Serves 8 to 10
The pomegranate glaze makes for a beautiful, burnished bird. This
turkey is delicious stuffed with Corn Bread, Wild Mushroom, and Pecan
Stuffing or Classic Stuffing.

1 12-to-14-pound fresh turkey
2 onions, cut into wedges
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 6-inch lengths
3 stalks celery, cut into 6-inch lengths
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 6-inch lengths
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 pomegranates
1 quart Homemade Chicken Stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth,
skimmed of fat
3 tablespoons red currant jelly
2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cognac

1. Heat oven to 425°. Rinse turkey breast; pat dry. Rub breast
with salt and pepper.

2. Arrange vegetables in a large, heavy roasting pan, making sure
that the vegetables are more or less flat in the bottom of the pan.

3. Truss legs together with kitchen twine, if desired. Rub the
bird with butter, and place on bed of vegetables in roasting pan.

4. Roast turkey for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°, loosely cover
bird with an aluminum-foil tent, if necessary, and continue roasting,
basting every half hour with the juices in the pan

5. Meanwhile, slice pomegranates in half crosswise. Using a hand-
held wooden lemon reamer or manual juicer, collect the juice in a
small bowl. Strain juice through a sieve lined with cheesecloth.
Combine juice and 1 cup of the stock in a small saucepan. Cook over
high heat until mixture is reduced enough to coat the back of a
spoon, about 20 minutes. Stir in currant jelly. Set aside.

6. When a meat thermometer placed between breast and thigh reads
170°, remove turkey from oven (the total cooking time to this point
should be about 3 hours and 15 minutes). Discard aluminum-foil tent,
and brush bird evenly and smoothly with pomegranate reduction. Lower
temperature to 325°, return bird to oven, and continue roasting for 5
minutes. Brush again with pomegranate reduction, and roast for 5 to
10 minutes more. Do not allow glaze to burn.

7. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and transfer to serving
plate. Let turkey rest for 20 minutes before carving.

8. Remove vegetables from roasting pan with a slotted spoon,
transfer to a food processor, and process until smooth.

9. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings in pan,
reserving juices in a fat separator or Pyrex measuring cup; discard
fat that rises to the top. Place pan over medium-low heat, and add
flour, working it in with a wooden spoon until mixture is smooth. Add
3 tablespoons of the puréed cooking vegetables to pan, and stir until
smooth. (Remaining purée can be served as an additional side dish or
discarded.)

10. Add cognac to pan, and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any
particles on the bottom. Continue cooking slowly over medium-low
heat. Stir constantly while adding degreased pan juices and the
remaining 3 cups stock. Raise heat to medium high, and cook until the
gravy thickens, 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and
pepper. Serve in a gravy boat alongside turkey.