I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

Recipes

Chocolate Chess Pie

Chocolate Chess Pie

ZOMG!

Price and I are getting married a year from today! Woo hoo!

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9 years (10 yrs by then). 2 apartments together. 1 house purchase. 1 new car. 5ish years of college together. countless vacations and adventures. 13 miles in NYC 1 day. 1 super bowl parade. 2 NASCAR races. 1 sunrise on top of Mt Washington. 2 rabbits. 1 dog. 1 delicious baby.

I saved the best for last.

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We have the place picked out but that’s about it. Well, we know colors. But still might change our minds. I picked up a dress for Autumn to wear. It’s super cute! I called like 7 stores to find and then reserve the sizes (I got 2 sizes since I’m not sure what she’ll actually be). I thought I knew what I’d wear but now I’m not too sure. I think we’re gonna make jam for the favor. Music should be fun. Yeah… smart. ugh.

There is plenty to plan but we’re not that stressed since there is plenty of time. We like the DIY approach so I’m sure we’ll do a lot ourselves too. So that will mean I’ll have some cool stuff to share on the blog too. Fun.

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Anyway, this pie is just de-lite-ful. That’s how you spell that right?

This Chocolate Chess Pie is really rich but because the crust is pretty neutral in flavor it’s a nice balance. The chocolate is sweet but not too sweet. It’s a nice intense flavor as the filling uses unsweetened cocoa powder as opposed to a semi sweet chocolate, like I’ve used in other recipes.

The top of the pie has a crisp texture so expect some cracking but that just gives it some style. Right?!? Once you crack through it you’ll get to experience the ooziest, creamest, dreamiest chocolate filling. It’s like experiencing creme brulee. There is just the tiniest hint of coffee flavor from the espresso powder you use in the filling. It goes so well with the chocolate.

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This crust was so good. I think it’s the shortening. It gives it great texture without that much flavor, unlike butter. If you like a sweet crust then add a tablespoon to the dough. This is pretty neutral so it would be great to even use for a quiche.

The original instructions called for the crust to be made by hand by cutting the butter and shortening into the flour and then using a wooden spoon to bring the rest together when adding the water. I opted to just use my food processor instead to mix the dough together, but if you don’t have one then use a pastry cutter or 2 forks. Either way, you’ll end up with a great flaky crust.

While this Chocolate Chess Pie is rich it is not as rich and BUTTERY like the Buttermilk Chess Pie that I shared last week. I commented on how I’d expect to get 12-16 slices out of that pie (I cut 16), but I’d plan on 8 slices with this bub.

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Chocolate Chess Pie

Makes a 9″ Pie

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 4-6 tablespoons ice water

Filling

  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder or 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee powder (optional)
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Process

To make the crust

  1. Butter a 9-inch pie plate or skillet and set aside.
  2. Cut the shortening and butter into 1/4″ cubes. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. In a food processor fitted with the dough blade, add the flour and the salt. Pulse a few times to combine.
  4. Add the shortening and butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly, with pea-sized crumbles.
  5. Gradually add enough ice water to the mixture while pulsing until a ball of dough is about formed.
  6. Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Form a dough ball and begin to press it out. Then start the process of rolling out the dough out. Roll the dough from the center and after every few passes pick the dough up and rotate it or flip it over. Add more flour to the work surface, as needed.
  7. Once the dough is 1/8″ inch thick, press the pie dough lightly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Trim and crimp the edges as needed. Cover the pie plate with a piece of the plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to overnight.

To make the pie

  1. Preheat your oven to 350º F.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, and espresso powder.
  3. Pour the butter into the cocoa mixture and beat on high-speed.
  4. Then add the vanilla extract and eggs. With the mixer speed on high-speed, mix for approximately 2-3 minutes.
  5. Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell and bake for 35-40 minutes. The center of the pie will still be a bit soft. Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing. The pie will continue to set as it cools.

Crust sourced from Add a Pinch, filling slightly adapted from Add a Pinch

Buttermilk Chess Pie

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Florida here we come!

