Happy Thanksgiving from Kouzounas Kitchen to you and your family.

Time to bring out the famous Turkey Recipe I did this year for Thanksgiving!!

Citrus Turkey Brine Recipe

Keep in mind that the cavity is filled with FENNEL, APPLES, AND ORANGES. 🙂

My dad plated the turkey above, and it was hard to get a good photo as everyone was destroying the turkey lol. (You can definitely tell the turkey is moist though.)
My friends told me to follow the Pioneer Woman for her awesome citrus brine and I had a look, and added my own special touch to the original recipe. You can find the original recipe here. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/my-favorite-turkey-brine/Ingredients

• 1 -23 pound turkey (You can use a turkey anywhere from 15-23 pounds for this.)
• 2 Gallons cold water
• 3 tablespoons fresh thyme/ Rosemary
• 3 tablespoons oregano
• 3 tablespoons coriander
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup sea salt, fine grind
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons pink peppercorn
• 2 apples chopped
• 3 oranges peeled, and chopped (Set peel aside)
• If you have Kouzounas Kitchen Herbs De Provence use 2 tablespoons in replacement of thyme and rosemary.

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a large pot, over medium heat. Once it comes to a boil, stir all ingredients together, and remove from heat. Set aside and let cool.

1. In this step I did not use a brining bag. I didn’t have one, so I used a bucket lined with a large plastic garbage bag. (I know fancy right?!) Do keep in mind, once your turkey and brine are in the bucket, make sure your bucket is sturdy enough to hold everything.
2. Add your turkey to the bucket, and pour cool brine over the top. Keep the orange peel, and apple slices in the brine. Adds a lovely flavor to the turkey.
3. I brine my turkey for 2 days, but I recommend 1 day if you can hold the turkey in your fridge that long. (You can do up to 2 days, but that’s if you have time.)
4. Let your turkey brine on one full side for about 8 hours, then flip over and brine the other side for 8 hours.
5. Once your ready to roast your turkey, remove turkey from brine. Rinse off your turkey in cool running water for 10 minutes. This process cleans off the salt, and I highly suggest this.
6. I did NOT fill my turkey with stuffing. I didn’t want my stuffing to be salty from the drippings, so instead I added fresh apple, orange, and fennel to the cavity of the turkey. (Keep in mind that the brine has salt, so if you stuff your turkey, then do not add too much salt to your stuffing.)
7. Now its time to cook your turkey. According to the turkey instructions, follow the baking time. I baked my turkey at 325 degrees for 6.5 hours.
8. Make sure to use an aluminum tent for your turkey, to prevent the top from burning. You want a nice golden brown color all over.
9. Every two hours, I actually brushed butter and olive oil over the top of my turkey. It adds a nice flavor, and the color is perfect. (A secret I am sharing with you all. The last hour the turkey was roasting, I used an orange marmalade to brush over the turkey. The final results… AMAZING!!.)

Next up on the Thanksgiving table!!

Holiday Spiced Pomegranate Liqueur Recipe

It’s time to enjoy this delicious Fall liqueur that will have your taste buds kicking.

Ingredients:

• Vodka- 2 cups
• 3/4 cup organic sugar
• 1 cup water
• 5 pomegranates reserve seeds
• 1 large cinnamon stick
• 1 lemon- reserve peel
• 1 orange- reserve peel
• 1 vanilla bean- reserve seeds
• Cloves (optional)
• If using Kouzounas Kitchen mulled spices, use 3 tablespoons. This will replace vanilla bean, cloves, cinnamon, lemon, and orange peel.

Directions:

1. Remove pods from pomegranates, and reserve the juice. Set juice and pods aside in medium bowl. (Make sure to throw away the rind and pit of pomegranates.)
2. Whisk the vodka, sugar, and water together. Add to the pomegranate juice.
3. Prepare the lemon and orange peel, and add the juice of both fruits to the pomegranate juice.Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Give the mixture a good stir to combine ingredients, and pour into glass jar.
4. Seal jar, and make sure you store it in a cool dark place. Swirl the mixture daily, making sure the ingredients are well combined.
5. Steep for 40 days, or until you have achieved desired flavor.
6. Strain pods, and other ingredients through mesh cloth, or coffee filter.

Delicious Apple Pie Recipe

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Chill Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup AP flour
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup ice water

Method:

1. In a bowl, combine flour and salt. Whisk together, and then cut in butter, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

1. Add water, and mix until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for an hour, or until ready to use. (Dough will keep up to 3 days.)

Apple Pie Filling

Ingredients:

• 4 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup butter chilled
• 3 TB AP flour
• 3 TB Chocolate liquor
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tsp vanilla
• Pinch of pumpkin pie spice

Crumb Topping

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cold butter
• Pinch of cinnamon

Method:

1. Add all ingredients in a large bowl, until everything is mixed to combine. Make sure apples are coated with sugar mixture.
2. Place oven temp on 425 degrees. Prepare your chilled dough. You can either make 1 large pie or 6 mini pies. If you are making mini pies, make sure to use your muffin pan, and grease the inside of the pan. For 1 large pie, gather your 9 inch pie pan, and roll out the dough making sure it is twice the size of your pan, as you will use the extra dough scraps for the lattice. Once your done is ready, roll the dough over the top of the pie pan, and let the dough fall over the edges. At this point I like to cut the excess, and set aside.
3. Place the apple filling in the center of the pie pan. Making sure to level out the mixture. Next, roll out your excess dough, and make long strips, by using a pizza pie cutter. I like to make about 20 so I have 10 strips going vertical and 10 strips going horizontal. Once you have done that, your ready to bake it off. (Now, if you are a huge fan of crumb topping like me, then follow my crumb topping recipe above.)
4. Bake for 50 minutes or until the apple pie is golden brown on top.

Happy Holidays!