This original presentation is guaranteed to get your guests’ attention and their compliments, too!
Turkey and cranberries are a winning combination, to which the rosemary fragrance adds just the right touch of originality.
In the spring, serve it with green vegetables (asparagus or green peas are perfect) or with mashed potatoes in colder seasons.
Ingredients:
(for 4 people) Sp F W B Gf
- 3 lb. of organic turkey breast, in one piece *
- 1/2 cup of organic cranberries
- 1 ½ cup cranberry juice
- 3 Tbsp. of rosemary leaves
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic
- 5 Tablespoons of Evoo
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 cup of Port wine
- 1 tsp. of cornstarch
- Salt
- Black pepper
Preheat oven at 350F.
In a small bowl, soak the cranberries in ½ cup of cranberry juice for 10 minutes.
Wash the turkey breast, remove the skin, trim any fat, and pat dry with paper towels.
Make a ½ inch incision on one end of the turkey breast with a small knife. Then – using a sharpening steel or a long and narrow knife – make a tunnel inside the center of the turkey breast.
Drain the cranberries, wash and dry the rosemary, chop it, then combine the cranberries and 2 Tbsp. of rosemary with salt and pepper. Stuff this mixture in the tunnel that you made in the turkey, pushing from both sides of the tunnel with the handle of a wooden spoon, to make sure you fill the whole tunnel.
On the stovetop, heat the oil and the butter in a roasting pan. Peel the garlic, remove its green core and cut into four pieces. Add it to the roasting pan, together with the remaining rosemary and the thyme.
Brown the turkey on all sides for a few minutes, add the remaining 1 cup of Port wine, let evaporate the alcohol for a couple of minutes on high heat, add salt and pepper, add 1 cup of cranberry juice, and bring to a boil. Transfer the roasting pan in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, basting every 10 minutes.
When the turkey is done (inside temperature should be 165 F) remove it from the pan, set it aside covered in foil so that it doesn’t cool down, add the cornstarch to the cooking juices, cook for 1 minute, and filter using a mesh strainer.
Slice the turkey, pour the gravy over it and serve warm.
* You can substitute the turkey breast with pork loin. The cooking time is about the same but I recommend checking the inside temperature after 35 minutes: when it reaches 150 F, the pork is done.
N.B. Please remember to wash your hands and every surface that has been in touch with the turkey with hot water and anti-bacterial soap, since poultry meat is very prone to contamination by the dangerous bacterium E. coli.