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Autumn and I are heading down to Florida today to visit my mom and grandmother. This will be Autumn’s first flight. I’m up for the challenge but I’m really hoping that it goes well. She typically takes a nap mid morning and that is when we are flying so I’m hoping she will get snuggily and sleep. But you never know how it goes until you’re just stuck at 35,000 ft with a screaming baby. She is teething now (her 2nd tooth broken through yesterday morning) so she had a fever last night. At least now I can really drug her for the flight and it would be legitimate! ha!

This will also be my grandmother’s first time meeting Autumn. It will be a lot of fun for them to meet. I’ll be sure to get a lot of photos of them together. Plus have someone take a picture of all 4 generations. awww!

Since I’m heading to thee South I’ve made a Southern Classic to share today!

I’ve always wanted to try a Chess Pie so I’ve decided this is going to be a month of Chess Pies. I picked Buttermilk Chess Pie to kick things off. It was a good decision!

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been lazy about making pie crust dough (with the exception of graham cracker/cookie crusts) but this was so easy that I’ve become a convert. Soo easy. and it felt so satisfying to make the whole thing myself. Believe them I am all about convenience but this didn’t take much effort so I will be making more pie crusts from now on.

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This pie is super rich! I typically cut 8 slices in a pie but I think 12-16 slices would be fine since it’s so sweet and buttery. Oh the butter!! There are 2 sticks of butter in this pie between the crust and filling. So yeah, this is Southern!

I hope you enjoy a slice this weekend while I soak up the sun. Oh, I can’t wait!!

Buttermilk Chess Pie

Buttermilk Chess Pie

Makes a 9″ Pie

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 1 Cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) COLD unsalted butter
  • 3-4 Tablespoon ice water

For the Filling

  • 1 1/2 Cups sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 5 large eggs
  • 2/3 Cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 Cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Process

To make the crust

  1. Cut the butter into small pieces. Put back the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
  2. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse the mixture couple times. Add the butter to the mixture and pulse until the butter is cut into the size of peas. Add 3 tablespoons of ice cold water and pulse until the mixture looks like tiny pebbles. If needed add 1 more tablespoon of water.
  3. Pour out the crumbly dough out onto a well floured work surface and press into a disk. Roll flat until 1/2″ thick, then fold the dough into thirds, towards the center. Roll flat again and fold into thirds again toward the center. Roll out again and then fold in thirds, then in thirds in the other direction, so the dough looks like a little cube. Press into a disk and wrap in plastic.
  4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To make the pie

  1. While the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 350.
  2. Lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk and light mix to combine.
  3. Add the sugar and flour and mix again until combined.
  4. Stir in melted butter and vanilla extract until combined.
  5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a well floured surface, evenly roll out the disk until it is large enough to fit into a 9″ pie plate. Transfer into the pie plate, and then trim and crimp the edges as needed.
  6. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust.
  7. Bake for 45 minutes or until just set. Cool the pie on a wire rack at least an hour prior to serving. Store leftovers, well-wrapped in the refrigerator.

Crust sourced from A Spicy Perspective, Filling Sourced from A Cook and Her Books

Classic Banana Bread

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This is my favorite banana bread.

Hands down FAVORITE.

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Plus it’s simple to make. So simple that I made this one handed. Yep, one handed.

The morning I was making this Autumn wanted to be held but also play with her toys on her mat so about every other minute she would yell from her mat at the top of her lungs and then I’d pick her up, she would stop and be happy to watch me make the banana bread. But then she would yell at the top of her lungs to be put back down. And then, after about a minute of playing around the yelling would begin again…

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So with her in my left arm I made this pretty much one handed. Thankfully I was at the point of cracking eggs when she was on the mat since I’m not great at doing that 1 handed.

Let’s get back to the banana bread.

It’s perfectly predictable. You know, banana-y and bread-y. It’s just that it has the best texture and flavor.

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I love the chunks of banana that are mixed into the creamy light batter. I often put chopped pecans in but I didn’t this time because I wanted to use the bread later on for french toast and I didn’t want the pecans in that. But I highly encourage you to put pecans in because they add such great flavor and texture.

