Oct 2, 2007
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Crisp Apple-Scented Roast Turkey with Cider-Calvados Gravy

The turkey in this recipe, from Lynne Rossetto Kasper, is deeply infused with the aroma of apples. "I'm a great believer in repeating seasoning themes at different stages of cooking to build depth," she says, "which is why I use several expressions of apple—the fruit itself, cider, and apple brandy—in this recipe." The seasoning that goes into the brine may seem like a lot, with its one-third cup chile powder, three heads of garlic, four apples, and two quarts of cider, but the final effect is perfectly balanced.
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3. Put turkey into brining bag. The turkey must be kept cold (brine should be 33°), so refrigerate it or bury the bag in ice in an oversize cooler, adding ice as necessary. Before cooking, bring the turkey close to room temperature for the shortest roasting time. (Calculate 10 minutes' roasting time per pound.)

4. Remove the oven's center rack and arrange the remaining rack as low as possible. Heat oven to 450°. Choose a large shallow roasting pan, ideally 2" deep; if the pan is too deep, the turkey will steam instead of roasting. In the pan, cluster together remaining celery ribs halved crosswise, leaves removed; remaining 3 carrots halved crosswise, and remainign 3 onions cut into thick rounds so that the vegetables become a sturdy rack for the turkey. Scatter 1 unpeeled, cored, and coarsely chopped granny smith apple and 1 1⁄2 cups basil leaves over the top. Add 4 cups of the wine to cover the bottom of the pan with 1⁄2" of liquid.

5. Remove the turkey from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels. Set the turkey on the vegetables breast down (a technique that draws juices down into the breast while also protecting the meat from the heat) and tuck remaining unpeeled, cored, and coarsely chopped granny smith apple and remaining 1⁄2 cup basil leaves into the cavity. Dot the turkey with butter and dust all over with 1⁄2 tsp. pepper. Begin roasting.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #106

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Ratings & Reviews (14)

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i did this recipe on my post-holiday (jan 08) dinner and it was delicious.  be careful on not burning the skin, this maybe a result of the apple cider.

the gravy was absolutely creamy and aromatic.  everyone was raving about this for days after.

 i did stuffed however, with ground beef, apples, raisins, and currants.

 very well recommended.  i will do it again.

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i've never made a better thanksgiving turkey.
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i tried this turkey last year and loved it, but did not roast it at the 450 because i was scared :-)

has anyone else whose made it roasted it at 450 for the whole roasting period? if so, did you run into any problems?
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this recipe last year resulted in the most amazing turkey i'd ever had--and all our guests agreed. the 450-degree oven was not a problem (though i might have covered the bird w/ aluminum foil at one point to fend off burning). it was quite a lot of work--a rather involved process, but really worth it.
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absolutely the best turkey i've ever eaten. well worth the effort. we were not that impressed with the gravy, though, but we will definitely use this brine again--we were talking about getting another turkey 2 days after thanksgiving because we had no leftovers!
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I did cook it at 450 (thank you msherman - you gave me confidence!) and it was the best turkey I've ever made. The skin started to burn pretty early in the cooking process, but covering it with foil did the trick. This will be on the menu again next year!
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Last Thanksgiving I used this recipe to cook my first turkey (yeah it was an ambitious project for a rank amateur) but it turned out to be the best turkey everyone at the table could ever remember tasting. Thank you.
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This will be our third year making this recipe, and as everyone has said, it's fantastic. We do stuff it with a traditional herb, celery and onion stuffing and cook it on our gas grill. It cooks quicker, due to the brining, and comes out beautifully moist. Did not have any issues with the skin burning, but it got great color.
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This will be my third time attempting this recipe. I had nothing but raves the first 2 times and my 8 year old nephew won't have Turkey any where else on Thanksgiving. My 3rd incarnation will be ready in 30 minutes and this time I made sure I had more stock for the fabulous gravy recipe. The gravy is certainly a lot of work but well worth the effort, it beats my Mom's Bisto heart stopper sauce. I did all my prep the day before which made today a breeze. Only thing that sucks, is that I am now in charge of Xmas and Thanksgiving every year.
Thank You Rossetto!
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This is the 3rd year in a row I've made this turkey for Thanksgiving dinner and it is the best Turkey ever. Its so good I am making it tonight because it was devoured on TG and I miss my leftovers. Although it requires many more steps than most, its well worth the extra effort. To save time I use store bought chicken stock and the gravy is still just divine. My gravy receives as many accolades as the turkey! In my commercial home oven the Turkey cooks much faster than anticipated. My 28# turkey cooked in 3.5 hrs this year.
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Best brine ever! I used this recipe for my very first Thanksgiving dinner and it turned out well and got great reviews. I loved the subtle flavor of the ancho chille powder combined with the sweetness of the apple flavor. This will certainly be my "go to" recipe for many holiday dinners to come!
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Hands down THE BEST turkey I have ever tasted. I have been making our family’s Thanksgiving turkey using this recipe for the past three years and it never fails. We never have any leftovers (and I double the recipe because we use a 20 pound bird)! The leftover gravy is a great spread (even cold) on sliced deli turkey sandwiches the next day. I have shared this recipe with every one whom as asked me for it.
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This has been my TG "go to" recipe since 2007 and never fails!

I brine for 48 hours for added flavor & juicier meat. I baste the bird with salted butter in the last hour to brown (instead of burn). The first few carvings of breast meat never hit the plate as everyone is picking at the meat with their fingers!! I love this recipe!
Both me and my cousin never cooked a turkey before and this Thanksgiving was our first time doing so. Either way, this turned out wonderful; it was juicy and had such a great flavor. We roasted it at the instructed temperature, 450 degrees, and it came out beautifully. We did not have Calvados so instead we just used brandy and and added extra apple cider. Overall, this turkey really made our Thanksgiving meal!
Crisp Apple-Scented Roast Turkey with Cider-Calvados Gravy 5 5 6 14

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