Herbed Turkey with Cranberry Apricot Stuffing

By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

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Photo: Herbed Turkey with Cranberry Apricot Stuffing Photography by Yvonne Duivenvoorden

This recipe makes 12 servings

Nutritional Info
Per serving (without skin): about	-
cal	797797 cal
pro	84 g84g pro
total fat	32 g32g total fat
sat. fat	12 g12g sat. fat
carb	38 g38g carb
fibre	3 g3g fibre
chol	243 mg243mg chol
sodium	895 mg895mg sodium
% RDI:	-
calcium	1111 calcium
iron	5151 iron
vit A	1818 vit A
vit C	77 vit C
folate	2929 folate

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Special occasions call for special meals, and for this one, the big bird is the highlight. This turkey blends the best of the traditional bird with a new fruity stuffing.

Ingredients

1 turkey , (16 lb/7 kg)1 1turkey, (16 lb/7 kg)
1/4 cup butter , melted1/4 1/4cup cupbutter, melted
1 1tbsp tbspPoultry Seasoning blend, (recipe below)
Cranberry Apricot Stuffing:
1/3 cup butter 1/3 1/3cup cupbutter
2 onions , chopped2 2oniononions, chopped
2 stalks celery , chopped2 2stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic , minced2 2cloves garlic, minced
2 2tbsp tbspPoultry Seasoning blend, (recipe below)
3/4 tsp salt 3/4 3/4tsp tspsalt
12 12cups cupsday old finely cubed bread, (such as sourdough or country)
1 cup dried cranberries 1 1cup cupdried cranberrycranberries
1 cup chopped dried apricots 1 1cup cupchopped dried apricotdried apricots
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/4 1/4cup cupchopped fresh parsley
1 cup vegetable stock 1 1cup cupvegetable stock
Gravy:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 1/2cup cupall-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt 1/2 1/2tsp tspsalt
1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 1/4tsp tsppepper
4 cups Turkey Stock Recipe 4 4cups cupsTurkey Stock Recipe or chicken stock

Preparation

Cranberry Apricot Stuffing: In large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; fry onions, celery, garlic, Poultry Seasoning Blend and salt until light golden, about 10 minutes.

In large bowl, toss together onion mixture, bread, cranberries, apricots and parsley. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

Pat turkey dry inside and out. Stuff both cavities loosely with about half of the stuffing; skewer cavities closed. Tie legs together and tuck wings under back. Place remaining stuffing in greased 8-inch (2 L) square glass baking dish; cover with foil. Set aside in refrigerator.

Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in roasting pan. In small bowl, combine butter with poultry seasoning blend; brush over turkey. Cover loosely with foil.

Roast in 325°F (160°C) oven for 3 hours, basting with pan juices every 30 minutes. Uncover and roast until meat thermometer inserted into thigh registers 185°F (85°C), 1 to 1-1/2 hours longer.

Lift turkey onto warmed platter; tent with foil and let stand for at least 15 minutes or for up to about 30 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, increase oven temperature to 400°F (200°C). Drizzle stock over stuffing in dish; bake, covered, until hot, about 30 minutes.

Gravy: Meanwhile, skim fat from pan juices in roasting pan. Whisk flour, salt and pepper into juices; cook over medium-high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in stock and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Strain through fine sieve into warmed gravy boat.

Additional information :

Poultry Seasoning Blend

Combine 2 tsp (10 mL) each dried parsley, sage and thyme; 1 tsp (5 mL) each dried marjoram, rosemary, savory and pepper; and pinch grated nutmeg. Store in airtight container for up to 2 months. Makes about 3 tbsp (50 mL).

Source : Canadian Living Magazine: December 2005