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Classic Banana Bread

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour, but all-purpose works as well
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 overripe bananas
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped (optional)

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Prepare a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan by lightly greasing the surfaces.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  4. Put 2 bananas and the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix together for 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream.
  5. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  6. Mix in the dry ingredients until about 50% incorporated.
  7. Add in the 2 remaining bananas and chopped pecans. Mix together until the bananas are broken up but still in large chunks and the dry ingredients are more incorporated.
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.
  9. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning.
  10. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Toast the slices of banana bread, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve.

Adapted from Food Network

Chocolate Ganache Topped Crunchifed Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie

Ganache Topped Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie

Oh, what a week it has been!

Our poor pup starting throwing up on Monday night and has been sick since. We had hoped his stomach issues would clear up on their own but no luck. As Price was hand feeding him rice on Wednesday night we decided he would go to the vet as soon as the opened on Thursday morning. So Kemper spent the day at the vet getting tests run to figure out what was wrong with him. Thankfully, he tested negative for giardia but he definitely has a stomach bug.

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I’m hoping that his pill, powder for his food, and his prescription food help him feel better quickly. Especially since I stepped in some poo this morning before I put the lights on. It’s not like him to have accidents so I know he is sick so I can’t get mad but man, what a way to start a Friday morning.

But it’s Friday, so that means it’s time for pie!!!

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I had been thinking of making a pie with a pretzel crust for a bit now. I’ve done the graham cracker crust. And the chocolate cookie crust. So I wanted to try something different and I just love the sweet and salty combo of things.

This Chocolate Ganache Topped Crunchifed Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie will leave you weak in the knees. It’s really rich. It’s the perfect triple threat of pretzels, peanut butter, and chocolate.

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I highly recommend pulling out your food processor to make this crust. I’m sure that you can crunch up the pretzels in the ziplock bag using a rolling pin but I just don’t think you’ll get the pieces small enough for the crust to hold together well.

The peanut butter filling is really light and crunchy. Using crunchy peanut butter adds a little extra crunch to the pie. If you don’t have crunchy peanut butter on hand then just use creamy. Don’t hold off on making this pie just for that.

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But the chocolate ganache that tops off the pie is the finishing touch! It’s silky, rich, and chocolately. And then jazzed up some more with the chopped up peanuts and pretzels that are sprinkled on top.

Plan ahead when making this pie. This is not a last minute project as it needs to chill for a few hours. I suggest making it the morning that you want to serve it. Or even the night before so it sets up really well.

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Thankfully, I am kicking it out of my house before I eat it all. Five slices will be on their merry way out the door today when our dog walker comes for Kemper today. She is the best but her flexibility this month has been incredible. There have been so many last minute changes from the typical M-Th schedule with extra vet appointments for Kemper to have a cracked molar extracted, to days I’ve worked from home because of appointments for Autumn, and now this latest adventure. I just hope they enjoy it for dessert tonight as much as we did! 🙂

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Chocolate Ganache Topped Crunchifed Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie

Makes a 9″ Pie

Ingredients

Crust

  • 7 ounces/200 grams of pretzels
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted

Filling

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
  • 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ganache Topping

  • 1 cup of heavy cream
  • 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate

Garnish

  • 1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped
  • 1/4 cup pretzels, chopped up intosmall pieces

Process

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Put the pretzels in a food processor and process until the pretzels are crushed enough to resemble crumbs.
  3. Combine the ingredients, and press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides a lightly greased 9″ pie pan.
  4. Freeze the crust for 15 minutes (which will prevent over-browning).
  5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until it’s lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
  6. To make the whipped cream for the filling, whip the heavy cream until there are stiff peaks. Set aside.
  7. To make the filling base, beat the cream cheese for 3 minutes, scrape the bowl every minute. Add the confectioner’s sugar and beat for another minute, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract, beat for another 2 minutes.
  8. Completely fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture.
  9. Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust. Smooth out the top and then put the pie into the freezer.
  10. Prepare the ganache but setting a heat safe bowl over a  pot with some water in it. Do not allow the water to touch the bottom of the bowl.  Heat the water to a simmer and add the heavy cream. Heat the cream until it is warm and add the chocolate. Mix the chocolate until all of it is melted into the heavy cream. Remove the bowl from the top of the pot and let cool for about 10 minutes.
  11. Mix the ganache one more time and then pour it on top of the chilled filling. Tap the pan to even out the top and to remove any bubbles in the ganache.
  12. Sprinkle the top of the ganache with the chopped peanuts and pretzels.
  13. Return to the freezer for at least 4 hours. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes prior to serving. Slice and enjoy!

