Turkey With Molasses Glaze

Recipe Instructions * Note: See the "Sausage-Crouton Stuffing" recipe which is included in this collection. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water. Dry thoroughly with paper towels. Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff loosely (stuffing expands during cooking) and close the opening with metal skewers. Also stuff the neck cavity and skewer it closed. (place the leftover stuffing in a buttered souffle dish and bake it alongside the turkey for the last hour of its cooking time, basting the stuffing occasionally with pan juices.) Tie the turkeys legs together and place it on a rack (preferably a Teflon-coated V-shaped rack) set in a large roasting pan. Mix the molasses and soy sauce in a small dish. (Variation: Use 2 tablespoons of maple syrup instead of molasses.) With a pastry brush, paint the turkey with the mixture, lifting it up to reach the under side. This method makes the bird very dark, very quickly, so the turkey should either be tented when dark or it could be first painted 2 hours before cooking is done. Place the turkey in the center of the preheated oven and roast, basting occasionally with accumulated pan juices, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees and juices run clear. This should take between 4 1/2 and 5 hours. The turkey skin should be quite dark. Check at the 4-hour point and if it isn't, brush again with the molasses mixture. Transfer the turkey to a platter or carving board and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving. Serves 12, with plenty of leftovers.