Where the Wild Things Are

Ingredients

• 3 to 7 pounds bone-in, skin-on turkey breast (1 half-breast or 1 whole turkey breast joined at the breast bone)
• 3-6 tsp kosher salt (figure about 1 tsp per pound of meat)
• about 15 sage leaves
• 3 T butter, softened
• 2 T olive oil

optional gravy

• 2 T of fat from the pan
• 2 T flour
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• a few sage leaves
• 1 1/2 c chicken broth

The morning you intend to roast the turkey, pat it dry and sprinkle it all over with the salt.  Return it to the refrigerator – uncovered (this is going to help produce a nice crispy skin).  Remove the turkey from the refrigerator about an hour before it goes in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Have a roasting pan with a rack ready.  If you don’t have the rack, don’t worry.

Gently separate the skin from the breast meat and place the sage leaves and the butter under the skin, distributing it all as evenly as you can.  Then pull the skin back so that it covers the breast as much as possible.   Rub the skin with the olive oil.

Place the breast on the rack in the roasting pan, skin side up.  After 30 minutes reduce the heat to 350 degrees.  Roast until a thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the breast.  Expect that to take at least 1 hour and up to 1 hr 45 minutes, depending upon the size of the breast.

Remove the turkey from the oven and allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes.  While it is resting, make the gravy, if you’re using it.

Put 2 T of fat from the roasting pan into a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add the flour and cook and stir for a few minutes.  Mix in the mustard and the sage leaves. Then slowly add the chicken broth, stirring until the gravy begins to thicken, 2-3 minutes.

Carve the breast and serve with the gravy.

Ingredients

• 2 c half-and-half
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
• 4 c of dried bread cubes cut into 1″ pieces (see notes above)
• salt and pepper
• 2 T butter
• 12 oz wild mushrooms (chanterelle, cremini, oyster) or common button mushrooms, diced (about 1/2″ pieces)
• 1/2 c finely chopped shallots
• 1/2 c finely chopped parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 2-qt shallow baking dish.

In a large bowl whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, and cheese, along with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Stir in the dried bread cubes and let sit while you cook the mushrooms.  You want the bread to absorb some of the egg mixture, so stir occasionally.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the shallots for a few minutes, then add the mushrooms, salt and pepper, and continue cooking and occasionally stirring  until the liquid given off by the mushrooms has evaporated – about 10 minutes.  Add the parsley and garlic and cook another few minutes.  Let the mixture cool a little and then add to the bread mixture, mixing well.

Transfer the mushroom mixture into the baking dish and bake for approximately 35-40  minutes.  The top should be golden brown and the custard set.

Remove from the oven and let rest a few minutes before serving. 

Ingredients

• 12 oz orecchiette – or a similar pasta such as orzo
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 T butter
• 1 lb asparagus, ends snapped and cut into 1/4″ pieces – but leaving tips whole
• 1/4 c diced shallots or scallions
• 3/4 c frozen green baby peas
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt – or more to taste
• black pepper
• 2/3 c grated parmesan
• 3 T finely chopped parsley (optional)
• 1 T minced fresh tarragon (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta, and cook as directed on the package.  Drain, reserving 1/2 c of the liquid.  Add the olive oil to the pasta and toss well.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the asparagus and shallots and cook until the asparagus in tender, 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the peas, garlic, salt and pepper and cook another 1-2 minutes or until the peas are defrosted.  Add the drained pasta, the parmesan cheese, and herbs, if you’re using them.  Toss well.  Add additional salt and pepper, if needed, as well as a little of the reserved pasta water, if the pasta seems too dry.

Ingredients

• 4 c blackberries
• 2 c diced peaches or apricots
• juice of one lemon
• 2 c sugar

In a medium pan over medium heat, cook the blackberries with about 1/3 c water until they have softened and released all of their juices, stirring off and on.  Cool slightly and then press the berries through a strainer to remove the seeds. Return the mushed, seedless berry mixture to the pan and add the peaches, lemon juice, and sugar.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stir until the sugar has dissolved, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. While it simmers carefully remove any foam that comes to the top. My old-fashioned way of telling when the jam is thick enough is using the spoon/sheet test.

Pour the jam into 8 oz jam jars or whatever glassware you have that can be covered; cool the jam, uncovered.  Then add a lid and refrigerate or freeze.