Inspired by Baking the Goods

Mother’s Day Pie

Mother's Day Pie

I’m so excited for the weekend!!

We have so much to do but it should be fun to enjoy the weekend and get a bunch of stuff done. Fingers cross on us actually tackling the to do list.

Plus, it’s going to be nice weather. Well, it might rain Saturday but it’s supposed to be warm so I can work with that. But Sunday is supposed to be even better. Also, it’s my first Mother’s Day, so that should be fun.

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Price has agreed to help Autumn whip up breakfast for Mother’s Day while we lounge around in the morning. She was babbling to him that it might be hard to make waffles considering she can’t yet sit up, so he agreed to do the heavy lifting, but as long as she watched to learn how to make on of my favorite breakfast treats.

Man, I love waffles. I swear I could eat waffles every weekend. That and Eggs Benedict. Oh yeah, maybe I’m have some pie too. Okay, okay, I’m behave…

Every week I ask Price what pie I should make for my weekly pie post. Sometimes I offer him a few choices between things and other times he comes up with the idea completely. This week I threw some ideas at him, he veto’d them (for now), did some googling and found this pie. And this is how this pie came to be.

It reminds me of a mega coconut macaroon. It’s sweet, custardy, and very coconuty. I enjoyed it just like that but I think a chocolate drizzle would be amazing on it as well.

Mother’s Day Pie

Makes a 9″ pie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
  • 1 cup shredded coconut

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease and flour a 9 inch pie plate.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, flour, and salt.
  3. Stir in melted butter and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in evaporated milk followed by the shredded coconut.
  4. Pour mixture into the pie plate.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes. The center of the pie will still be slightly jiggly. Remove from oven to set up at room temperature. Chilling a bit before serving will help with cutting cleaner slices

Sourced from All Recipes

Supreme Pizza Pot Pie

Supreme Pizza Pot Pie

This is like deep dish pizza.

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But cheesier. But meatier. But veggier. It’s a crazy kind of pizza. Get crazy with me!

Before we get into the pizza pot pie can we talk about the Scandal Season Finale for a quick second?

I mean, I can’t even. This whole show has had me on the edge of my seat since the very start. And this season oh.my. But this episode!! Poor Jerry. Poor Finn. And Olivia and Jake! The election! HARRISON!! UGH!!!!

Okay, back to the pizza because I can’t keep thinking about Scandal. Although I really will.

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This Supreme Pizza Pot Pie made my day. (Well, until I gave Autumn some tomato and she went nutso for it. First real food (besides a 1/2+6 dime sized piece of banana I mashed onto a teether for her to try)!!!!!!! I was so excited she loved the tomato pieces I gave her. And was less excited about the dogs frantic high-pitched whine begging for the tomato I left on her high chair while I gave her a bath in the sink.)

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I swear this will make your day too. It’s so quick to assemble and it is gloriously delicious. Change up your typical Friday night pizza take out by grabbing the ingredients for this and you’ll impress your family. Yep.

This is sooo cheesy. It’s kinda like a deep dish pizza but instead of a chunky sauce it has a crazy cheesy sauce that is studded with warm juicy tomatoes. But, brace yourself (!), it’s really rich so just 1 slice will do. But if you manage to enjoy 2 slice I won’t judge. I’ll cheer you on!

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So supreme pizzas have olives on them. But, here’s the thing, I hate them and don’t use them in cooking, unless I kinda have to and can actually pick them out. So this doesn’t have olives in there, but feel free to use olives if you like them.

