Roast Turkey Breast – Perfect for Small Thanksgiving Dinner, from Vicki Delany #Thanksgiving #Recipe

 Canadian Thanksgiving was a few weeks so, and this year the celebration was very pared down for me as most of my family were travelling.  There was only my eldest daughter, my mother, and me this year.  So I did a turkey breast rather than the entire beast.  My daughter is a big fan of the Israeli-English chef Yotam Ottolenghi, and this recipe is from his book, Ottolenghi, the Cookbook.

It was the perfect amount to serve eaters, with some left-overs for those essential post-feast sandwiches.

Note that the turkey breast needs to marinade overnight.

Roast Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

4 tbsp mint leaves

4 tbsp parsley leaves

4 tbsp coriander leaves

1 garlic clove, peeled

60 ml lemon juice

60 ml olive oil

125 ml white wine

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 small turkey breast on the bone. About 1 kg.

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients except the turkey breast in a food processor or blender and process for 1–2 minutes to get a smooth marinade. Put the turkey in a non-metallic container and pour the marinade over it. Massage the marinade into the meat, cover the container and leave in the fridge for 24 hours. Make sure the turkey is immersed in the sauce.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Remove the turkey from the marinade (keep the marinade for later) and put it on a roasting tray.
3. Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 400 °F. Continue to cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature again to 350°F. Cook until the turkey is done – another 30–45 minutes. To check, stick a small knife all the way into the centre; it should come out hot. If the meat goes dark before it is ready, cover it with foil.
4. To prepare the sauce, heat up the turkey marinade in a small saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes, until reduced by about half.
5. Taste and season with some more salt and pepper.
6. Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice it thinly and serve with the warm sauce.

 

Follow Vicki at www.vickidelany.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor. You can sign up to receive Vicki’s quarterly newsletter at Vicki Delany – Canadian Author of Mystery Novels and Suspense Novels » Contact. She’s on Bluesky at @vickidelany.bsky.social

Now Available: O Deadly Night, the 7^th Year-Round Christmas mystery from Crooked Lane Books. 

Cleo Coyle's Cozy Turkey: How to Roast a Smaller Turkey for a Cozy #Thanksgiving #Dinner

It's Thanksgiving Recipes Week here at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, and Marc and I are kicking it off today. Be sure to stop back every day from now until Thanksgiving to get new recipe ideas for your big feast!

Now for today's recipe... 

A Note from Cleo

Cleo Coyle has a partner in

crime-writing—her husband.

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by clicking here and here.

My childhood Thanksgivings were always large family gatherings. My mother and Aunt Mary would routinely rise at six AM and work together most of the day to roast a fully-stuffed 25 to 30 pound bird, as well prepare all the sides and desserts.

These days, my husband and I have much cozier gatherings than our younger years. That's why we're sharing our easy recipe for roasting a beautiful 6 to 8 pound turkey breast, a wonderful choice for smaller dinner gatherings, especially if you prefer white meat.

And for those of you having larger parties, this recipe makes a great second turkey, giving the table plenty of extra breast meat and providing more leftovers for delicious turkey sandwiches and turkey salads in the days following your big Thanksgiving feast...

OUR SECRET

Above is a standard turkey breast of about 7 pounds. Our secret to making a really terrific Thanksgiving dinner using a small turkey breast (rather than a whole turkey) is the additional purchase of turkey wings. Why? 

Small turkey breasts come without wings, so we buy them separately for roasting right along with the bird. The wings aren't so much for eating, although they are delicious. While they cook, they render plenty of extra juices for making a rich homemade gravy, a must for a truly delicious turkey dinner. (See our gravy recipe below this one.)

As for the turkey wings, if you've never bought them before, look for them in the poultry section of your grocery store. They're usually sold in pairs and packaged similar to chicken wings. Now let's get that turkey started... 

🍴

To download this recipe in
a free PDF that you can print,
save, or share, click here.

