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Turkey Breast Roulades with Fontina and Fennel Pollen
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
 
Turkey breasts are stuffed with breadcrumbs, sage, garlic, fennel pollen and fontina cheese, then rolled up and wrapped in bacon for a spectacular turkey dinner. This is a delicious turkey dinner to make for a small crowd. It is perfect for entertaining because you can assemble the turkey roulades the day before you serve it. Special equipment: Meat mallet, or heavy-duty skillet Medium size flameproof roasting pan Instant read thermometer Tooth picks Fat separator Whisk The prep time dose not include the 12 hours of time required to brine the turkey breasts.
Servings: 8 -10 servings
Author: Ginger
Ingredients
Turkey Brine
  • 2 TB granulated sugar
  • 2 TB Kosher Salt
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 medium garlic cloves halved and green germ removed
  • 2-1½ lbs 750 g boneless, skinless turkey breast halves, remove tenderloins from each breast
Turkey Roulades
  • 1/3 cup 75 ml fine unseasoned bread crumbs
  • 4 cloves of garlic green germ removed and minced
  • 2 TB finely chopped fresh sage
  • 1 tsp fennel pollen or ground fennel seed
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
  • 6 oz 175 g fontina, grated (about 2 cups / 500 ml)
  • 2 brined turkey breasts
  • 1 lb bacon about 18 - 20 slices total
  • 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
Au Jus
  • 2 oz / 4 TB 50 g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 TB pieces
  • 2 medium shallots thinly sliced
  • 6 fresh sage leaves finely chopped
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 cups 500 ml homemade or low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice plus more to taste
  • Kosher salt
Instructions
Brine the Turkey Breast
  1. Combine all the brine ingredients, except the turkey breast, in a medium saucepan. Bring the brine to a boil and simmer until the sugar and salt dissolves. Turn off the heat and pour the brining liquid into a large, non-reactive bowl. Let the brine cool to room temperature. Once cooled add the turkey breasts and up to 4 cups (1 liter) of water so the turkey breasts are completely covered in the brining liquid. (I needed less than 2 cups of water). Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
Make the Roulades the following day.
  1. In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs, sage, fennel pollen and minced garlic. Stir to combine.
  2. Remove the turkey breasts from the brine and pick off any spices. Pat each breast dry.
  3. Place a large piece of plastic wrap down on your work surface and place one breast, skin side down on top of the plastic wrap. Cover the turkey with another piece of plastic wrap. Do the same for the remaining turkey breast.
  4. Use a meat mallet or the underside of a heavy-duty skillet, and pound each turkey breast to an even ½ inch (1 cm) thick, and approximately 9 x 10 inch (23 x 24 cm) rectangle. It won't be exactly like a rectangle, but it will be close. Use a downward and forward motion when pounding on the turkey breast, stopping every now and then to straighten out the plastic wrap on top of the breast. When you think you are close to done, stop and feel each flattened turkey with your hands for any uneven areas. Pound out these parts until each piece is flat with an even half inch width.
  5. Remove the top piece of plastic wrap from each breast and evenly sprinkle Kosher salt over surface, about 1/4 tsp each breast. Add a few rounds of freshly ground black pepper over each breast.
  6. Sprinkle the breadcrumb and herb mixture over each turkey breast, leaving a ½ inch (1 cm) boarder around the perimeter of each turkey breast. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the breadcrumbs and herbs. Make sure you have a nice even layer spread over the turkey's surface.
  7. Fold inward a half-inch boarder along the long sides of each rectangular turkey piece. This will enclose the bread crumbs and cheese so they don't spill out when you are rolling it up and while cooking.
  8. Start at the short end and roll up each turkey breast, keeping the folded edges inside the roulade. Use the plastic wrap to guide the turkey into place. Set aside.
  9. Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C / Gas Mark 7 and place the rack in the middle position.
  10. Lay a piece of plastic wrap lengthwise on a work surface. Arrange the bacon slices lengthwise across the middle of the plastic wrap. Overlap each piece of bacon, about 1/3 of the way over each piece lengthwise. Make sure there are no gaps. The bacon should line up across the middle of the plastic wrap to equal the length of each roulade. About 8-10 slices of bacon per turkey roulade.
  11. Lay a turkey roulade across the middle of the bacon slices, so that the bacon strips run perpendicular to the turkey roulade. Lift the top side of plastic wrap with the bacon, up and over one side of the turkey. Peel away the plastic wrap while holding the bacon in place. The bacon slices should lay over half the width of the turkey roulade meeting close to the seam. Repeat with the other side. If the bacon ends do not meet, stretch them until they completely cover the turkey around its girth. Secure the bacon to the turkey with toothpicks. Set aside and repeat with the other turkey roulade.
  12. Place a medium flameproof roasting pan on a burner set at medium-high heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil and heat until shimmering.
  13. Add the roulades top side down into the roasting pan and sear the bacon for 4 minutes. The bacon will begin to brown. Turn each roulade over on its' side and sear for one minute. Repeat for the remaining sides, ending with the top side up.
  14. Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake until an instant read thermometer registers 165°F / 74°C at the thickest part of each roulade, about 35 minutes.
  15. Place each roulade on a cutting board and let the turkey rest for 10 minutes and up to an hour.
Make the Au Jus
  1. Pour the drippings from the pan into a fat separator and let the pan juices settle. Place the roasting pan on a burner set to medium heat. Add 1 TB of the fat from the pan juices and 1 TB of butter to the roasting pan. After the butter melts, add the shallots and sage to the pan and cook until the shallots are soft, about 3 minutes. Stir to prevent the shallots from browning. Add the chicken stock and deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom. If there are any drippings at the bottom of your fat separator, not the fat, add them to the stock. Whisk to combine, and taste then correct for seasoning. Bring the au jus to a gentle simmer. Turn the heat down to low and add the remaining butter one tablespoon at a time, whisk between each addition until the butter is incorporated. Turn off heat and add the lemon juice. Season to taste.
Serve
  1. Carefully remove all the toothpicks and slice. Serve with the jus.
Make Ahead
  1. The turkey roulades can be assembled and wrapped in bacon up to 12 hours before cooking. Cover each roulade in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator before cooking. Remove the roulades 30 minutes prior to baking to bring up to room temperature.