This year, I was inspired to create holiday dishes that harkened back to when I first started connecting with popular flavors and foods - the 1970s. Back then, I would on occasion go to restaurants with my grandparents where we would enjoy pasta primavera, fondue, quiche and more. Given this extraordinarily challenging year, it seemed we needed greater connections to things that comfort and feed our souls - at least that’s what I needed and craved.

This turkey is my nod and wink to Black Forest Cake, which was highly popular in the 70s. While not a dessert, the dry brine with espresso powder and sauce enriched with cherries (fresh frozen and sugar cured, bar-type depending on your mood) and black strap molasses create an eye-popping and highly satisfying way to enjoy this holiday bird. To make things easier and more “casserole-y,” I use turkey parts and roast them in a large casserole dish. It’s a lot simpler for us home cooks, and takes just over an hour to roast rather than the usual 3-4 hours.

This recipe ideally uses about 8 pounds of turkey parts, but works wonderfully with an extra large roast chicken or chicken parts, too. Whatever suits you, especially for cooking your end-of-year holiday meals.

***Note, the dry brine does require at least 24 hours to sit in the refrigerator to get the depth of flavor desired for this dish.***

This turkey is extra succulent thanks to the cherry jus. There is plenty of savory-sweet jus to spoon over mashed potatoes or anything else.

SERVING SIZE: 6-8 PREP TIME: 1-3 days for brine COOKING TIME: 50 mins

Ingredients

For the Dry Brine (makes about 1/2 cup)

• 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest

• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

For the Turkey

• 1 small turkey (6-8 pounds), cut into parts or purchased turkey parts (mix of bone-in breasts, thighs, legs, wings)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 5 whole medium peeled shallots, halved

• 8 ounces frozen whole dark cherries, thawed (or 8 ounces of maraschino cherries with juice)

• 1/2 cup ruby port wine

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves and tender stems, minced

• 1 tablespoon dark molasses

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• Several maraschino cherries with stems for garnish

• Fresh Italian leaf parsley for garnish

Directions

To dry brine the turkey: (do this 1-3 days in advance of baking) 

1. Using a fork, mix together the dry brine ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Pat the turkey parts dry with a paper towel. Using your fingers, loosen the skin from the meat.

3. Rub the dry brine on all sides of the turkey parts as well as under the skin. Place the parts onto a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 day and up to 3 days. This will ensure a crispy skin and achieve the desired dark brown color.

To roast the turkey:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Whisk together the olive oil and melted butter in a small mixing bowl.

3. Place the dry brined turkey parts into a large, oven-safe casserole dish and brush all over with the olive oil mixture; reserve whatever is left for the sauce.

4. Add the shallots, cherries, port wine, vinegar, orange juice, thyme, brown sugar, pepper, and salt to the bowl and mix together thoroughly. Set aside. 

5. Roast the turkey for 25 minutes until the skin begins to brown, then remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 400°F.

6. Pour the cherry-shallot mixture evenly over the turkey. Tuck the cherries and shallots in between the different pieces of turkey. Return the pan to the oven and cook for an additional 25 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F when inserted into the thickest parts of each piece of turkey.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

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