For free recipe guide, click here.

Cleo Coyle's 

Cozy Thanksgiving Turkey Breast 

with Homemade Gravy

Ingredients

6 to 8 pound turkey breast* (see note below on fresh vs frozen)**

+ 2 to 4 turkey wings (optional, for extra gravy juices)

3/4 stick (6 T) softened butter

1 teaspoon Bell Seasoning

1 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground sage

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon cooking oil or cooking spray (to grease the rack)

**FRESH VS. FROZEN: We recommend using fresh turkey breast, though frozen will work just fine, BUT be sure to allow at least 24 hours to thaw the frozen breast in the refrigerator before cooking. NOTE: Larger turkeys take several days to thaw in the fridge (about 24 hours per 5 pounds of meat). To learn more about how to thaw a turkey, click here.

*FOR LARGER TURKEYS: To adapt this recipe for a larger whole turkey, double the amount of "slurry" for birds 12-16 pounds. Triple it for birds 17-25 pounds. And follow the package directions on cooking time and temperature. To prevent over-browning, cover loosely with foil near the end of cooking time. If your bird is frozen, allow several days for thawing (24 hours in the fridge for every 5 pounds). To learn more about how to thaw a turkey, click here. 

Directions

Step 1—Prep the oven and slurry: First preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (When adapting this recipe for a larger, whole turkey, we roast at 325° F.) Place softened butter into a bowl and add your Bell Seasoning, Poultry Seasoning, white and black peppers, ground sage, and kosher salt. Blend everything well with a fork until you have a soft slurry (as shown below)...

Step 2—Prep the bird: Wash the turkey breast and pat dry. If using wings, remove the wing tips, then wash the wings and and pat them dry. Line a shallow baking or roasting pan with aluminum foil. Grease the rack that sits on top (with oil or cooking spray). Place the turkey on the rack, and (if using) position wings on either side of the breast. Slather the breast with the slurry you made in Step 1. 

The wings in my photo above are not attached. As I mentioned, small turkey breasts come without wings. Marc and I like to buy the wings separately and roast them with the turkey for extra pan juices. You can coat them with a bit of the slurry or simply salt and pepper them, your call.

For even more pan dripping, we often roast a
second pair of wings in a separate pan.

(See photo below...)

Step 3—Roast and cool: Roast the breast, uncovered, according to package instructions, or about 20 minutes per pound. Turn the pan a few times during the cooking to make sure the turkey roasts evenly.

During the last hour, baste the meat in its own juices every fifteen minutes or so. At the end of the cooking time, use a meat thermometer to measure the turkey breast's temperature. You're looking for 165 degrees F. to confirm that the turkey meat is properly cooked.*

*Note for Larger Turkeys: If adapting this recipe to a larger, whole bird, watch the breast skin near the end of the cooking time and cover loosely with foil to prevent over-browning

Remove the turkey from the oven, tent loosely with foil, and let sit for AT LEAST 30 MINUTES before slicing. The resting period will keep your turkey nice and moist. If you slice it too soon after removing it from the oven, the juices will run out and the turkey meat will taste dry. 

Extra pan juices come from the wings,
which we use to whip up our Homemade
Turkey Gravy, recipe below...

 

Cleo's Homemade Turkey Gravy

Makes about 1 ½ cups

Ingredients:

2 cups pan drippings (or add enough
   chicken or turkey stock to make 2 cups)

2 Tablespoons Wondra flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Step 1—Make a roux: While the turkey is cooling, pour off the pan drippings into a bowl and let them cool, allowing the fat to separate. Skim off two tablespoons of fat from the top of the cooled drippings and warm this small amount of fat in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour until the mixture thickens. You’ve just created a roux. Now gently cook until the roux turns slightly brown (1-3 minutes).

