Email to Cat      

Thanksgiving: Brined Roast Turkey Breast with Herb Pan Gravy

Source of Recipe

From "Basic to Brilliant, Y'all" by Virginia Willis


Recipe Introduction

"Several years ago I was asked to style the food for a commercial with Paula Deen. They called me during the ten-day photo shoot for my first cookbook, Bon Appétit , Y'all. I was exhausted, but it was good work, and I have an attitude that you can do anything for two days. I drove south and, with toothpicks holding my eyes open, did my work. On the afternoon of the second day, her assistant told me Ladies Home Journal was coming to shoot the Thanksgiving cover story, a big deal in the magazine world. He said, 'We thought they were bringing a stylist; they thought we had a stylist. Will you stay two more days?' Well, I can do anything for two days so I pushed through and stayed, creating an iconic roast Thanksgiving turkey cover shot and all. The experience turned out to be a life lesson. Six months later, Ladies Home Journal posted that my first cookbook was one of their favorite books of the year, and Paula soon thereafter had me as a guest on her show. I believe sometimes you have to put it all out there for good to happen. That, and you can do anything for two days."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 cup kosher salt
â—¦ 1 cup sugar
â—¦ 1 ½ gallons water
â—¦ 1 whole bone-in, skin-on turkey breast (6 to 7 pounds)
â—¦ ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
â—¦ 1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh sage
â—¦ 1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh thyme
â—¦ Freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 3 celery stalks, chopped
â—¦ 3 carrots, cut into chunks
â—¦ 3 onions, preferably Vidalia, quartered
â—¦ 2 ½ cups homemade chicken stock or reduced-fat, low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
â—¦ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ Coarse salt


Recipe

Dissolve the kosher salt and sugar in the water in large, clean bucket or stockpot. Set the turkey breast in the brine, making sure it is submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to overnight.

Remove the turkey breast from the brine. Pat dry and set aside. Place the butter in a bowl; add the sage and thyme. Season the butter well with pepper and stir to combine. Set aside.

Twenty minutes before roasting, preheat oven to 450° F.
Place the turkey on a clean work surface. Using a chef's knife, remove the remaining portion of the neck and reserve it for the stock and gravy. Remove the wishbone to make carving easier; set it aside with the neck for the gravy. With your hand, carefully release the skin on both breasts to form two pockets. Rub the seasoned butter under the released skin. If there is any extra butter, massage it on the outside of the skin.

Put the celery, carrots, and onions in a large roasting pan. Pour ½ cup of the chicken stock into the pan bottom to prevent the drippings from burning. Place the prepared turkey, skin side up, on top of the vegetables. Place the pan in the oven with the wide neck end toward the rear of the oven. Roast for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan back to front. Roast for 15 minutes more, until skin turns golden. Decrease the oven temperature to 325° F and continue to roast, rotating the pan once more about halfway through the cooking, until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast registers 160° to 165° F, 30 to 45 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the turkey breast to a cutting board, preferably with a moat. Cover the turkey loosely with aluminum foil. Pour the remaining 2 cups chicken stock into a saucepan. Add the reserved neck and wishbone and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to simmer.

Place the roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add the flour to the pan drippings and stir until well combined. Strain the warmed stock over the flour-vegetable combination and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to simmer and cook until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Strain the mixture into a saucepan (the saucepan that held the stock is fine to use), pressing on the vegetables to get every drop and all the flavor. Check and make sure the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon; if not, continue simmering the sauce until the correct consistency is achieved. (If it's too thick, add a little water or additional stock.)

Carve the turkey breast and plate on a warm platter. Add any juices that run into the moat to the gravy. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper and serve with the gravy on the side.

Serves 6 to 8



• Brilliant: Pear and Cranberry Chutney
Transform this Basic turkey recipe into Brilliant with Pear and Cranberry Chutney. Combine 3 cups cranberries and ¾ cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries release their juices, about 8 minutes. Add the juice of 2 oranges (about ½ cup), ½ cup golden raisins, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1 star anise. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Peel 3 firm pears, then core and cut into ½-inch dice and add to the chutney with the finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture thickens and the pears are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Serves 8