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    5 Perfect Roast Turkey Recipes

    By | Shine Food – Thu, Nov 4, 2010 4:55 PM EDT

    Pick the perfect centerpiece for your Thanksgiving or holiday meal from our ultimate collection of roast turkey recipes.

    1. Apple Cider-Brined Turkey with Savory Herb Gravy

    This turkey is a pleasure to offer on your table. It's incredibly moist and flavorful, and it received our highest Test Kitchens rating. Brining is an overnight process, so if you're using a frozen turkey, be sure to thaw it well in advance. Choose turkey-sized plastic oven bags for brining the turkey. Use two bags to prevent brine from leaking, and place the turkey in a large stockpot as another precaution.

    View Recipe: Apple Cider-Brined Turkey with Savory Herb Gravy

    2. Roast Turkey with Truffle Gravy

    High-heat roasting makes this bird browned and beautiful, and truffle-scented homemade gravy makes it an extra-special treat. The holidays are a time for indulgence, and since this recipe calls for only a few ingredients, use the best quality you can.

    View Recipe: Roast Turkey with Truffle Gravy

    See More: 6 Steps to Great Turkey

    3. Turkey with Sausage, Apricot, and Sage Stuffing

    Roasted turkey is an absolute must for any Thanksgiving, so if you're looking to shake things up a bit, the stuffing is a better place to start. Savory sausage (try hot Italian sausage if you like spicy) and sage, an herb that just tastes like Thanksgiving in any application, get a kick in the pants from sweet dried apricot, which provides contrast in both flavor and texture. Cooking the stuffing inside the turkey suffuses the meat with a subtle sage-and-apricot scent, but if you're uncomfortable doing that, just cook it in a separate pan.

    View Recipe: Turkey with Sausage, Apricot, and Sage Stuffing

    4. Honey and Thyme-Brined Turkey Breast

    Serving a small group this holiday? Try roasting just a whole bone-in breast, like in this recipe. Briefly boiling the thyme and black pepper in water extracts the flavor and helps infuse the brine. If the turkey starts to brown too fast, shield with aluminum foil. Serve with mashed red potatoes and roasted baby carrots.

    View Recipe: Honey and Thyme-Brined Turkey Breast

    See More: Superfast Turkey Recipes

    5. Apple-Poblano Whole Roast Turkey

    Our Apple-Poblano Whole Roast Turkey provides a fresh, new take on the holiday bird. We suggest pairing this updated roast turkey with Sausage and Sourdough Bread Stuffing and Citrus Green Beans with Pine Nuts.

    View Recipe: Apple-Poblano Whole Roast Turkey

    Continue Reading: 7 More Perfect Roast Turkey Recipes

    Don't Miss:
    Classic vs. Modern Holiday Recipes
    Deconstructing Turkey
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      My after-school snack was a sacred ritual. I sat on the carpet in my parents' bedroom at a low table, the television turned to "I Dream of Jeannie," and ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich cut into neat squares. I wasn't fussy about crusts. I just loved the sticky pairing of creamy peanut butter with syrupy golden sweetness drizzled from a honey bear in diagonals across the soft white bread. Nothing else--save for maybe apples and peanut butter in a pinch--could have made for as sweet an