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A few Thanksgivings ago, I wrote about my love of the cookbook Culinary Classics & Improvisations by Michael Field. It's one of my go-to books for company meals and for using up leftovers (the "improvisations" of the title). As I said in my earlier post, I'm not sure this cookbook is still in print, so look for it at a used-book store.In 2010, I shared one of Field's ways to transform your turkey leftovers into a yummy dinner. Today, I'm going to post another favorite poultry recipe from the cookbook. It's a great way to perk up your holiday weekend meals.
The following recipe was originally written for chicken, but it works beautifully with turkey. I have substituted milk for the cream with no problems, so don't worry if you don't have cream. I've added a few notes in brackets and have pared down the directions a little (Field is pretty chatty).
Gratin of Roast Turkey in the Style of the Savoie
Serves 4
- 4 tablespoons softened butter (3 for roux, 1 for topping)
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup white wine [use extra stock if you don't have this]
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream [or milk]
- 1 teaspoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
- Salt to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons grated Swiss cheese
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 4 to 6 substantial pieces of cold roast turkey
Choose a shallow baking dish that is just large enough to hold the turkey in one layer and attractive enough to serve from at the table. Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of the pan and arrange the turkey pieces, skin side up. Sprinkle each piece very lightly with salt, then with a large spoon coat the pieces thoroughly, one by one, with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top and dot with the remaining tablespoon of butter.
Bake in the center of a 375F oven for about 20 minutes or until the sauce begins to bubble and the turkey is heated through. Slide it under the broiler to brown the surface lightly, then serve at once.
Happy holiday weekend to all my US readers!
Well that's s keeper! I am certainly printing this recipe as, you are correct, it would work with chicken as well.
ReplyDeleteTotally different flavor themevfrom the roast turkey we had. Sometimes old cookbooks are the best, will check the used bookstore for this one.
Yum! That recipe sounds really good -- just what I needed! I'll have to look for Michael Field's book. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWe only had a turkey breast and don't have enough left over to do anything but snack on it. I'm going to keep this recipe for the future though!
ReplyDeleteOohh... I was going to make Turkey Tetrazzini this weekend but... this one sounds better!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try and find that cookbook; the recipe sounds perfect and very timely :)though I was going to do a version of Shepherd's Pie, using all those extra mashed potatoes I made.
ReplyDeleteIt felt weird not making a turkey this year. Still bothering me a little bit more for Al, than for me. We went to my son's house and he did the cooking with friends. I made two pies and left them both there (we were to full to cut into them) so I made Al his own pie yesterday. New way to do the holidays....
ReplyDeleteI always like leftovers better than the original food!
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