CHEF BETH’S THANKSGIVING ROULADE
Recipe by Chef Beth Volpe
(Boneless Turkey Breast stuffed with Cranberry and Bourbon Compote, Turkey Leg and Thigh Confit, and a simple dressing wrapped in Puff Pastry)
The following items must be prepared before your start rolling:
TURKEY LEG AND THIGH CONFIT
8-9 cups duck fat
2 turkey legs, 2 turkey thighs
6 peeled fresh garlic cloves
¼ cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon juniper berries
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Zest of one large lemon
In a food processor grind the above 6 ingredients. This will be your rub.
Massage the rub into your turkey legs and thighs. Place in a bag and let sit overnight.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Heat the duck fat on the stove until melted.
Transfer the legs and thighs to a deep Dutch Oven. Add a couple springs of fresh sage and 4 whole peeled garlic cloves. Pour duck fat over the turkey. Make sure all of the legs and thighs are submerged.
Cook this for 3-4 hours uncovered. You want to make sure the turkey is very tender and cooked through.
Remove from oven. Let sit at room temperature for about 2 hours. Transfer to fridge when cool and cover. The Confit is complete at this point and ready for use.
To prepare the Confit for the Roulade, I removed the meat from the bones. I processed the meat in my food processor (pulse so that you have control) until coarsely ground.
Add enough gravy to give it a spreading consistency. You will have leftover Confit to enjoy.
CRANBERRY/BOURBON COMPOTE
Makes about 2 cups
1 bag of fresh cranberries (should equal 4 cups)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cinnamon stick
¼ cup bourbon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Toss everything into a small saucepan and reduce until you get to a compote consistency. Remove cinnamon stick and process the berries in a food processor until smooth. Refrigerate
DRESSING
Recipe from Epicurious.com
I used a very simple recipe that I found on Epicurious. I needed something relatively plain but with all of the traditional ingredients…parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, all from my garden. I did not want to introduce other flavors or textures. However, you can use any Dressing recipe you want. This recipe will make more than you need.
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter plus more for baking dish
1 pound good-quality day-old white bread, torn into 1" pieces (about 10 cups)
2 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 1/2 cups 1/4" slices celery
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 250°F. Butter a 13x9x2" baking dish and set aside. Scatter bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until dried out, about 1 hour. Let cool; transfer to a very large bowl.
Meanwhile, melt 3/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onions and celery. Stir often until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add to bowl with bread; stir in herbs, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in 1 1/4 cups broth and toss gently. Let cool.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk 1 1/4 cups broth and eggs in a small bowl. Add to bread mixture; fold gently until thoroughly combined. Transfer to prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of dressing registers 160°F, about 40 minutes. DO AHEAD: Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Uncover; let cool. Cover; chill.
Bake dressing, uncovered, until set and top is browned and crisp, 40-45 minutes longer (if chilled, add 10-15 minutes).
TURKEY
I used on half of a turkey breast. Bone it and reserved the bones for gravy or stock.
Lay turkey breast on a long sheet of plastic wrap. This will aid in rolling the Roulade later.
It’s important to make sure that the turkey breast half is uniform before pounding. So, it may be necessary for you to butterfly a portion of the breast that is thicker. Pound to ½ inch thick. Turkey breast halves are not symmetrical. You may need to do some trimming. Use the turkey tenderloin to fill in open spots.
Remove breast skin. Toss or save to use later.
Start with turkey breast skin side down (sans skin).
Spread an even coat of the cranberry compote all over the breast.
Spread the Confit in an even layer over the compote. Press down.
Spread an even layer of the dressing over the Confit. Press down.
Do your best to maintain the integrity of the layers.
Use the plastic wrap to roll the turkey breast. Parts may fall out the sides but don’t worry. You will stuff them back in and use the plastic wrap to form the Roulade. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 to 12 hours.
It is now time to wrap the Roulade with Puff Pastry Dough. You will need only one sheet per half breast.
1 sheet of Puff Pastry.
Roll it out very thin (1/16-1/8”). Make sure your Roulade will fit on the pastry sheet and be fully covered front to back. You will need a couple of inches on each side to seal up the sides. Cover the breast with the pastry sheet. On the sides, cut away extra dough (it won’t cook through) and seal the ends by tucking them underneath the roulade. Place on a jelly roll pan covered in parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Remove and make fine cuts into the pastry diagonally across the top or decorate with extra pastry dough.
