Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Roulade with Pesto
A delicious menu idea for your Thanksgiving table.Ingredients
Serves 6-8
¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
1 cup (250 ml) chopped shallots or yellow onions
½ cup (125 ml) chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, crushed
¾ cup (175 ml) pesto
½ cup (125 ml) panko bread crumbs
2 boneless, skinless turkey breasts
3 tbsp (45 ml) + 2 tbsp (30 ml) Seasoning Rub, make ahead, recipe follows, divided
½ cup (125 ml) butter, chilled and shredded
1½ lbs (750 g) bacon, thinly sliced
SEASONING RUB
3 tbsp (45 ml) salt
2 tsp (10 ml) freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp (10 ml) paprika
1 tbsp (15 ml) brown sugar
1 tbsp (15 ml) sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) ground garlic
1 tsp (5 ml) ground ginger
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add shallots (or onions) and celery and cook until translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool for about 10 minutes.
- Add pesto and panko bread crumbs. Mix well and allow to cool. Can be refrigerated for up to 2 days if not using right away. Bring to room temperature before using.
- Place a clean piece of parchment paper approximately 15-in (38 cm) x 24-in (60 cm) on clean surface, long edge facing you.
- Using a sharp knife, butterfly the turkey breast to relatively even thickness, making sure not to cut all the way through. Cover with plastic wrap. Using blunt side of a mallet, pound covered turkey to about 1-in (2.5 cm) to 1½-in (3.75 cm) thickness. Discard plastic wrap. Spread turkey breast in centre of parchment paper, slightly overlapping pieces, to form a rectangle, with its long edge facing parallel to you.
- Generously sprinkle 3 tbsp (45 ml) of Seasoning Rub evenly across surface of turkey and gently rub it in. Evenly spread pesto filling in centre of butterflied turkey breast. Sprinkle with chilled shredded butter. Fold 1 edge of turkey breast over filling, then the other, to form a roll. Generously sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp (30 ml) Seasoning Rub over surface of roulade. Roll it tightly in parchment paper and twist ends to look like candy wrapper. Refrigerate overnight or at least 1 hour.
- Place another clean piece of parchment paper approximately 15-in (38 cm) x 24-in (60 cm) on a clean surface, long edge facing you. Place 1 bacon rasher vertically along shorter side of parchment paper. Place another bacon rasher over edge of the first one. Repeat until all bacon is used and its width is the same as the length of the roulade.
- Unwrap roulade and place across bacon layers. Fold each rasher of bacon tightly over to wrap around roulade. Fold parchment paper over to tightly wrap the roulade again. Refrigerate up to 1 day. When ready to use, unwrap roulade and place on large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, seam side down. Bring to room temperature before baking.
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
- Bake prepared roulade for about 1 hour or until centre of the turkey registers 155 F (68 C) on a cooking thermometer and bacon is well browned. If bacon looks cooked but turkey has not reached required internal temperature, cover with foil and continue baking until turkey is cooked, checking every 10 minutes. Remove from oven and loosely cover with foil for 30 minutes before serving.
Drink Pairings
Crème Brûlée Pear Tart
This impressive tart combines flaky crust, creamy custard, poached pears and crunchy caramelized sugar. All the components can be made ahead of time, but brûlée the pears just before serving.Ingredients
Serves 8
POACHED PEARS
1 cup (250 ml) water
1 cup (250 ml) white wine
1 cup (250 ml) granulated sugar
½ vanilla bean, split in half
3 large pears
CREME BRULEE PEAR TART
1½ cups (375 ml) all-purpose flour
½ cup (125 ml) icing sugar
¼ tsp (1 ml) fine sea salt
9 tbsp (135 ml) very cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 large eggs, divided
4 egg yolks
⅓ cup + 2 tbsp (105 ml) granulated sugar, divided
1¼ cups (310 ml) whipping cream
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
Cape gooseberries and fresh basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Make Poached Pears and let cool to room temperature while making tart crust. To make poached pears: in a small saucepan, stir together water, wine, sugar and vanilla bean. Warm mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Bring mixture to a light simmer. Peel pears and, with a melon-baller, remove core, working from bottom and carving into centre of pear. Place pears in simmering sugar syrup. To keep pears submerged, place a piece of parchment paper over them so that it touches poaching liquid. The amount of time needed for pears to poach will depend on ripeness. To check pears for doneness, after 8 to 10 minutes, lift them gently from syrup with a slotted spoon and, using a small knife, poke flesh. Pear is done when knife meets very little resistance. If not yet done, return pears to sugar syrup and check every 3 to 5 minutes. When cooked to desired doneness, transfer pears to a bowl and let cool completely to room temperature before using. Pears may be refrigerated in an airtight container along with their poaching liquid for up to one week.
