Monthly Archives: December 2015

Herbed Turkey Breast

Stuff I Cook

This is an old time favorite. This is the most practical recipe I use for holidays because there is just no way for all three of us to finish a 12-pound plus turkey. Besides, D is not a big fan of dark poultry meat, which makes Beans a non-fan as well. Leaving me  to have both turkey legs, so, uh no. I use a 6-7 pound turkey breast. By the way, this only cooks for 1.5 hours too!

A good turkey roast will always have to be brined. Here’s what I use to brine my turkey for at least 16 hours: 250ml apple cider, orange peel of 1 orange, 1 cup of salt , 2 sprigs of rosemary, 1/2 cup brown sugar

bring to boil, cool completely before drowning the bird
bring to boil, cool completely before drowning the bird

Fill with water so that bird is completely submerged.

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Regrigerate. This pot takes up a lot of room in a season where real estate space in t he refrigerator is really tight. I buy the biggest ziplocs i can find then double bag. Instant space-saver!

After 16-24 hours of brining, get the bird out and rinse off. Pat dry and allow to rest for at least an hour. This will give you enough time to prepare your herb rub. The cast of characters for this rub is as follows:

3T of parsley, 1T of sage, 1T of thyme, chopped. And 5 T of softened butter
3T of parsley, 1T of sage, 1T of thyme, chopped. 4 cloves of garlic and  5 T of softened butter

Nuke the butter with smashed garlic for about 20 seconds then mix in all the herb. It will look something like this.

At this point, the smell is soooo good, you just know you're doing something right.
At this point, the smell is soooo good, you just know you’re doing something right.

Now this is the fun part. You need to get under the skin of the turkey with cutting it, otherwise all the nice goo that you just made will fall off. My trick is to locate the fascia under the skin.\. Now for my classmates and friends in med school, this is a no-brainer. The fascia is much tougher so it wouldn’t tear as easy. Dissect underneath it using your fingers and you can get into all the crevices with the skin still intact.

Wipe off the excess goo in your hands in the surface of the turkey to make it brown nicely.
Wipe off the excess goo in your hands in the surface of the turkey to make it brown nicely.

Before setting it to my roaster, I always put some farm potatoes on the pan. Just get a 2-pound baggie, drizzle with olive oil, add some Italian herb seasoning, salt and pepper. I know some people adding turnips and shallots but none of my peeps eat that so I do away with it.

Roast at 425 for 30 minutes then 325 for an hour.
Roast at 425 for 30 minutes then 325 for an hour.

I take my done-ness really seriously when it comes to poultry so I make sure that it registers at 150 right in the middle of the thickest part of the breast.

Voila! This is done. Cover this bird and allow to rest for 30 minutes. You can use your oven heat to warm up all you other dishes at this point.
Voila! This is done. Cover this bird and allow to rest for 30 minutes. You can use your oven heat to warm up all you other dishes at this point.
This turkey is lopsided so I put limes on each side to balance it. The limes have nothing to do with the cooking of this wonderful roast.
This turkey is lopsided so I put limes on each side to balance it. The limes have nothing to do with the cooking of this wonderful roast.

Gluhwein and Glogg

I, Me, and Myself, Stuff I Cook

I am giving away Gluhwein and Glogg for my dear friends in the clinic this year. Gluhwein is German mulled wine while Glogg is its Swedish counterpart.  It’s amazing how different cultures come up with ways to feel warm and cozy for winter nights. There are dozens of European varieties of mulled wine. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to, they all taste the same…The Glogg I ordered is actually from Pedernales Cellar in Fredericksburg. Every winter, the city holds a mulled wine festival and that winery has been a consistent winner. We have been stocking up on it for the last two years.

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Naturally, I searched for good pairings. My German friend, Hans, said that anything cheesy and savory would be perfect. Hmmmm. Cheesy and savory—-the two words that would send anyone fleeing for a liposuction. That shouldn’t be so hard. I instantly thought of gougeres. Gougeres are French savory pastries that are like cheese puffs.

Boil 1/2cup milk, 1/2cup water, pinch of salt and butter
Boil 1/2cup milk, 1/2cup water, pinch of salt and a stick of butter

Add 1 cup of flour and stir in low heat until it dries out and starts pulling away from pan.

Move the whole thing to a mixer with paddle and add 4 large eggs, one at a time.
Move the whole thing to a mixer with paddle and add 4 large eggs, beating it in  one at a time.
Add 1 cup of grated Gruyere cheese. I am using one which is hickory-smoked to jazz things up
Add 1 cup of grated Gruyere cheese. I am using one which is hickory-smoked to jazz things up
Drop 1 tablespoon, 2 inches apart in a cookie sheet
Drop 1 tablespoon, 2 inches apart in a cookie sheet

Bake at 400 for 20-22 minutes until it puffs out, looking like this:

yum!
yum!

Another really easy pairing is Home Made Cheese Straws

Grab a sheet of puff pastry, cover with parmesan cheese and Italian Blend seasoning. Pat it down, put some muscle into it, otherwise the whole delectable concoction of cheese and herb falls off.

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Cut in small small strips, 1/2 inch should be perfect, then twist

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Bake for 15 minutes at 350

Cheese straws! Some are fatter than I wanted it to be. I have no quality control.
Cheese straws! Some are fatter than I wanted it to be. I have no quality control.

So, those are two pairings so far. As mentioned earlier, anything cheesy is good. But at times when I am not inclined to whip up anything in the mixer, turn the oven on, or just when the thought of cleaning up kitchen mess fills me with so much dread, I just want to chug the whole bottle of Glogg, I go direct to the point. I pair it with plain old cheese. HEB has some good selections this season. Many thanks to Connie, Dr N’s so-much-better half.

Balsamic, Espresso and Merlot cheese.
Balsamic, Espresso and Merlot cheese.

Another good option is Pfeffernusse cookies. These are German Spice cookies. I made them in the past but Trader Joe’s started making it and as much as I hate to admit it, is so much better than mine. Hey, I am a hard-core foodie. I have no pride. If someone can make it better and will not charge me my first-born for it, I’m buying it. It’s $4.99 without pots and pans to clean, so naturally, it made it on my list.

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I have to throw this in. Before you start judging me, I just urge you to try it. It is called Better Than Good Bacon Jam. It is made of  onions caramelized in balsamic vinegar  and bacon, then made into a jam by angels somewhere in Texas. You can spread this baby into anything and make it turn into something very decadent. Pair it with warm, spicy wine, sit by the fire, and all bacon-associated guilt disappears into thin air.

I have hoarded a couple (dozens) of these since last year, thinking that it was some limited supply thing. Fortunately, My HEB still has this stocked.Otherwise, I would have to learn how to make this myself.
I have hoarded a couple (dozens) of these since last year, thinking that it was some limited supply thing. Fortunately, My HEB still has this stocked.Otherwise, I would have to learn how to make this myself.