This year Thanksgiving is going to be fairly low key for my family. No big travel plans, no big family to entertain, just a simple, quiet and relaxing celebration for my family of four. Just because it will be our immediate family doesn’t mean that we won’t celebrate Thanksgiving with an elegant meal, but it does mean that I will need to tone down portions and create a menu suited for a smaller group. Now, we all know it’s traditional to serve turkey – however a turkey is BIG and unless you want to have leftovers for a month (if just feeding 4 on Thanksgiving) then it’s time to get creative. This year I will be serving a turkey roulade, which is basically a turkey breast rolled around the stuffing, which not only creates a beautiful presentation but also has the added benefit of delivering both the stuffing and turkey in one dish! If you find yourself with similar Thanksgiving plans, you may want to consider this dish.

Equipment you will need:

• Meat pounder/mallet
• Kitchen string
  
• Foil
  
• 13x9x2 inch roasting pan or baking pan
  
• Instant read thermometer

Turkey Roulade Recipe:

• 2 cups diced (1/4 inch) gluten-free sandwich bread (I used Kinnickinick’s white sandwich bread)
  
• 1 cup dried cranberries
  
• ½ cup water
  
• 3 Tablespoons softened butter, plus 1 Tablespoon melted
  
• ½ cup diced carrots
  
• ½ cup diced celery
  
• 1 large shallot, diced
  
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
  
• 2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• ¼ lb. chicken livers, trimmed
  
• 1 large egg
  
• ¼ cup milk
  
• 1 (5 lb.) boneless turkey breast half – or one small bone in turkey breast (see notes in step 6)
  
• ½ cup dry white wine
  
• ¼ cup gf soy sauce
  
• 2 whole cloves
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1-1/4 cup apple cider
  
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the bread crumbs in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast the bread crumbs in the oven until dry and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Place the cranberries in a ½ cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook until the water is absorbed and the cranberries are plump, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, shallots and garlic along with ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Transfer vegetables to a plate to cool and wipe skillet clean.

Pat the chicken livers dry with a paper towel and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in the clean skillet over high heat. When the foam subsides, add the livers and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until the edges are browned but the livers are still slightly pink inside. Transfer the chicken livers to a plate using a slotted spoon, reserving the pan juices. Let cool. When cool enough to handle, cut into a ¼ inch dice.

Whisk the egg and milk in a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, cranberries, sautéed vegetables, chicken livers, reserved pan juices and ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Let stand at room temperature until the liquid is completely absorbed and the stuffing is completely cool, about 10-15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Depending on what’s available at your store and how many people you are going to serve, you can either use a large 5 lb. turkey breast half or a small whole turkey breast (most likely it will be on the bone and a little more cumbersome – but certainly doable). If using a boneless turkey breast half, lay the breast on a flat surface and carefully cut it, starting at the thickest point, holding the knife parallel to the work surface, cut the breast horizontally almost in half, stopping about 1 inch from the other side. Open the breast like a book and put it between 2 sheets of plastic wrap.

If using a smaller whole breast on the bone, you will end up with two smaller roulades. Carefully cut each breast off the bone. Working with one breast at a time, lay the breast on a flat surface and carefully cut it, starting at the thickest point, holding the knife parallel to the work surface, cut the breast horizontally almost in half, stopping about 1 inch from the other side. Open the breast like a book and put it between 2 sheets of plastic wrap.

Pound the turkey breast(s) to 1-inch thickness with the flat side of a meat pounder. Discard the top sheet of plastic wrap and pat the turkey dry. Position the turkey so the shortest side is nearest to you and spread the stuffing evenly over the turkey, leaving a 1 inch border on all sides. Fold the short nearest you over the stuffing to enclose, gently pressing on the stuffing, then roll up the breast tightly. If preparing two breasts repeat this procedure with the remaining breast.

Arrange the rolled turkey breast(s) seam-side down, then tie cross-wise in 1 inch intervals with kitchen string. Brush the turkey with melted butter and season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Step 7:

Roast the turkey, seam-side down, in a 13x9x2 inch roasting pan, uncovered, until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Add the white wine, gf soy sauce, cloves, bay leaf and 1 cup cider to the roasting pan. Cover the roasting pan with foil and continue roasting until an instant read thermometer registers 170°F. Transfer the turkey roulade(s) to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered with foil, for about 15 minutes.

Slice the turkey roulade and serve with the gravy.

- Chef Jessica