- In bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade attachment, pulse together flour, icing sugar and salt until well combined. Scatter butter over dry ingredients and pulse until butter is coarsely chopped. Butter should vary in size from a flake of oatmeal to peas. Add 1 egg and pulse until dough comes together in large clumps. It’s ok if all the dry ingredients have not incorporated fully. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and knead very lightly and sparingly, just until any wayward dry ingredients are incorporated. Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap or beeswax cloth and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours.
- Butter a 9-in (23 cm) fluted tart pan with removable bottom.
- Roll out chilled dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper until about ¼-in (0.5 cm) thick, taking care to lift, turn and flour dough occasionally to make sure it does not stick to paper. Using parchment as an aid, lift dough into prepared tart pan. Discard parchment paper. Seal any cracks in dough, trim extra dough with scissors ½-in (1.25 cm) above rim of pan and fold overhang inward to reinforce sides. Place crust in freezer for 1 hour.
- Centre a rack in oven and preheat to 375 F (190 C).
- Butter shiny side of an aluminum foil piece before fitting foil, buttered-side down, tightly against frozen crust. Place tart pan on a baking tray and bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove foil and press down any parts of crust that have puffed up. Bake again for another 5 minutes. Set aside on a wire rack and reduce oven temperature to 300 F (150 C).
- For filling, in a medium bowl, whisk together remaining egg with egg yolks and ⅓ cup (75 ml) sugar until well combined. Add whipping cream and vanilla extract and whisk until well combined. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain into a measuring jug and set aside.
- Cut each prepared pear half into 4 wedges. Arrange pears in tart shell to form a rosette, overlapping them slightly if needed but leaving some room for custard filling. You may not need all pear wedges for the tart. Place tart pan, still on baking tray, into oven and carefully pour custard mixture into shell, trying not to disturb pear placement. Bake until custard is just set but still slightly wobbly in centre, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove tart from baking tray and allow to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove sides of tart pan and leave tart to cool on rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Once cooled, tart may be loosely covered and chilled for up to 24 hours. Gently blot any moisture from surface before continuing with recipe instructions.
- Just before serving, sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp (30 ml) sugar evenly over top of tart. Using a brûlée torch, blow sugar layer, moving flame evenly back and forth just above tart, avoiding crust, until sugar has caramelized. Let stand for 5 minutes before garnishing, if desired, with Cape gooseberries and basil.
Drink Pairings
Maple Miso Brûlée Sablefish
While we all know and love a good crème brûlée, there is so much more that we can do with the simple brûlée cooking technique. Why should sweets get all the fun? You can brûlée your main, too!Ingredients
Serves 4
2 lbs (1 kg) rutabaga
1½ tsp (7 ml) kosher salt, divided, plus extra for seasoning greens
½ cup (125 ml) maple syrup
¾ cup (175 ml) red miso
¼ cup (60 ml) mirin
¼ cup (60 ml) sake or white wine
⅓ cup (75 ml) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
¼ tsp (1 ml) ground white pepper
1½ lbs (750 g) sablefish, cut into 6 oz (180 g) fillets, skin on or off
1 tbsp (15 ml) grapeseed oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups (1 L) packed, roughly chopped fall greens, such as kale, collard greens or Swiss chard, to serve
1 green onion, finely sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- To make rutabaga purée, peel rutabaga and cut into 1-in (2.5 cm) chunks. Place in a large saucepan, cover with water and sprinkle with 1 tsp (5 ml) salt. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until fork-tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- While rutabaga cooks, preheat broiler with racks set about 5-in (12 cm) from heat source. In a small saucepan, whisk together maple syrup, miso, mirin and sake (or white wine) over medium heat, whisking constantly, until almost at a boil, about 5 minutes. Transfer sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer sauce to a bowl and set aside.
- Drain rutabaga and return to saucepan, allowing to dry out slightly over residual heat from heating element. Add rutabaga to a blender or food processor along with butter, remaining ½ tsp (2.5 ml) salt and pepper. Pulse until desired texture is achieved. Return purée to saucepan, cover and set aside.