Next time I am going to do an all veggie version with some garlicy spinach and lots of mushrooms. And then I’ll make a Hawaiian version. OMG this is trouble.

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Supreme Pizza Pot Pie

Makes 1 9″ pie, 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 box of 9″ pie crusts
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella
  • 8 ounces low-fat cream cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder*
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano*
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley*
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried basil*
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1 pound Sweet Italian Sausage, removed from casing
  • 2 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes
  • 4 ounce can of slice mushrooms
  • 2.25 ounce can of sliced black olives
  • pepperoni, approximately 15 slices

*If you prefer, use 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning instead of these individual ingredients

Process

  1. Preheat the oven to 350.
  2. Place 1 of the pie crusts into the bottle of the 9″ spring-form pan. Do not stretch it up the sides but gently press it on the side to keep it in place.
  3. Dice the pepper and onion, and halve the tomatoes. Set aside.
  4. Combine the cream cheese, mozzarella, 1 egg, and the spices into a bowl of a stand mixer. Beat together to combine.
  5. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage. Once the sausage is browned add in the pepper and onion.
  6. Add the tomatoes and mushrooms to the cheese mixture. Then add the sausage mixture and fold into the cheese mixture until completely combined
  7. Pour the filling into the bottom crust of the pizza. Place the other crust on top of the filling. Fold over the extra crust and crimp the edges.
  8. Beat 1 egg and brush over the top crust. Place the pepperoni on top of the crust and top off with more egg wash on top of the pepperoni.
  9. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before removing the sides of the spring-form pan and slicing.

Inspired by Oh Bite It!

Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie

I am just itching to go on vacation.

At the very least planning one would cool my wanderlust urges. I just love adventures and times to relax in a new setting. I love to discover new places and try new things.

Price and I are looking into cruises for next January as a way to celebrate my 30th. I think a week in the Caribbean is just the best idea to break up the cold winter up here. Plus I think turning 30 while sipping a daiquiri as I soak up the sun is they best way to spend a milestone birthday

As well, I’m waiting for Jet Blue to release more dates next year so that Emily and I can have a girl’s weekend. I can’t wait to check out Seattle and have her show me all around.  Everything she has been telling me about the PNW sounds awesome. I think it will be such a fantastic time. yay!

Anyway, let’s check out this awesome pie for Pieday Friday!

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This banana cream pie should be illegal.

It’s that good. Really really good.

The flavor is so good. The silky smooth pudding filling is a great companion to the fresh bananas.

Price came back from work and I basically shoved a spoonful of the pudding into his mouth the moment he walked in. I don’t think he minded though. Well, maybe it was a tease because he had to wait for it to set up. ha!

I suggest that you make the pie well in advance of serving it. You can let it chill for an hour but I think that the longer the better. Then you garnish it right before serving so the bananas don’t brown. And I think that some whipped cream is great for a garnish as well. yum!!

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What pies should I make next? I’m taking suggestions!!

Banana Cream Pie

Makes a 9″ Pie

Ingredients

  • 1 9″ deep-dish pie crust
  • 3/4 Cup sugar
  • 1/3 Cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cup milk
  • 3 egg yolks, beaten
  • 2 Tablespoons
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 bananas

Process

  1. Bake the pie crust according to the packaged instructions/recipe. Let completely cool.
  2. Slice 4 of the bananas into 1/4″ thick rounds. Set aside.
  3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  4. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually pour the milk in while stirring gently. While continuously whisking, cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner.
  5. Mix a small quantity (about 1/3 cup) of the hot pudding mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. While continuously whisking, cook for 2 more minutes.
  6. Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.
  7. Place the banana slices in the cooled baked pastry shell and then top with pudding mixture.
  8. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Chill for 1 hour before slicing. Garnish with the remaining banana prior to serving.

