GLUTEN-FREE ROLLED ROAST TURKEY BREAST WITH ‘STUFFINS’
AND CRANBERRY RELISH
There’s going to be a crowd of us around the dinner table this Christmas so the menu has been decided, not just with a nod to tradition, but by what we can fit in the oven and how we can actually deliver a hot meal!
One whole turkey was never going to cut it, so the plan arose to cook several turkey breasts, rolled and roasted.
The recipe below, to serve 10, has been tested and tweaked, and a couple of accompaniments have been added to help it rise to the occasion.
It will be big. But now it’s been sorted, we’re looking forward to it bigtime.
We do hope you’ll enjoy yours too.
Jan
ROLLED ROAST TURKEY BREAST
Serves 10
1 2.5 kg boned and rolled turkey breast (see note below for other weights)
100 gm softened butter
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 oranges: 1 zested and juiced, the other halved and sliced
1½ tablespoons fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
Sea salt and pepper
2 medium onions cut into 1cm rounds
2 medium carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
1½ tablespoons arrowroot or potato flour
Splash of sherry vinegar to deglaze the pan
650 ml home-made chicken stock
Bring turkey breast to room temperature for 2 hours before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan-forced.
Mix butter, parsley, orange zest and sage together in a medium bowl and season.
Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and spread with the herbed butter, leaving a particularly generous coating on the skin on top.
Arrange the onion slices along the middle of a baking dish. Scatter carrots and cut orange slices around the perimeter.
Place the turkey skin-side up on top of the onions and pour 450ml of the chicken stock and the juice of the orange around it. Use a large sheet of aluminium foil to make a tent over the turkey roll, tucking it securely under the rim of the dish.
Roast for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 180°C fan-forced and cook for 70 minutes.
Remove the foil and baste with pan juices. Cook for an additional 30 minutes to brown and crisp the skin.
To check the turkey roll is cooked, insert a skewer into the thickest part. When removed, the juices will run clear.
Take the turkey breast from the oven and wrap it in foil. Rest for 20 minutes before removing string and carving.
Meanwhile, prepare the pan juices. Deglaze the baking dish with a splash of sherry vinegar and stir to incorporate any pan scrapings.
Add arrowroot to remaining 200ml chicken stock and whisk until combined. Add the chicken stock to pan and cook until thickened. Check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Strain the gravy into a jug.
Serve the Rolled Roast Turkey Breast with Stuffins and Cranberry Relish (see below) and gravy served separately.
TIPS:
1: To calculate the cooking time of your rolled turkey breast, weigh the meat and allow 18 minutes per 500gm, plus an extra 30 minutes.
2: For extra flavour dry-brine the rolled turkey breast for a day or two before cooking. Mix 1 tablespoon of salt with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Rub a little olive oil over the roll and pat the mixture into the meat. Place the turkey roll in a dish, uncovered in the fridge, and turn occasionally. The seasonings will liquefy. When ready to cook, remove and pat dry.
STUFFINS
Makes 12
160 gm smoked pancetta, cut into 1cm pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
Pinch of chilli flakes
¼ teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper
100 gm pecan nuts, roughly broken
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
100 gm pitted prunes, roughly chopped
8 large sage leaves, finely shredded, plus 12 small leaves to top the muffins
2 large eggs, lightly whisked
250 gm buttermilk
90 gm blue cheese (I used Milawa Blue) broken into 1cm pieces
200 gm Revenge plain gluten-free flour
2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
¼ teaspoon salt
15 gm basil leaves, roughly torn
Heat the oven to 200°C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
In a medium frying pan, fry the pancetta on a medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring until browned and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta to a bowl, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the olive oil to the hot pan, then fry the onion, celery, chilli flakes and seasonings. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and browned.
Return the pancetta to the pan, add the pecan nuts, caraway, prunes and chopped sage. Fry for a few minutes more before spooning into a medium bowl.
Leave to cool, then mix in the eggs, buttermilk and 60gm of the blue cheese.
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and the quarter-teaspoon of salt into a large bowl, stir in the basil, then add the pancetta mix and gently fold together until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and top each one with a sage leaf and a little knob of the remaining blue cheese.
Bake the stuffing for 25 minutes, until risen, cooked through and golden brown on top (to test, a skewer should come out clean). Serve warm or at room temperature with Rolled Roast Turkey Breast and Cranberry Relish.
TIP:
Stuffins can be cooked a day or two before required and warmed in the oven while the turkey is resting. They can even be made several weeks ahead and frozen. Remove them to the fridge to defrost, then reheat as above.
CRANBERRY RELISH
Makes 2 x 250ml jars
170 gm dried whole cranberries
1 orange, rind peeled and finely julienned
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 red shallots, finely diced
1 3cm knob fresh ginger, peeled and finely julienned
Pinch of chilli flakes
100 gm brown sugar
125 ml red wine
125 ml water
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 dried bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
200 ml cranberry jelly
Rehydrate cranberries by soaking in hot water for 15 minutes.
Add 2 cups of water to a small pot. Add the julienned orange rind and bring to the boil. Drain orange rind, rinse under cold water, drain again then set aside.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add shallot, ginger and chilli flakes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
Drain cranberries and add them to the shallot and ginger mix, along with the orange rind, brown sugar, wine, water, vinegar, bay leaf and cinnamon.
Stir to combine and increase heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the cranberries are soft, the moisture evaporates and the mixture thickens.
Add the cranberry jelly to the pot and simmer for another 10 minutes then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Transfer the relish to an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to a week.
Serve with Roast Rolled Turkey Breast and Stuffins.