- Place sablefish fillets, skin-side down, in an ovenproof baking dish or skillet, and spoon half reserved sauce over fish. Broil, watching carefully, until sauce bubbles and begins to brown. Spoon remaining half of sauce over fish. Continue to broil until fish is just cooked through, adjusting heat or rack position if sauce or fish is browning too quickly, about 5 to 8 minutes. An easy way to test doneness of fish is to insert a thin-bladed knife into thickest part of fish. It should meet with little resistance.
- In a large frying pan, heat grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add greens, season with a pinch of salt and sauté until warmed through but still maintains some bite, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- To serve, divide rutabaga purée and sautéed greens among 4 dinner plates. Top with fish, garnish with green onion and serve immediately.
Drink Pairings
Brûlée Brie with Bourbon-Kissed Cranberries
While we all know and love a good crème brûlée, there is so much more that we can do with the simple brûlée cooking technique. Take your brie to new levels with a brûléed treatment and garnished with delicious bourbon-kissed cranberries.Ingredients
Serves 4
½ cup (125 ml) granulated sugar, plus extra to brûlée brie
½ cup (125 ml) water
¼ cup (60 ml) Four Roses Bourbon
2 cups (500 ml) fresh cranberries
1 wheel (200 g) double cream brie cheese
baguette slices, for serving
fruits and nuts, for serving
Instructions
- To make bourbon-kissed cranberries, in a small saucepan, bring ½ cup (125 ml) each sugar and water to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once mixture reaches a simmer and sugar has dissolved, stir in bourbon and remove saucepan from heat.
- Transfer cranberries to a sealable container and pour warm sugar mixture over berries. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
- To make brûlée brie, cut off rind from top of brie wheel. Sprinkle a generous, even layer of sugar on top of cheese. Take a brûlée torch to sugar layer and wave it across sections until sugar is melted and nicely browned. Repeat with another 2 to 3 layers of sugar for a thicker sugar crust, if desired.
- To serve, transfer cheese to a serving platter or board and top with bourbon-kissed cranberries. Garnish platter with baguette slices, sliced seasonal fruits and nuts. Serve immediately.
Drink Pairings
Raspberry Rosé Sorbet
Ingredients
Serves about 4 cups (1 L)
¾ cup (175 ml) granulated sugar
1 cup (250 ml) water
4 cups (1 L) frozen raspberries
1½ cups (375 ml) sparkling rosé
fresh raspberries, for garnish (optional)
4 sprigs mint, leaves only, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Prechill ice cream bowl for minimum 12 hours.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and water to a boil. Stir sugar until fully dissolved then add raspberries. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
- Using a high-powered blender, blend on high until puréed. Pour into a container and chill in refrigerator for about 6 hours. Once chilled, add sparkling rosé.
- In bowl of an ice cream machine, churn mixture until sorbet is formed, about 20 minutes. Place in an airtight container until ready to serve.
- To serve, scoop into a coupe glass and top with sparkling rosé. Garnish with fresh raspberries and mint sprig, if using.
Drink Pairings
Rum Vanilla with Figs & Balsamic Caramel
Ingredients
Serves about 4 cups (1 L)
½ cup (125 ml) brown sugar
2 tbsp (30 ml) balsamic vinegar
½ cup (125 ml) whipping cream
1 tbsp (15 ml) unsalted butter
salt, to taste
4 egg yolks
½ cup (125 ml) granulated sugar
1 cup (250 ml) 2% milk
1 cup (250 ml) whipping cream
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
¼ cup (60 ml) dark rum
½ cup (125 ml) chopped dried figs
Instructions
- Prechill ice cream bowl for minimum 12 hours.
- To make balsamic caramel, in a medium saucepan, heat brown sugar and balsamic vinegar over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Add whipping cream, butter and salt. Stir to combine and set aside to cool. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together egg yolks and sugar. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, warm milk. Do not allow to boil. Pour half the warm milk into egg‑yolk mixture. Mix to combine. Pour egg mixture back into saucepan with remaining warm milk. Cook for 8 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened or reaching a temperature of 165 F (73 C). Pour ice cream base into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 6 hours.
- Once mixture is chilled, add whipping cream, vanilla and rum. Stir to combine and place in chilled ice cream machine. Once ice cream has set, transfer to an airtight freezer container and mix in chopped figs and half the balsamic caramel. Using a chopstick, gently swirl mixture, do not over-mix. Freeze overnight before serving. Serve with remaining balsamic caramel.
