Turkey Wellington Recipes

TURKEY WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Dad and I had a really interesting conversation about smaller families not wanting whole turkeys for their dinner. So we had a scout around the supermarkets and developed a really delicious and impressive recipe for this. It's dramatic and stretches the meat a fairly long way. The case of pastry and minced mushrooms keeps the breast moist and delicious and is a little forgiving so the meat holds its juices. You could assemble it a day before and just leave it in the fridge ready to over deliver on Christmas day.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Place the turkey breast upside-down on a board. Gently slice into the natural join of the breast muscle to open it out and make a sort of pocket. Season well and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle over half the thyme leaves, then spread over an even layer of cranberry jam, pushing it into all the nooks and crannies. Fold it back into shape to seal the mixture inside - swiss roll-stylie - and push a few cocktail sticks into the seam to keep it together. 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 72°C at the thickest point.
• Meanwhile, soak the porcini in a dish of just-boiled water. After 5 minutes, stir with a fork so any bits of grit sink to the bottom. Add the bacon to a large frying pan with a splash of oil on a medium heat and fry for 5 to 10 minutes, or until beautifully golden and super crispy. Strip in the leaves from 2 rosemary sprigs for the last 30 seconds or so. Remove everything from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the bacon fat behind. Add the fresh mushrooms to the pan with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drain and chop the porcini, saving the water, then stir into the pan. Add a splash of the water, avoiding the grit, then cook for around 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pan starts to sizzle again and the mushrooms are golden, soft and sticky with caramelly edges.
• To make the gravy, cut the thigh off the turkey leg and slash into it slightly. Throw the leg and thigh into a pot along with the carrot, leek and onion. Stir in the flour, add a good pinch of salt and pepper and 2 litres of boiling water. Add a heaped tablespoon of cranberry jam, the balsamic vinegar and remaining rosemary sprig. Bring back to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for around 2 hours, or until thick. Strain it through a sieve and reheat before serving.
• When the mushroom pan is dry, add a knob of butter and toss to coat. Tip the mushrooms into the food processor and whiz until you get a good mixture of smooth and chunky. Leave to cool. Once the turkey breast and stuffing have cooled, you can get on with assembling the wellington.
• Dust a clean surface with flour, then roll out each packet of puff pastry to the size of a shoe box (one will be the base, one the lid - roll the lid ever so slightly bigger). Line a large roasting tray with greaseproof paper, dust with flour, then add the smaller piece of pastry. 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 cocktail sticks, 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. Sprinkle with the crispy bacon and rosemary, then 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 (like in the picture).
• Brush the whole thing with beaten egg then all the hard work's done. Leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight until you're ready to cook. On Christmas day, cook at 180°/350°F/gas 4 for 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 carved into 2.5cm with the gravy and all the usual. Christmas in a mouthful.

ROAST TURKEY AND CRANBERRY WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Trim the turkey breast so that it's a more oval shape (which means cutting pieces off the neck end, that you will use later). Tie with a 2cm (1inch) gap between each loop of string, to give a rounded shape.
• Heat 2-3 Tbsp cooking oil in a large skillet. Season turkey and fry in pan until golden all over. Remove from pan and cool. Place in refrigerator to firm up before removing the string.
• For the stuffing, cook onions in 2 Tbsp butter for a few minutes until soft. Remove from heat and cool. Roughly chop turkey trimmings and blitz in food processor until smooth. Add sausages and blitz again 30-40 seconds until mixed together. Season and mix in eggs (with wooden spoon or blitz again).
• Spoon stuffing into a large bowl. Mix in onions, cranberries, chestnut puree, and breadcrumbs. Add seasoning. Chill in fridge.
• Thin out bacon by rolling between two sheets of cling film (you'll need to do this in batches). Chill bacon rashers on tray until needed.
• Roll puff pastry on lightly floured surface to a rectangle approximately 45X35cm (18X14inches). Lay bacon rashers on top of pastry, leaving a 3-4 cm (1 1/4 inch) border all the way around. Slightly overlap the bacon rashers as they are laid on the pastry to allow for shrinkage as it cooks. (You'll need about 14-15 rashers).
• Spread cranberry stuffing over bacon, reserving a few tablespoons. Remove the string from the turkey and lay the breast lengthwise, presentation side down, on top of stuffing. Spread reserved stuffing along centre and top of turkey. Rap turkey and stuffing roll with bacon by lifting 4-5 bacon rashers at a time and pressing into the turkey breast. Continue until both sides have been lifted. Lay remaining rashers lengthwise on the top, covering stuffing that was spread there.
• Bring one long side of pastry up and over the turkey. Brush the other long side with beaten egg along the 3-4cm (1-1/4inch) border, and press to seal. Brush both ends with beaten egg and fold up to seal. Turn carefully so that wellington is presentation-side-up and place on lightly oiled baking tray. Chill.
• To cook wellington, preheat oven to 200°C, Gas mark 6. Bake 1 hour, 15minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes, max. After first 45 minutes, brush wellington with beaten egg to colour the pastry. Once cooked, remove from oven and rest for 15-20 minutes before lifting carefully on to a carving board with two large fish slices.
• While wellington is baking, make the sauce. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a pan and add shallots or onions. Cook on medium high heat until golden. Add honey and cook until almost caramelised. Add red wine vinegar and red wine. bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add water or stock and return to simmer. Mix flour with 1 Tbsp butter. Whisk into sauce a bit at a time. Return sauce to boil and simmer a few more minutes. Strain through a sieve and season. Slice the wellington and serve with potatoes and brussel sprouts.

