fresh thyme

Here's how to make a dry brine turkey along with a flavorful orange-rosemary herb butter for good measure! It's so much easier than using an immersion brine -- no need to fill your stock pot and then hunt for a place to put it in your fridge.

Dry Brine Turkey with Orange-Rosemary Herb Butter

12-14 pound Diestel Pasture-Raised Turkey

Tablespoons Kosher salt

Tablespoons coconut sugar (optional)

Tablespoon black pepper

(2 sticks) of softened salted butter (grass-fed, if possible)

naval oranges

lemon

rosemary,

thyme,

shallot, peeled and chopped finely

garlic,

onion,

celery,

carrots,

rosemary

chicken

Tablespoons tapioca or arrowroot starch

butter

Sea salt, if needed

Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey....

Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey. Wipe any moisture from the turkey with a paper towel. Place the turkey on a rimmed baking sheet or something for it to sit on while brining in the fridge.

In a small bowl, combine the Kosher salt,...

In a small bowl, combine the Kosher salt, coconut sugar, and black pepper. Rub the mixture all over the skin of the bird. Wrap the bird in plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 days. At the beginning of the 3rd day, remove the plastic wrap and let the bird dry, uncovered, in the fridge for the last day of brining. This will make the skin crisp up nicely.

Make the herb butter by placing the soft...

Make the herb butter by placing the soft butter in a bowl. Add the zest from both oranges and the lemon to the butter. Add the rest of the herb butter ingredients. Reserve the zested oranges and lemon for later use in the recipe. (You may want to cover them in plastic wrap, too, if it'll be more than a day before you cook the turkey.)

Mix the herb butter well, then transfer it...

Mix the herb butter well, then transfer it to one side of a large piece of parchment paper. Fold the edge of the paper over the butter, an using your hands, form it into a log shape, rolling it up in the parchment and twisting the ends to seal. Chill until ready to use.

About an hour before you plan on roasting...

About an hour before you plan on roasting the turkey, remove it from the fridge. Wipe some of the excess brine from the skin with a paper towel. Do not rinse.

Use your fingers to loosen the skin from...

Use your fingers to loosen the skin from the meat around the breast area. You may need to use the end of a mixing spoon to detach the skin around the top of the breast if it's hard to reach with your fingers. Be careful not to pull too hard and tear the skin too badly. Do the same with the leg and thigh areas, making a small incision between the leg and the thigh to access both areas.

Insert the herb butter under the skin in...

Insert the herb butter under the skin in the breast, leg, and thigh areas.

Pull out the reserved oranges and lemon. Slice...

Pull out the reserved oranges and lemon. Slice them in half and put two halves along with two lemon halves and a couple of herb sprigs in the cavity of the chicken.  Put one orange half (reserve the last orange half for the gravy) in the bottom of the roasting pan. Add the onion, celery, carrots, herbs, and 2 cups of water. Place the roasting rack on top.

Tuck the wings behind the body and tie...

Tuck the wings behind the body and tie the legs together. Place the turkey, BREAST-SIDE DOWN (yes, upside down) on the roasting rack.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and...

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and let the turkey sit at room temperature until the oven heats up. Roast on the bottom rack for 1 hour.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Flip...

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Flip the turkey over using heavy tongs and an oven mitt, so it is breast-side up. Baste, and continue to roast, basting every 20-30 minutes, until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast is 155-160 degrees. My 12.5 pound turkey was finished in about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Remove the turkey from the oven and let...

Remove the turkey from the oven and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before slicing so the juices don't run out all over.

To make the gravy, use a slotted spoon...

To make the gravy, use a slotted spoon to fish out the vegetables and the orange half. Place the roasting pan (if it is stove-top safe) over medium heat. Whisk 2 cups of the broth with the tapioca starch and pour it into the gravy, whisking constantly. Cook until the gravy is bubbly and thickened slightly. Add the butter or ghee and stir until smooth. Taste, and add salt, if needed. Strain and keep warm until ready to serve.

Onion Soup - Traditional French

yellow onion (3 medium thinly sliced yellow onions)

sweet vidalia onions (2 medium sweet Vidalia Onions thinly sliced)

unsalted butter (3 tablespoons unsalted butter)

olive oil (1 tablespoon olive oil)

½ teaspoon sugar (½ teaspoon sugar)

unbleached all-purpose flour (1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour)

beef stock (5 cups beef broth)

oxtail (1 pound oxtail)

red wine (1 cup red wine)

thyme (2 fresh thyme sprigs)

tablerspoons cognac (3 tablespoons cognac)

French bread (4 slices French bread)

Gruyere cheese (1 cup grated Gruyere cheese)

salt and pepper (salt and pepper)

Preheat the oven to 400º. Spread the rounds of baguette on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown. Set aside.

Heat the butter with the oil in a large saucepan until melted. Add the onions and cook gently over medium heat and occasionally stir. When the onions are completely soft and slightly light golden.

Add the sugar, pinch of salt and increase the heat to high. Cook for about 2 minutes until the onions caramelize slightly.

Stir in flour and cook for about 1 more minute until light brown. Pour in the beef stock, the oxtails, red wine, fresh thyme, add pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer for about 50 minutes.

Remove the oxtails and the thyme. Add the Cognac to the soup. Stir well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Turn on the broiler. Leave the door open while reaching the temperature.

Ladle the soup in 4 French onion soup terrines. Cover with the baguette and pile on the Gruyere cheese. Place the terrines on a cookie sheet.

Put the soup terrine under the broiler until the cheese melts.

Serve immediately.

Wedges of sweet parsnips and carrots roasted in olive oil with honey and fresh thyme and seasoning.  Serves - as many as you need!

Roast Parsnips and Carrots with Honey and Thyme

medium sized parsnip or carrot

¾ teaspoon vegetable or olive oil

honey

fine salt

black pepper

thyme leave

Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

Preheat the oven to Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.

Peel (if necessary) and trim the carrots and parsnips. Halve or quarter them – try to get them as even-sized as possible. (NB I don&#039;t always peel carrots - I wash and trim them  before halving/quartering. I do peel the parsnips though.)

Scatter onto a baking tray and add the oil, some salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Mix well and spread out on the baking tray. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes.

Take out of the oven and toss them with the honey or Hot Chilli Honey and stalks of fresh thyme. Spread out again on the tray.

Return to the oven for a further 10 – 20 minutes or until cooked and caramelised to your liking. The time they take to cook will depend on both your oven, the actual size of the parsnips and carrots and how crowded the tray is with the vegetables - the fewer you have and the more spread out they are, the quicker they will cook.

Remove the cooked thyme and, if you like, toss with a little butter. Taste and, if necessary, adjust seasoning. Serve with some fresh thyme.

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The most viewed fresh thyme recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine