turkey wellington

turkey wellington with gravy


1 batch of quick puff pastry (but add 2 tbsp of fresh sage, chopped finely, to the butter first)
5 lb bone-in turkey breast
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
1 large bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked
15 oz whole berry cranberry jam
16 oz mushrooms
3 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 cup italian style breadcrumbs
1 carrot , roughly chopped
1 leek , trimmed and roughly chopped
1 onion , peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg, beaten

cooking twine


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Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F

Separate the breast from the turkey carcass, remove the skin. 

Place the turkey breasts between 2 pieces of cling wrap, use a meat tenderizer to make both breast approximately the same thickness uniformly. 

Cut the twine into 6 12in strips, place horizontally on cutting board, about an inch apart. 

Carefully place the turkey breasts over the twine, overlapping each other. 

Sprinkle about half of the fresh thyme over the breasts, plus salt and pepper.

Place 3-4 tablespoons of cranberry jam longwise in the middle of the turkey breasts.

Use the twine to help roll the breasts up with the cranberry inside, tie each piece of twine tightly. 

Transfer the turkey to a roasting tray, season the outside with the remaining thyme leaves, a good pinch of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Rub it all over, cover in tin foil and roast in the hot oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until just cooked through – using a thermometer, you want it to be 162 F at the thickest point.

To make the gravy, add to a large pot the turkey carcass, carrot, leek, onion, salt and pepper, the flour, and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, add 1 rosemary sprig, a heaped spoon of the cranberry jam, and the balsamic vinegar. Bring back to a boil, then then reduce and let simmer for 2 hours or until thick. Strain it through a sieve and reheat before serving.

Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms in some oil until they are almost dry. Strip the leave from 2 rosemary sprigs, chop, and add to the mushrooms for the last 30 seconds or so. 

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the mushrooms, when that is melted, add the breadcrumbs. Toss to coat,  finely chop the mushrooms (or use a food processor for a few pulses), set aside to cool. 

Once the turkey breast and stuffing have cooled, assemble the Wellington.

Dust a clean surface with flour, then roll out the puff pastry to about 20 in x 20 in. Cut in half. 

Line a cooking sheet with silicon or parchment paper. Place one half of the pastry on the sheet. 

Spread half of the mushroom stuffing onto the middle of the base to cover an area the same size as your turkey breast. 

Remove the twine, then place the turkey breast on top and spread the remaining stuffing over the top packing it all in and smoothing it out so that the whole breast is covered. 

Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg. 

Lay the second sheet of pastry over the top, gently mold it round the shape of the breast, pushing all the air out and seal together. Trim the edges to around 4cm, then pull, twist, tuck and pinch in the pastry. If you have extra pastry and want to be creative, you can add decorative design at this point. 

Brush the whole thing with beaten egg.

Leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight until ready to bake.  

On the day of, bake at 350°F 50 to 60 minutes, or until risen, puffy and beautifully golden and the turkey is piping hot throughout. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for around 10 minutes before carving. 

Serve with the gravy and extra cranberry jam.

quick puff pastry

quick puff pastry


2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cold
1/2 cup cold water

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Directions:

Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Cut the cold butter into 1/4-inch slices and add to the flour mixture, tossing to coat.
Stir in the cold water until a thick dough forms.
Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk-shape, and wrap in plastic wrap.
Chill for 1 hour in the fridge, or 20 to 30 minutes in the freezer.
Unwrap the dough, dust the work surface with flour, and roll the dough into a rough rectangle shape.
Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter.
Turn 90 degrees, roll and fold again.
Repeat about 2 to 4 times, wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours or overnight.*


*Dough can also be frozen. It will keep for several weeks in the freezer, tightly wrapped. Thaw in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Chip Scones

Chocolate Chip Scones
3 cups flour
1.5 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips
2 – 2 1/2 cup whipping cream
Topping
4-5 tbsp melted butter
4 tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 425. Combine dry ingredients. Stir in cream with fork until
dough holds together in a sticky mass. Turn dough onto a lightly floured
surface. Knead several times. Cut in half. Pat dough into 2 circles. Cut into 12
wedges. Place on ungreased cookie sheet 2” apart. Brush with melted butter
and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 8 large scones.
Recipe from: Melissa Williams
Note: When I am baking for a crowd, I will make 11⁄2 times this
recipe, and then I can use up a 1-pint size carton of whipping cream.
If you have leftovers of these, they freeze well, and can be
microwaved for 30-60 seconds on 30% power, and then 10-15 seconds
on 60% power.

buffalo chicken sliders

buffalo chicken sliders

4 servings | 
3 tbsps butter

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce

1/2 tbsp onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1/4 cup ranch dressing

1tbsp dried parsley

8 hamburger buns

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Directions:

Melt butter in large skillet, add shredded chicken and stir to coat. 

Add buffalo sauce, and toss the chicken to coat again, add onion powder and salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate bowl, combine shredded cheese, ranch, and parsley.

egg roll in a bowl

egg roll in a bowl
6 servings | 
2 tbsps sesame oil
6 green onions, sliced, green and white parts divided
1/2 onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground pork
1 tsp fresh, grated ginger 
3 tbsps sriracha
16 oz bag of cole slaw mix
3 tbsps soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper
salt to taste
sesame seeds
1/4 cup mayonnaise

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Directions:
Heat sesame oil in large skillet to medium heat.
Add white parts of green onions, diced onion, & garlic. Saute, stirring frequently until onion is soft.
Add pork, ginger, and 1 tbsp of sriracha and cook until pork is browned, broken up, and cooked through.
Add coleslaw mix, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and salt.
Cook until cabbage in tender.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the mayonnaise and sriracha, add a pinch of salt to taste.
Serve mixture in bowls, with garnish of sesame seeds, the green parts of the green onions, and sriracha mayo sauce. 

mushroom parmentier

mushroom parmentier
4 servings | 216 calories | 6g fat / 24g carbs / 22g protein
2 lbs mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tbsp butter butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 vegetable stock
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

cheese potato top (if not using left over potatoes
1/5 lbs red potatoes, cooked and mashed with skins
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheese
Salt and pepper to taste


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Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Heat the butter and 1 tbsp of the olive oil and saute the mushrooms until cooked. Remove from the pan.
Heat the other tbsp of olive olive and saute the onion until soft.
Add the garlic for 1 minute.
Deglaze with the wine and reduce to no more than a spoonful.
Add the stock, thyme and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until the stock has reduced by half.
Spoon the mixture into a casserole dish.
Mash the potatoes with the cream cheese until desired consistency (I like mine a little chunky). Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in the shredded cheese.
Distribute evenly over the mushroom mixture, and smooth with the back of the spoon.
Bake until bubbling hot and golden on top, about 15 minutes.


.

spicy cheesy baked potatoes

spicy cheesy baked potatoes

6 servings | 216 calories | 6g fat / 24g carbs / 22g protein
3 lbs red potatoes, washed and diced with peel on
1 cup of sour cream or cream cheese or ranch
1 small sweet onion, diced
1.5 cups shredded cheese
2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

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Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Boil potatoes in large pot for 10 minutes.
Drain well.
Put potatoes back in pot, add the onion, sour cream/cream cheese/ranch, 1 cup of shredded cheese, cayenne, paprika, and salt and pepper.
Mix well together.
Place mixture in greased casserole dish, top with remainder of the shredded cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes, until cheese is golden and melted.

*this goes well with a good steak and some asparagus for dinner