Ingredients: |
Ingredients:
1 Twenty to twenty-one pound fresh whole turkey, giblets and neck removed from cavity
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, melted, plus 4 tablespoons at room temperature
1 bottle 750 ml dry white wine
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry red or white wine for gravy
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Directions: |
Directions:
Rinse turkey with cool water and dry with paper towels. Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature.
Place rack on lowest level in oven. Heat oven to 450º F. Combine melted butter and white wine in a bowl. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters and cut into a 17-inch four layer square. Immerse cheesecloth in the butter and wine; let soak.
Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a heavy metal roasting pan. If the turkey comes with a pop-up times, remove it. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Loosely fill cavity with stuffing if desired. Tie legs together loosely with kitchen string. Fold neck flap under and secure with toothpick if needed. Rub turkey with softened butter and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and pepper.
Lift the cheesecloth out of liquid and squeeze it lightly, leaving it very damp. Spread it evenly over the breast and halfway down the sides of the turkey; it can cover some of the leg area. Place turkey, legs first, into oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, baste cheesecloth and exposed parts of the turkey with butter and wine. Reduce oven temperature to 350º and continue to cook for 2 1/2 hours more, basting every 30 minutes and watching pan juices. If the pan gets too full, spoon out juices, reserving them for gravy. NOTE: Cheesecloth will be very black at this point! Don't worry.
After this third hour of cooking, carefully remove the cheesecloth with tongs and discard. Turn roasting pan around 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.
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 180º and the turkey should be golden brown. The breast does not need to be checked for temperature. If the legs are not yet fully cooked, baste the turkey, return to the over and cook another 20 to 30 minutes.
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 and strain into warm gravy boat.
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