Sourced from All Recipes

Turkey with a Brown-Sugar Glaze

 Turkey with Brown Sugar Glaze

My mom is coming up from Florida for a visit and it happens to be Easter weekend. I love cooking for holidays but I’m just not sure what to make for Easter. I know what you are going to say, you’re going to say “But you make ham for Easter!” This is true but we didn’t have turkey on Thanksgiving since we had just brought Autumn home Monday night and none of us were going to whip up a turkey just a few days later. (Side note: our super sweet Chilean neighbor brought us over some food- shrimp cocktail, roasted pork, and rice.)

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So I’ve had turkey on the brain every since.

We did do an early Thanksgiving which was awesome but I’ve been thinking about making a turkey recently. It’s probably because I’ve been enjoying the work week more when I have dinner prepped or pre made so we are just assembling or reheating it. A big turkey cooked up on a Sunday would give us plenty of leftovers for lunches and dinners for a few days.

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The turkey is really moist as the skin locks in the moisture. Plus the vegetable and the liquid in the bottom of the pan also helps keep the turkey from drying out. Can’t have a dry turkey! That’s the worst.

I always use a turkey with a built in thermometer as I’ve had issues with the done-ness in the past. When I’ve cooked turkeys without a built in thermometer I’ve under cooked them in the past when I’ve just stuck a thermometer in the thigh, received the reading of 165 degrees, took it out of the oven and when I’ve carved it up later I’ve discovered a pink bird. So, do what works for you.Feel free to use both thermometers… why not!?!

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The brown sugar glaze is easy to prepare and it gives such a lovely flavor to the turkey. But the best is that it makes the skin sticky and crisp. So when you sneak a piece of skin before you serve it you have to lick your fingers clean of any delicious evidence!

As well the gravy is unlike any other gravy I’ve had before. The gravy is made with the drippings from the pan, leftover graze, and hard cider. The cider really does give it a lot of apple-y flavor but I liked that with the sweetness of the glaze but using stock would be just fine as well.

So give turkey a chance for Easter, or any lovely Sunday dinner. If not, the make it for Thanksgiving and your family will thank you. They will so so excited that you tried this Brown Sugar Glazed Turkey. I swear!

Turkey with a Brown-Sugar Glaze

Turkey with a Brown-Sugar Glaze

Ingredients

For the Turkey

  • 12-15 pound turkey, brought to room temperature
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 orange
  • herb bundle containing rosemary, thyme, sage
  • 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 cup of orange juice mixed with 1 cup of hard cider or stock

For the Glaze

  • 2/3 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest, plus 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons of butter

For the Gravy

  • drippings from the pan
  • 2-3 tablespoon flour
  • any remaining leftover glaze
  • 1-2 cups of hard cider or stock
  • sage leaves

Instructions

  1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place the turkey in a roasting pan with a rack. Tuck wing tips underneath the body of turkey. Stuff the tukey with the carrots, celery, onion, orange, and herbs.
  3. Carefully seperate the skin of the turkey from the breast and place pieces of butter between the breast and skin of the turkey. Season the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper.
  4. Pour the orange juice mixture into the bottom of the pan.
  5. Roast the turkey for for 30 minutes.
  6. Turn down the oven to 350 and let continue to cook for another 45 minutes before rotating for another 45 minutes.
  7. While the turkey is cooking, make the glaze by combining the vinegar, brown sugar, and orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and orange zest.
  8. Brush the skin of the turkey with the glaze after it has been roasting for an hour and 30 minutes at 350. Brush and rotate the bird every 15 minutes until it has completed cooking, when the temperature ofin the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees.
  9. Remove from oven and tent with alumnium foil for at least 30 minutes before carving.

To make the gravy

  1. Remove the drippings from the pan. (I suggest using a baster to do this task)
  2. Let the drippings sit for a few minutes so that fat seperates and you can remove some of it.
  3. In a large skillet pour about a 1/4 cup of the drippings into the pan and add the flour to a paste. Slowly mix in the rest of the drippings with some whole sage leaves.
  4. Once that is all comined mix any remaining glaze. Then add the cider until you have reached the amount of gravy you would like. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Serve the carved turkey with the gravy and enjoy!
  6. Inspired by Martha Stewart

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