Step 2—Finish the gravy: Measure your remaining pan drippings. If you have less than 2 cups, pour in enough chicken or turkey stock to make the full two. Whisk these two cups of drippings (and/or stock) into the roux that you made in Step 1. Heat the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. 

Lower the heat and continue to whisk gently while letting the gravy simmer until it thickens and the flour cooks (4 to 5 minutes). The key here (to prevent the gravy from breaking) is continually whisking. Add salt and pepper to taste, serve hot, and...

For free recipe guide, click here.

☕

Eat (and read) with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author
of The Coffeehouse Mysteries 

Alice and Marc in Central Park. 

Together we write as Cleo Coyle. 

Learn more about us here.
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Butternut Squash Risotto from @DarylWoodGerber

From Daryl aka Avery:

I'm getting ready for Thanksgiving already, thinking about dishes to serve. Shopping for the basics. Finding a storage place to put everything until then.

I've been thinking about new desserts? How about a cranberry cheesecake with white chocolate shavings? Or a gluten-free pumpkin pie with heaps of whipped cream? Or cupcakes in the shape of my dog Sparky for the kids?  Yes, I saw something like that in a magazine and I've got to try. White fluffy fur piped onto cupcakes. Sweet little red tongue. Soooo darling!

But right now, I'm thinking savory. Side dishes.

Yes, I'll make whipped mashed potatoes and gravy. Yes, I'll make stuffing. And sweet potatoes. (Probably Cleo's recipe from yesterday.) And I'm definitely including cheddar cheese popovers (gluten-free and regular recipe coming up in 2 weeks).

But how about a rice dish? With cheese! [BTW, I'm in hyper-cheese mode. I have a Cheese Shop Mystery coming out in February. AS GOUDA AS DEAD. Yes, many future recipes will feature cheese!]

I found this in a Food Network magazine. Butternut Squash Risotto. The recipe was for 6. When testing recipes, I find it's better to try some out for my husband and me first, so this recipe has been tweaked for 2. If you aren't having the entire clan (be it healthy or dysfunctional) for Thanksgiving, consider a quiet, intimate dinner for 2. Or triple or quadruple this, if necessary.

Enjoy!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Ingredients:

(tweaked from the online recipe to serve 2)

1 cup chopped butternut squash

3 cups vegetable or chicken stock (regular or gluten-free if necessary)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup risotto rice

1 teaspoon each Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions:

Be patient. This takes time but the result is incredible. If you don’t already buy the butternut squash cut up, then peal and cut the squash. Chop. Measure 1 cup. 

TIP:  Set the rest of the squash on a baking tray brushed with oil and salt and put that in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes; to be used as a side dish.

Meanwhile bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan and reduce the heat. Keep at a simmer. Very important.

In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cup of squash; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. I like mine extra golden. Add ¼ cup water and cook the squash until tender. It will SPIT. And then deglazes. Cook about 10-15 minutes. Use a spoon to mash the squash, pressing it into the side of the pan.

Stir in the rice and season with salt and pepper. Add a ladelful of hot stock to the rice and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Don’t add too much stock at once and make sure it is hot; otherwise, it will stop the cooking process for the rice. 

Continue to add stock, a ladelful at a time, until absorbed. The entire cooking process takes about 20 minutes. Start tasing for doneness after 15 minutes. The rice should be tender, not too chewy. If you’ve used all the stock and the rice is not yet “al dente,” heat a few cups more of stock or water and add ladlefuls, as before. The risotto is done when you can drag the spoon through the center and make a clean line in the rice for a few seconds.

Top with Parmesan.

I served this with a turkey breast, simply basted with brown sugar, mustard, and oil. Cook slowly, at 300 degrees F, wrapped in foil, for 45 minutes. Then remove foil, turn oven to broil, and broil the breast for about 5-10 minutes until the skin is crispy. 

By the way, don't miss our fabulous Thanksgiving page! 

Dozens of recipes from us over the years! Yum!

Click the picture or here for the link!

******************

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