ROAST TURKEY & CRANBERRY WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Trim the turkey breast. Its natural shape does not suit the rolled and wrapped wellington. The thicker neck end can first be trimmed to establish a more cylindrical shape. Trimmings from 2kg/4lb 8oz breasts and upwards, will be enough for the 350g/12oz needed for stuffing. Once trimmed, tie the breast with a 2cm/1in gap between each loop of string, to give a rounded shape.
• Heat 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil in a large frying pan or roasting tray. Season the turkey before pan frying until golden brown all over. Remove from the pan and cool. The breast can now be refrigerated to firm up before removing the string.
• Make the stuffing: cook the onions in a knob of butter for a few minutes until softened. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Roughly chop the turkey trimmings before blitzing in a food processor until smooth. Add sausages and continue to blitz for 30-40 seconds until mixed in. Season and add the eggs. These can be blitzed into the meat for a further minute until the texture thickens.
• Spoon the stuffing into a large bowl. Mix in the onions and remaining stuffing ingredients along with extra seasoning, if desired. The stuffing can now be chilled while the bacon and pastry are prepared.
• The streaky bacon needs to be rolled thinner. This extends the length of the rashers helping them to wrap around the turkey and stuffing. The easiest method to follow is to lay 3-5 rashers between two sheets of cling film and press with a rolling pin as if rolling pastry. The rashers will easily thin and extend this way. Peel away the top layer of film and remove the rashers and put on a tray. Repeat until all rashers are pressed. Chill until needed.
• Roll the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle approximately 45 x 35cm/18 x 14in. The rashers of bacon can be laid on top of the pastry, leaving a 3-4cm/1½in border all round. Slightly overlap the rashers as they are laid on the pastry (you'll need about 14-15 rashers).
• Spread the cranberry stuffing over the bacon, first mixing it well if it is chilled and set. Keep back a few heaped tablespoons. Remove the string from the turkey and lay the breast lengthwise and presentation side down on top of the stuffing. The reserved stuffing can now be spread along the centre top of the turkey. Lift 4-5 rashers at a time and press them against the breast. Continue until all the rashers on both sides have been lifted and pressed. The remaining rashers can now be laid lengthwise along the top, covering the stuffing that was spread there.
• Bring one long side of the pastry up and over the turkey. Brush the other long side with beaten egg, along the 3-4cm/1½in border, then seal. Brush both ends with beaten egg and fold up to seal in all the ingredients. Turn the wellington so that the presentation side is up and put on a lightly oiled baking tray, or one covered with greased parchment. Chill.
• To cook the wellington: preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6/170C in a fan assisted convection oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes maximum. After 45 minutes, brush the wellington with egg to help colour the pastry. For the most golden of finishes, brush again before the last 15-20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and rest for 15-20 minutes before lifting carefully on to a carving board with two large fish slices.
• While the Wellington is baking the sauce can be made: melt a knob of butter in a pan, once bubbling add the shallots or onions and cook on a medium high heat until a rich deep golden colour. Add the honey and continue to cook for a few minutes until bubbling and almost caramelising. At this point add the red wine vinegar and red wine. Bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add the water or stock and return to simmer. Mix the flour with 25g/1oz butter. Whisk into the sauce a little at a time until completely whisked in. Return the sauce to the boil before reducing to a simmer and cooking for a few minutes. Strain through a sieve and season. Slice the wellington and serve with noisette potatoes and buttered Brussels sprouts.

DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING (OR CHRISTMAS) TURKEY WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Saute onions and mushrooms in olive oil 4 to 5 minutes; set aside.
• Place 1/4 cup leftover Thanksgiving turkey stuffing in the center of 2 puff pastry squares.
• Top the stuffing with 1/4 pound leftover turkey pieces.
• Top turkey with sauteed mushrooms and onions.
• Add salt and pepper, to taste.
• Beat together egg and milk.
• Place remaining 2 puff pastry squares over filling and seal with the milk and egg wash.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• You can serve this Thanksgiving Turkey Wellington with heated Thanksgiving gravy on top with cranberry sauce and your favorite vegetable.
• Enjoy!