Brush with an egg wash and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 1 hour or until crust is golden brown and turkey registers 165 degrees.
If there are fluids around the roast, carefully discard them. Allow Roulade to rest 15-20 minutes before slicing.
Carefully slice and serve with gravy and Cranberry Bourbon Compote.
Elegant, the whole dinner in one Roulade! Mission accomplished!
PAN ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON, BLUE CHEESE (OR FETA) AND BALSAMIC REDUCTION
4 to 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
8 strips thick-cut bacon
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound Brussels sprouts, chopped
1 large shallots chopped1 hard-boiled egg chopped
½ cup crumbled Blue Cheese or Feta (add more if you want)
Balsamic Reduction (reduce 1/3 cup of Balsamic in half)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, then roughly chop.
In same pan with bacon fat, melt butter over high heat.
Add shallots and Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring occasionally until the sprouts are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and toss bacon back into pan. Stir in chopped hard-boiled egg, Blue Cheese or Feta Cheese, and mix in the balsamic reduction.
BROCCOLI SOUP
This is a creamy broccoli soup that has no cream in it. This is one of my favorite soups, especially because it has little if any fat in it.
INGREDIENTS
4 crowns of broccoli
2 carrots, cut in 2 inch pieces
1 small to medium onion, cut in quarters
4 cloves garlic, peeled and whole
Chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon cumin
Additional items that can be added:
Asparagus
Peas
Cilantro
Cauliflower
Celery
Potato
DIRECTIONS
Cover broccoli in water. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and any other veggies you want to add.
Bring veggies to a boil and cook until tender. Let cool.
Purée in blender or use an immersion hand held blender until all veggies are smooth. I use a 2 cup glass measuring cup. I add about 1 ½ cups of veggies and ¼ cup of the liquid at each interval. Blend and pour into soup pot you will use to finish the soup. Continue to do this until all veggies are blended.
Watch the amount of liquid you are using. You don’t want it too watery. When the veggies are all blended and in the soup pot I add 1 teaspoon of cumin. Add bouillon cubes, one at a time until you get the flavor you desire. I also add a piece of the rind of parmesan cheese for flavor. The soup is basically done at this point.
I garnish this with Cholula Hot Sauce and grated parmesan cheese. You can top it with Crème fraîche, crumbled bacon, or anything you would like.
Heating Instructions
Stovetop: Heat over medium low heat until steam rises. Microwave: Heat at 50% power on power level #7 for 30 seconds. Stir. Continue at 30 second increments until hot. Garnish with Cholula Hot Sauce if desired.
PAN SEARED FRESH WILD SALMON
There is nothing more delicious that searing the skin of the salmon to a perfect crispness. Paper thin and crunchy! I only use WILD SALMON, never farmed. The fresher the better.
INGREDIENTS
Fresh Salmon Filets
Rice Bran Oil
Kosher salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
For this cookery method it is important that the filet is at least 1 inch thick. That means you will be using the center portion of the fish as opposed to the head or tail end. The reason for this is that under extreme frying conditions, you do not want the fish to overcook and become dry. If the filet is too thin, the flesh of the fish will be done long before the skin is properly crisped.
DIRECTIONS
1. Remove filets from packaging and pat dry. Make sure there is no visible moisture present. Any moisture will splatter when the fish hits the hot oil.
2. Salt and pepper both sides of the filet.
3. Heat your pan.
4. Add a thin layer of Rice Bran Oil or any oil you want that has a high smoke point. It should be about 1/4 inch high. Heat this oil until a thermometer reads 375F. If you try to cook the filet and the oil is not hot enough, you will over cook the fish in the end and the skin will be soggy.
5. Carefully (using long tongs) place the fish skin side down in the oil. It will start sizzling immediately. It will take 3-5 minutes for the skin to completely crisp up. You will be able to see the doneness level of the fish from the side. It's not necessary to move the fish around. It will cook in one place. Occasionally I will lift the fish to let more oil run underneath it. When the skin is crisp, VERY CAREFULLY turn the fish over. Do this by turning the fish away from you not towards you which feels more natural. It will splatter and the oil will burn you.
6. Continue to cook fish in 1 minute increments until you are happy with the doneness of your fish. I like mine a bit rare in the center.
7. Drain it on paper towels and serve immediately!
