Cooking Lesson #370: French Bresse-Style Turkey

The Thanksgiving Collection

 ​How you doin’? Where has this year gone? It’s coming close to Thanksgiving Day already—my favorite food day of the year. In the past we’ve talked about making brined turkey, upside down turkey, spatchcocked turkey, fried turkey and, yes, even roasted turkey. It’s pretty easy to make great turkey, right?

Now it’s time to take it to the next level—a Bresse-Style Turkey. I got the inspiration for this recipe from Ariane Daguin at D’Artagnan. This is a real winner for those who love a traditional French-style turkey… super juicy on the inside with a nice golden brown, crisp skin on the outside and perfectly roasted flavor.
 
It’s not that this recipe is so complicated or particularly hard to do, it just has a few more steps and more quality time and ingredients than turkeys we’ve made in the past. This is the style of turkey I learned to make at the Cordon Bleu in Paris many Thanksgivings ago. So let me just say this, if you’re cooking your first turkey ever or if you are an old pro on your fortieth, you will still get the same marvelous result I did in France every single time.
 
There is only one catch… you will need a pot large enough to fit your turkey in (about 20 quarts) and you will need to start the preparation the day before. But again, it’s no big deal.  Actually, you will be making two recipes at the same time—the perfect turkey and the most flavorful turkey soup you’ve ever slurped!
 
Prep time:  1 hour
Balance/Brine time:  4 hours 40 minutes
Refrigerate time:  overnight
Roast time:  1 hour 30 minutes
Yield:  6 to 10 servings

Ingredients
2 containers Duck and Veal Demi-Glace (available at www.dartagnan.com)
4 medium carrots, rough chopped
4 stalks celery, rough chopped
3 medium yellow onions, thickly sliced
1 turnip, rough chopped
1 head garlic, peeled
3 ounces Duck Fat (available at www.dartagnan.com)
1 turkey, 12- to 14-pounds (more on this choice in the ChefSecrets)
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
 
Directions

1. Combine the duck and veal demi-glace, carrots, celery, onions, turnip and garlic in a large stock pot large enough to hold the turkey.
2. Fill the pot with water to the halfway mark and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. While the stock heats, rinse turkey, remove the giblets and liver and, starting at the neck, carefully separate the skin from the breast and upper thighs with your fingers, being careful not to tear the skin.
4. Rub the duck fat all over the outside, in between the skin and flesh. Truss the turkey with kitchen twine (tie back the wings and legs). This makes it easier to handle the bird later.
5. When the stock begins to boil, add the salt and pepper—this is a hot brine process.
6. Carefully add the trussed turkey to the pot and adjust the heat so it just simmers. Cover the pot with a lid and make sure the turkey is completely submerged.
7. Simmer the turkey for 40 minutes, then remove the pot from heat. Let the turkey slowly cool to room temperature in the broth, up to 4 hours.
8. Refrigerate the turkey in the pot overnight. If you don’t have enough room in the refrigerator, fill a tub or sink with ice and water to chill.
9. Take the turkey out of the pot about 2 hours before you are planning to roast it.
10. The next day, preheat oven to 475⁰ F.
11. Take the turkey out of the pot, place it on a rack in a roasting pan and roast it in the hot oven for 30 minutes.
12. Turn the oven off, leaving the bird inside for about an hour with the oven door shut.
13. I promise when you are ready to eat the main course, the bird will be perfectly cooked and nicely roasted.
14. Remember, you are going to use leftover stock as a wonderful base for turkey soup and gravy. Refrigerate the stock until ready to use.

Carve the bird—don’t mangle it!

1. You don’t have to wait for the turkey to rest—it has been in the state of hibernation since the first 30 minutes of high-temperature cooking. It is now time to carve the bird. Don’t get all uptight and make this a bigger thing than it is.
2. Place the turkey on a good sturdy cutting board with juice channels carved into the board to catch all the precious run off. I always put a kitchen towel underneath the cutting board to catch any spills and to steady the board.

• Using a carving fork to steady the turkey, carefully remove the legs—yes, both of them. Cut through the crispy skin, tendons and joints so that you “capture” the whole leg and thigh.
• Next separate the thighs from the drumsticks. Bend the leg backwards until the joint breaks and then cut though with your extra sharp carving knife. Now just slice along the top of the thigh parallel to the bone and remove as much meat as possible. Reserve the roasted bones for munching or stock.
• Cut away the wings. You’ve got it by now. Find the joint and carefully cut through so as not to tear the skin. I never bother carving the wing meat off; I just pull it off Henry VIII-style and eat off the bone. It is not really proper etiquette to dispatch the bones over your shoulder—so behave.
• Finally, you are left with the torso. Use your meat fork to steady the breast, cut down along the breastbone until you hit the rib cage and remove the whole breast lobe. Slice as needed for the immediate meal and try to keep the skin on the unused portion so the white meat will not dry out.

Okay, I’ve taken you from a wonderful raw bird to a beautifully carved turkey and the fun is just starting. Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner and the many enjoyable leftovers coming up.

ChefSecret:  Turkeys—I don’t usually purchase self-basting or injected turkeys. They are usually factory-farmed, and you can’t control salt levels. I like smaller size 12 to 14-pound birds. Talk to your independent poultry guy and have him source a Wild Turkey (more dark meat), Heritage Turkey or Organic, Free-Range Turkey. All my suggested birds are smaller than commercially grown turkeys and are much tastier, too.

Quip of the Day: “America lost its true identity when more value was placed on suits and contracts rather than bib overalls and a handshake.”
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

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