An elegant option for a small Thanksgiving or any time you’d like to enjoy fall flavors. We serve it with both sweet and mashed white potatoes and gravy.
By Chris Contreras, Culinary Teacher
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds turkey breast, skin on
- 3 ounces French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 ounces cornbread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup celery, small diced
- 1 cup onions, small diced
- 2 cups turkey or chicken stock
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
Heat oven to 350°F. Combine cubed French and cornbread on a baking sheet, bake for 10 minutes, stir and bake for 10 minutes more, until dry.
While bread is baking, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat and add celery and onion; cook until translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add the stock, cranberries, thyme, salt and pepper let simmer for 3—5 minutes. Add the toasted bread; cool to room temperature.
Butterfly the turkey breast. Many come rolled and tied or wrapped in string netting; the netting and string need to be removed, as well as the pop-up thermometer if there is one. Unroll the breast and lay it on a cutting board, skin side down. Starting with the narrowest end of the meat and holding the knife parallel to your work, make a horizontal cut about halfway through the thickness of the meat. Continue cutting with your blade parallel to the work surface, creating 2 equally thick layers of turkey. Make sure not to cut all the way through, stopping when there is still about ¾-inch of uncut meat remaining. Open like a book.
Spread an even layer of filling over the turkey. Don’t spread to the edge: Filling will leak out and look messy. Starting at one end, begin rolling the turkey breast tightly and firmly (but not so tight that the filling gets squeezed out). For a longer, thinner roulade, start your roll with 1 of the wide sides; if you want a thicker, but shorter, roulade, start with one of the narrow sides. Continue rolling until the entire breast is rolled up, then rotate until the seam is on the bottom.
Cut 5 to 6 pieces of kitchen twine and line them up on your work surface, about 1 inch apart, parallel to the edge of the countertop. Place the rolled turkey on top of the twine. Bring the ends of each piece up around the turkey and tie them firmly to hold the roll together during cooking. Trim any long string ends.
Place the stuffed turkey breast seam side down on a rack on the sheet pan. Brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and roast for 1¾ to 2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer registers 150°F in the center (test in a few places). Carve into ½-inch-thick slices and serve warm.
About this recipe
Millennium High School, Goodyear
Top: C-CAP 2016 Student Team
Bottom: Mentor/Notable Alum: Aaron Davis, C-CAP 2015 Private Pastry Chef
