Turkey with Molasses Glaze

A tantalizing glaze of molasses and soy sauce gives this whole, stuffed turkey a rich mahogany sheen.

Recipe Ingredients:

1 (16-pound) whole turkey
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 recipe your favorite stuffing
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Cooking Directions:

1. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water. Dry thoroughly with paper towels. Sprinkle cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff loosely (with about 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound of turkey) and close the opening with metal skewers. (Place the leftover stuffing in a buttered soufflé dish and bake it alongside the turkey for the last hour of cooking time.)
2. Tie the legs together and place turkey on a V-shaped rack in a large but shallow roasting pan.
3. Mix the molasses and soy sauce in a small bowl. With a pastry brush, paint turkey with the mixture, lifting it up to reach the underside. This method makes the bird dark, very quickly, so loosely tent the turkey with aluminum foil.
4. Place turkey in the center of the preheated 325°F (160°C) oven and roast, basting occasionally with accumulated pan juices, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180°F (85°C) and juices run clear (about 4 to 4 1/4 hours).
5. Transfer the turkey to a platter or carving board and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Makes 16 servings.

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of Shady Brook Farms. Copyright Anthony Dias Blue -- Thanksgiving Dinner, HarperCollins, 1990.