Braised Truffled Turkey Recipes

BASIC BRAISED TURKEY

Steps:

• Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the turkey and brown the leg (and, if you're using them, wing) portions on the skin side well, 10 minutes or more; turn and cook for another 2 minutes on the skinless side. Remove to a plate and brown the breasts in the same skillet, again mostly on the skin side; remove and keep them separate.
• Heat the oven to 300, and cook the bacon or pancetta (if using) in the remaining fat in the skillet until nearly crisp; remove with a slotted spoon. Cook the onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery and herbs, in batches if necessary, until beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer with the bacon or pancetta to a large roasting pan, then nestle the dark meat in there, leaving room for the breasts. Add stock or water to come about one-third to halfway up the sides of the thighs.
• Roast uncovered for about 90 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure liquid levels remain sufficiently high and stirring vegetables if they threaten to brown too much. When thigh meat is tender, place the breasts in the pan, and cook until tender, 30 to 45 minutes more, or until done. (They should register 155 on an instant-read thermometer.)
• Slice breast and thigh meat and serve on a platter with the vegetables garnished, if you like, with parsley.

THANKSGIVING PIONEER-STYLE HERB ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• For the turkey: Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting.
• Combine the butter, sage, rosemary, thyme, and parsley in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and fill the cavity with half of the carrots, celery, and onion. Rub the entire turkey with herb butter and season liberally with salt and pepper.
• Put 4 cups of the chicken stock in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
• Place the remaining vegetables on the bottom of a large roasting pan. Put the turkey on top of the vegetables, put in the oven, and roast in the oven until lightly golden brown, 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue roasting, basting with the warm chicken stock every 15 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 160 degrees F, about 2 to 2 1/4 hours longer. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer to baking sheet and tent loosely with foil, and let rest 20 minutes before slicing.
• For the sage gravy:
• Strain the cooking liquid from the roasting pan into a medium saucepan (should be about 4 cups, if not, add more stock to make 4 cups). Add the neck, bring to a boil, add the sage leaves, remove from the heat, and let steep for 15 minutes. Remove the sage leaves.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until reduced. Whisk in the stock and cook until thickened and smooth, about 5 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper and chopped sage.

ROAST TURKEY WITH TRUFFLE BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Drain any juices from the turkey cavity and place the turkey on a rack in a large, shallow roasting pan, breast side up. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Working from the large cavity end, gently run your fingers between the skin and the meat to loosen the skin, taking care not to tear it. (Don't do this with rings on your fingers!) Place the softened truffle butter under the skin and gently massage the skin to spread the butter evenly over the whole breast.
• Sprinkle the cavity generously with salt and pepper. Place the onion, garlic, and half of the thyme sprigs in the cavity. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tie one length of string around the bird and the wings to keep the wings close to the body.
• Brush the turkey all over with olive oil and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Remove 1 tablespoon of leaves from the remaining thyme sprigs, chop them, and sprinkle on the turkey. Roast the turkey for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until a meat thermometer placed in the center of the breast registers 160 degrees. Don't baste the turkey at all! About halfway through, when the breast is golden brown, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil to prevent the skin from burning.
• Remove the turkey from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes. Carve and serve with the pan juices.

BRAISED TRUFFLED TURKEY

Steps:

• The night before you plan to cook the turkey clean the bird, slice some truffles, and slip them under the skin. Slip several truffles into the cavity as well, wrap the bird loosely in foil, and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
• Next day, prepare the stuffing. Sauté the pork, veal and shallots in 8 tablespoons butter and blend well with salt to taste and 1/2 cup cognac. Do not cook completely - merely mix over heat and add the crumbs and parsley. Add seasonings to taste. Combine with the truffles in the turkey and stuff lightly. Sew up the vent and truss the turkey.
• Brown the turkey well in butter or butter and oil mixed and place the bird on a bed of the julienne carrots, leeks and celery in a large braising pan. Add the butter or butter and oil and 1 1/2 cups white wine and turn heat to high. Cover pan, reduce heat, and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, basting the bird occasionally with equal parts of melted butter and white wine. When the bird is tender, remove to a hot platter and strain off the pan juices. Reduce the juices to 2 cups and thicken with beurre manié. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground white pepper and add remaining 1/4 cup cognac.
• Serve with potatoes Anna and braised celery. Drink a fine Château-bottled Médoc - a Château Latour or Palmer.

ERIC RIPERT'S TURKEY TWO WAYS

Steps:

• Remove the legs from the turkey and separate into drumsticks and thighs. Remove the backbone and cut breast in half. Remove the wingtips. (If you are not adept at butchery, ask the butcher to do this.) Reserve neck, all bones and wings for stock. Cover and refrigerate the breast.
• Place the leg parts, wine, onion, carrot, celery, garlic and bouquet garni in a bowl. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
• Drain the legs, thighs and vegetables, then boil the wine and bouquet garni, skimming off any foam for 15 minutes, reducing it by one-third. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, separate the turkey leg pieces and vegetables. Place 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Season the leg parts on both sides with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the leg parts and sear until lightly browned, about 4 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate.
• Add remaining oil to the pot. Add the vegetables and cook until caramelized, about 8 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes, until flour is toasted. Add wine and stir to release any browned bits. Return the legs, thighs and bouquet garni to the pot, add chicken stock and simmer until meat falls off the bone, about 2 hours.
• Drain legs, thighs and vegetables and strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a saucepan and set aside. Place the vegetables into a bowl. When the turkey is cool enough, remove the meat from the bones and shred into a bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of the reserved liquid.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a roasting pan over medium-high heat and add butter. Season the breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. When butter is sizzling, add the breasts, skin down. Sear about 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast breasts for 45 minutes, basting with the butter every 5 minutes. Remove and let rest for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cabbage leaves and cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove leaves and plunge them into ice water; drain. Trim the ends of the tough central rib from the leaves. Place a cabbage leaf on a cutting board (use two if they are small) and place 3 tablespoons of the leg meat and 1 tablespoon of the vegetables at one end. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the sides and roll up like an envelope. Repeat. (You should have about 12 parcels.) Place in a buttered baking pan, seam side down. Cover with foil.
• To serve, bring reserved liquid to a simmer and cook until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon. Heat cabbage parcels in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes, or until hot. Slice the breast meat. Place one cabbage parcel on each plate and fan out 3 slices of breast on top. Spoon the sauce around and serve.