Drink Pairings
Coconut Lime Margarita Ice Cream
Ingredients
Serves about 4 cups (1 L)
1 cup (250 ml) shredded sweetened coconut
1 x 14 oz (398 ml) can full fat coconut milk
1 cup (250 ml) whipping cream
3 limes, zest and juice, divided
½ cup (125 ml) granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks (or 5 small)
¼ cup (60 ml) blanco tequila
lime zest, for garnish
toasted coconut, for garnish
salt, for rimming serving dishes (optional)
Instructions
- Prechill ice cream bowl for minimum 12 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
- On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread out coconut evenly. Toast until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In a saucepan, heat coconut milk and cream over medium heat. Add zest from 3 limes. Mixture will steam, but don’t allow to boil, then reduce heat to low.
- In a separate bowl, add sugar and egg yolks. Mix well to combine.
- Ladle 2 cups (500 ml) of warmed cream into egg-yolk mixture and whisk. Add remaining cream to egg yolks and return to saucepan. Over low heat, cook until mixture has thickened enough to coat back of a spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a container. Cool mixture in refrigerator for about 6 hours.
- Once ice cream base has chilled, add lime juice and tequila and pour mixture into ice cream machine. Turn on for 20 minutes or until ice cream has set. Remove from machine and store overnight in an airtight freezer container with a lid.
- Garnish with toasted coconut and serve with lime zest and salt rim, if using.
Drink Pairings
No Churn Peach Sangria Sherbet
Ingredients
Serves about 4 cups (1 L)
4 cups (1 L) frozen peaches
1 cup (250 ml) Gewürztraminer or Riesling wine
½ cup (125 ml) sweetened condensed milk
4 sprigs mint, leaves only, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Using a food processor, blend frozen peaches with white wine until smooth, then add condensed milk on high until combined. Transfer to an airtight, freezer‑safe container and freeze for 8 hours or overnight.
- Serve as desired with a mint leaf for garnish.
Drink Pairings
No Churn Mudslide Ice Cream with Kahlúa
Ingredients
Serves about 4 cups (1 L)
2 cups + 1 tbsp (500 ml + 15 ml) whipping cream, divided
1 x 10 oz (300 ml) can sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup (60 ml) Kahlúa
¼ cup (60 ml) espresso or strong coffee
¾ cup (175 ml) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large stainless steel mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, whip 2 cups (500 ml) whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine condensed milk, Kahlúa and coffee. Pour half the mixture into whipped cream and gently fold in to combine. Repeat with remaining mixture. Pour ice cream into a freezer-safe container with a lid and place in freezer for 30 minutes, to set slightly
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate chips and 1 tbsp (15 ml) cream on high for intervals of 30 seconds, stirring between intervals. Add more cream if needed.
- With a spoon, drizzle melted chocolate over cooled ice cream. Use a toothpick to swirl chocolate into the cream base. Do not over-mix. Freeze overnight before serving. Serve in a cone or a bowl, and also delicious with an extra drizzle of Kahlúa!
Drink Pairings
No Churn Brown Butter Bourbon Ice Cream with Toffee
Ingredients
Serves about 4 cups (1 L)
1 cup (250 ml) salted butter, divided
1 cup (250 ml) light brown sugar
2 cups (500 ml) whipping cream
1 x 10 oz (300 ml) can sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup (60 ml) bourbon
Instructions
- Line a medium-sized baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To make toffee, in a saucepan, over medium-high heat, melt ½ cup (125 ml) butter. Add brown sugar and whisk to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. Cook until a thermometer reaches 295 F (145 C), about 10 minutes. Pour toffee onto lined baking sheet and let sit until hardened and cooled, about 15 minutes. Break into small pea-sized pieces and set aside.
- In same saucepan, over medium-high heat, melt remaining butter. Reduce heat to low and carefully cook butter until it turns a deep brown colour and smells nutty, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
- In a large stainless steel mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Add condensed milk and bourbon to brown butter mixture and stir to combine. Add half the mixture to whipped cream and gently fold in to combine. Repeat with remaining bourbon mixture.
- Fold half the toffee pieces into cream and freeze overnight in a freezer-safe container with a lid. Save remaining toffee for garnish.