise came from my mom who has years of turkey-perfecting practice.

Herbes de Provence and Citrus Roasted Turkey
adapted from Food Network

1 (14-16 lb) turkey, neck and giblets reserved for stock
1 orange, cut into wedges
1 lemon, cut into wedges,
1 onion, cut into wedges
6 fresh rosemary sprigs
6 fresh sage sprigs
6 fresh oregano sprigs
7 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp herbes de Provence (mine had been purchased in Provence on my cruise!)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup flour

Preheat oven to 450, and position rack as low as possible. Rinse the bird and pat dry with paper towels. Place breast-side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Stuff the inside with the orange, lemon, and onion wedges, and 2 sprigs of each herb. Tie the legs together (if not already tucked into the neck) and truss the wings so everything cooks evenly.
Stir 2 tbsp butter, the herbes de Provence, oil, salt, and pepper together then rub the mixture all over the bird between the skin and meat (careful not to rip the skin) and the outside. Pour a cup of chicken broth into the bottom of the pan. I had some extra fruit/onion wedges because they didn't fit in the turkey so I tossed them into the pan as well.
Make a tent with aluminum foil, then place the turkey into the oven and roast. After 1 hour, turn the temperature down to 400, add more broth and the remaining herb sprigs to the pan. Each hour, baste the turkey with some of the broth. The turkey is done when the thickest part of the thigh is 165 degrees. Remove the foil for the last 40 or so minutes to brown the skin nicely. Mine took 3 hours total but fresh turkeys cook more quickly than store-bought, so make sure you are taking its temperature regularly. Don't overcook!!
Remove the turkey from the oven and set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, make the gravy.

Strain the turkey juices from the pan through a sieve into a 4-cup measuring cup; discard the solids. Spoon the fat off the top and discard. Add enough chicken broth to bring the total to 4 cups. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the broth so as not to make clumps. Simmer until the gravy thickens slightly (or to desired thickness), whisking often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.