How to cook Catherine Fulvio’s perfect Christmas turkey

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Catherine Fulvio’s clementine and maple glazed turkey with pear gingerbread stuffing

Ingredients, serves 6-8

“The pear gingerbread stuffing will fill your kitchen with gorgeous festive aromas, it can be made the day ahead and all the flavours work so well together,“ says Catherine Fulvio of this recipe.

For the turkey

1 x 5kg oven ready turkey, giblets and neck removed

Specially Selected Rapeseed oil

1 tbsp Kilkeely Butter, melted

2 tsp Nature’s Pick Thyme, chopped

Ready, Set…Cook! Salt and Ground Black Pepper

String for tying

Sage sprigs, to serve

Thyme sprigs, to garnish

Bay leaves, to garnish

For the cavity

4 Nature’s Pick Clementines

4 Nature’s Pick sprigs of Thyme

For the glaze

160ml Pure Squeezed Orange Juice

100g The Pantry Soft Brown Sugar

3 tbsp Specially Selected Maple Syrup

½ Nature’s Pick Red Chilli, chopped

½ tsp Ready, Set…Cook! Ground Cumin

For the stuffing balls

200g Nature’s Pick Shallots, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp Kilkeely Butter

2 tbsp Specially Selected Rapeseed Oil

250g Nature’s Pick Pears, diced, cored and peeled

2 tsp Grandessa Honey

¾ tsp Ready, Set … Cook Ground Ginger

¾ tsp Ready, Set … Cook Ground Cinnamon

2 Healy’s Medium Eggs, beaten

3 tsp Nature’s Pick Thyme, chopped

2 tsp Nature’s Pick Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped

300g Ballymore Crust Fresh Breadcrumbs

For the glazed clementines

4 Nature’s Pick Clementines, halved

2 tbsp Kilkeely Butter

1 tbsp Specially Selected Maple Syrup

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/ gas 5.

2. To make the glaze, add all the ingredients into a jug, stir well and set aside.

3. For the turkey, weigh and calculate the roasting time for the turkey – generally this is 40 minutes per kg plus an extra 30 minutes and 30 minutes for “resting” (and internal temperature should reach 75C). Add a little oil into a roasting tray, place the turkey in the tray, breast side up and generously brush melted butter over. Pour about 2 tbsp of the glaze into the cavity and add the clementines and thyme. Tie the legs with string. Sprinkle over the chopped thyme and season with salt and pepper.

4. Spoon half of the glaze over the turkey and place in the oven. Keep basting every 20 minutes. If the turkey is browning too fast, cover with a piece of foil. Once cookes, leave the turkey to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

5. To prepare the stuffing balls, heat a frying pan with the butter and oil then add the shallots and sauté until softened but not brown. Spoon into a large bowl and stir in the diced pears, honey, ginger and cinnamon. Beat the eggs with a fork and add to the bowl, with the thyme and rosemary and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. To shape the stuffing balls, dampen your hands with water and shape golf ball size stuffing balls. Place on a clean plate until ready to cook. Place on an oven tray, brush with oil and add to the oven with the turkey and cook for about 15 minutes. When cooked, remove and keep warm.

7. To prepare the clementines, heat a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the butter and maple syrup. Add the clementine halves cut side down and glaze lightly, then remove from the heat.

8. To serve, once the turkey has rested, unwrap it and place on a large platter. Arrange the gingerbread stuffing balls, sage and rosemary sprigs, bay leaves, and glazed clementines around the bird, then enjoy.

Brought to you in partnership with ALDI