Orange Apricot Turkey

 Stephanie said that Tyler is a fan of Paula Deen. Before he left for college, he cooked a delicious turkey for the family (and guests, I think) following this recipe.

In an unrelated cooking fest, check out the pictures from "The Adventures of Tyler and Preston" (June 2011) . Following the southern cooking 'tradition', they attempted to batter and deep-fry many different things. Above they were sampling Twizzlers, and the top picture features Snickers. Below are pizza and Oreos.

what next?!

Orange Apricot Turkey

2 sticks butter (well chilled)

1 can apricot halves (reserve liquid)

1 small can frozen condensed orange juice

Turkey 12-14 pounds

Salt & pepper to taste

4 stems rosemary (optional)

Preheat oven to 400º F

Place turkey in large roasting pan (no rack). Slice chilled butter into long slices. Slide one full stick of butter under the skin of each breast. Under the skin of one side place apricot halves. Take the frozen orange juice out of can and place in the cavity of the turkey along with the juice from apricot can and one cup of water. Cook at 400ºF for 20 minutes.

Reduce heat to 250º F and roast until turkey is done. Baste frequently with the orange/apricot/butter drippings.

Notes from the Paula Deen Test Kitchen: Turkey will take longer than instructed on a typical turkey package since you are roasting at a lower heat for the final time. Typically, a 12-14 pound bird will take a total of 4 to 4 ½ hours to roast with this method. We used apricot preserves mixed with a little of the pan juices for a final baste on our turkey. Flavor was delightful and a nice twist on the usual turkey preparation.

by Tyler, Barbara's grandson

It looks like Tyler is cooking up even more adventures in college!