my first turkey

...Ok, so it was just a turkey breast, and not an entire bird. No bag of miscellaneous appendages to try to figure out what you do with them. No dark meat. No little paper hats for the legs. No dreaded stuffing. Still, it was a big piece of meat, and more importantly, I was making dinner for someone special, and wanted it to turn out right. I had to act like I knew all about these giant birds, instead of wondering what that little flap of skin would have been if the bird had been alive!

Thank God there wasn't an audience for the preparation as I felt like I was giving her a gynocological exam by trying to lift the turkey's skin to rub the herbed butter all over her. Turkey skin is damn tough! I know I called my mom at least 3 times during that part because it freaked me out. I am certain this is the only piece of meat that I've cooked in recent memory that actually looks like a dead animal. I'm more of the boneless skinless chicken breast type girl :)

Anyway, as you can see, it came out alright. We had just enough for a good amount of turkey left overs but not so much that we were eating turkey in every possible meal. The only real part that I need assistance with now is learning to carve. I'm not very adept at the electric knife, and my companion was not able to offer much assistance. I'm going to be sure to watch my uncle closely next Thursday.

Here's the recipe I used, courtesy of Food TV:

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy

Although sage is the herb most used with turkey, I love the flavor and aroma of fresh bay (laurel) leaves. Fresh bay leaves are now widely available in supermarkets. Since the leaves are a bit woody, and no fun to eat, I baste my turkey with bay-infused butter and roast the breasts right on top of the leaves, which perfumes the meat.

1 small (golf-ball sized) onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 lemon, scrubbed clean

12 fresh sage leaves

Large handful fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 1/2 cup, from 12 stems)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling pan

1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed

6 fresh bay leaves

4 tablespoons butter

2 boneless turkey breast halves, skin on (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds each)

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup apple or regular brandy (recommended: Calvados)

2 to 3 cups apple cider

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Oil a roasting pan and set it aside.

Put the onion into the bowl of a mini food processor. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from the lemon in thin strips, being careful not to cut into the bitter white pith. Add the lemon zest to the food processor and reserve the whole lemon for another use. Chop the onion and lemon zest until fine. Add the sage, parsley, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse until it forms a coarse paste.

Put 2 of the bay leaves and the butter into a small pan and heat over medium-low heat until the butter is bubbling. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Put the turkey breasts on a work surface. Carefully run your fingers between the skin and the flesh from 1 end, being careful not to pull it completely off, creating a pocket. Season the turkey breasts generously with salt and pepper. Stuff half of the herb paste under the skin of each breast, and spread it evenly under the skin. Transfer the breasts to the roasting pan, and slide 2 bay leaves underneath each one. (The heat of the pan will release the bay leaf oils and flavor the breast.) Using a pastry brush, baste the breasts with half of the bay butter. Place the turkey in the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 400 degrees F. After 20 minutes, baste the turkey breasts with the remaining butter, and roast for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through, and a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the breast registers 170 degrees F.

Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes before carving while you make the gravy.

Put the roasting pan over the burner on medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the pan juices, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the apple brandy, and scrape the pan to lift the bits that are stuck to the bottom. Cook for a minute to burn off the alcohol, then, while stirring, pour in the apple cider. Bring to a simmer, and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
Slice the turkey breast on the diagonal, and serve with warm gravy.

p.s. I've wanted to be a foodie blogger for a long time now, but I didn't have a camera. Now that problem is solved, so I aspire to be like the fine cooks I read weekly for recipes. Check out my links section for some cool foodie blogs....