SEASON’S GREETINGS!
Christmas is undoubtedly one of the most special holidays, from the religious significance of the holiday to the cultural impact it has, the delicious food, the festive music, and the classic movies. Christmas provides a magical atmosphere that fills homes with warmth and joy. It’s a time to celebrate and appreciate the blessings in our lives and to spread love and kindness to those around us.
Today, December 25, is my sister Rita’s birthday and though it has been many years since we could all be together at this time as a family, her birth date brings many precious memories. Nostalgia is a very strange thing. It pops up when you least expect it. Taste, smell, music can take you right back to a moment. I have fond memories of her Christmas Eve family birthday ‘parties’. On the eve of Christmas, our family would go to church. After returning home, we were joined by some family friends to have birthday cake and homemade root beer. My parents wanted my sister to always have this special time to honor her birthday apart from the Christmas festivities.
At the heart of a memorable dinner is the main entree, so why not make it just a bit more special by serving it ‘En Croute’. In the culinary arts, the term en croute (pronounced ‘on Kroot’) indicates a food that has been wrapped in a pastry dough and then baked in the oven. Traditionally the type of pastry used was a simple dough called pate pastry. Today, puff pastry is frequently used for most en croute recipes.
The key to preparing items en croute is that however long it takes to cook the pastry until it is golden brown is how long the item will spend in the oven. Some of the best choices are beef tenderloin, salmon or brie cheese, due to the fact they require less time to cook.
In the 1950’s and 60’s, Beef Wellington or as the French called it, ‘Boeuf en Croute’, became very popular. It was an elegant meal, using a beef tenderloin covered with liver pate and wrapped in pastry. My first introduction to this meal was a much more low-key version. It was simply achieved by making a nicely seasoned meatloaf, wrapping it in a basic pastry and baking it. My mother would serve it with tomato soup sauce. Definitely good but not quite the elegance of the true en croute entrees.
I’ve come to realize, there are two turkey ‘camps’ for most people. Those who love a roast turkey for the holiday dinner and those who like to part with tradition and have something different.
Now, I’m not actually in either turkey camp. Sometimes I love a juicy roasted turkey with all the complimentary side dishes. And other times, I crave something a little different but also mixed with a bit of tradition.
This savory blueberry & brie turkey wellington is a perfect showpiece for a holiday meal. Warm, melted cheese and crumbly bacon combined with fresh herbs, blueberries, topped with mushroom duxelle and covered in airy puff pastry. Served with blueberry chutney takes this meal to the next level!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RITA!
LOVE TO YOU & RICK .. WISHING YOU HEALTH & HAPPINESS!
SEASONINGS GREETINGS TO EVERYONE WHO ENJOYS & FOLLOWS OUR BLOG
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- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
- 1 small shallot, sliced thinly
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 100 gm brie cheese, rind removed & sliced
- 3/4 cup frozen blueberries
- 800 - 900 gm (approx. 1 3/4 -2 LBS) boneless/skinless turkey breast
- 170 gm thinly sliced prosciutto TIP: pop it in the freezer for about 10 minutes before you need to use it. This helps keep it from falling apart easily.
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp fresh shallots, finely chopped
- 250 gm mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp fine breadcrumbs
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 sheets (10 x 15) puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp cold water for egg wash
- 2 cups fresh OR frozen blueberries
- 1/4 cup onion, diced finely
- 1 Tbsp gingerroot, grated (or 1/4 tsp ground ginger)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add bacon, shallot & garlic; cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, rosemary, ¼ tsp salt & ¼ tsp pepper. Remove from heat; set aside to cool.
- Place the turkey breast on a large cutting board. To butterfly the breast, with a sharp knife, slice into the thickest portion of the breast & cut down the length (the side) of the breast, but not all the way through, about ¾ of the way through. You should be able to unfold the turkey breast like a book.
- Place the turkey breast in a large zip lock bag. Using a meat mallet, pound out both sides until they are even in thickness, about ¾-1-inch. Sprinkle turkey with remaining salt & pepper.
- Place brie slices on one half of the inside of the turkey breast and the cover with the shallot, thyme mixture, blueberries & bacon. Fold the top over onto the bottom, closing it like a book. Gently transfer the turkey breast to a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Place prosciutto slices over the top of the turkey breast. If the prosciutto is thin and tears, that’s ok, just continue to layer the prosciutto over the breast, tucking the prosciutto under the breast as needed.
- With either 4 – 5 strands of kitchen twine or wooden toothpicks, tie or ‘pick’ the turkey breast. Don’t tie the breast too tight. Just enough to keep it secure.
- Place in the turkey breast in the oven & bake for about 35 minutes. The turkey will be par-cooked & needs to cool for about 10-15 minutes. Once cool enough, cut the twine off (or remove picks) the turkey.
- While the turkey is cooling, make the mushroom duxelle. In a skillet, add olive oil & cook shallots just until they are soft. Then add the mushrooms & fresh herbs. Let the mushrooms cook until soft & wilted & have released some of their liquid. Stir in the garlic & cook a few minutes longer. Then stir in the breadcrumbs & season with salt & pepper.
- When ready, set the oven temperature to 400 F.
- Place one sheet of puff pastry on a flat lightly floured surface. Roll it out a bit lengthwise, about 1-inch. Most puff pastry is about 10×15 inches. I roll the pastry out to about 11×16 or 17. Then do the same with the second piece of puff pastry.
- Place one sheet of prepared puff pastry onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then place the cooled par-cooked turkey breast in the center of the puff pastry. With a sharp knife, cut horizontal slits (about 1 inch apart) on the edge of each side of the pastry dough.
- Top the turkey breast with the mushroom duxelle, patting it securely into place. Some of the mushroom mixture will tumble off but just put it back on & continue patting it gently until it sticks. Fold each piece of pastry over the turkey breast in a crisscross manner continuing until the breast is completely covered. Tuck the edges of both sides in & pinch them well. Use any extra bits of pastry to make decorations for the top if you like. I used a small holly leaf cookie cutter to make leaves. Use the egg wash to attach your pastry decorations.
- Then brush the remaining egg wash over the puff pastry and sprinkle with a little sea salt if you wish. Place in the oven & cook for 70 minutes. The turkey is done when the pastry is a deep golden brown or meat thermometer reads 165 F. Remove the Wellington from the oven & let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
- While the turkey is roasting, make the blueberry chutney. In a saucepan, combine all chutney ingredients: mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil for 1 minute.
- To serve, slice the turkey Wellington & place it on a platter. Drizzle with a little blueberry chutney & serve. Serve the extra chutney on the side.
NOTE: This recipe has several steps, but it’s worth the effort. The stuffing as well as the mushroom duxelle can be prepared a day in advance and held in the refrigerator. Prepare chutney, cool & refrigerate until ready to use.
