Cranberry Hazelnut Turkey Wellington

Cranberry Hazelnut Turkey Wellington

Here's a terrific festive entertaining idea for any day during the Holidays. I've heard from several readers who don't want or need to have all those turkey leftovers and are looking for an alternative to a traditional stuffed turkey. This is an ideal solution, especially for couples, small families or for dinner party entertaining. It's like Christmas baked into a beautiful puff pastry crust, which makes a stunningly gorgeous presentation when you bring it to the table to carve. I do serve this with gravy made from previously prepared turkey stock but if you like, it's also delicious with my recipe for Perfect Onion Gravy.

As a bonus recipe with this delicious dish, I came up with a delicious festive twist on a classic turkey accompaniment with this Citrus Fig Cranberry Sauce. You'll love the difference the addition of these traditional festive flavors makes to this easy to make sauce.

This turkey recipe is also the latest in our web video cooking series with CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. During December we have been featuring turkey recipes in the series to help promote the annual turkey drive to benefit local food banks during the holiday season. Please visit the CBC website for more information on how you too can help in this worthwhile charitable effort.

The video below shows how to prepare and put together this delicious dish. The complete recipe is on this page, below the video.

For some mobile users, if the video does not load below, please click this alternate link.

Cranberry Hazelnut Turkey Wellington

Cranberry Hazelnut Turkey Wellington

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 45-60 minutes
Total time: about 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• 2 sheets, (12 x 12 inches) frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds uncooked turkey breast
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 2 cups dry bread crumbs
• few tbsp turkey or chicken stock
• 1 1/2 tbsp dry chopped fresh thyme
• salt and pepper to season
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 egg + 2 tbsp water (beaten together for an egg wash)

 Directions

1. Begin by sautéing the garlic and onions  in the olive oil and butter for a minute or two.
2. Add the bread crumbs and toss until they begin to brown slightly. Add the hazelnuts, thyme cranberries salt and pepper. Add only enough turkey stock to make the stuffing hold together.
3. Place the first pastry sheet on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place the turkey breast along the center line of the pastry sheet. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash.
4. Place the stuffing on top of the turkey. Place the second pastry sheet over the turkey and stuffing, Trim the edges to form an oval shape. Save the trimmings in the fridge.
5. Bring the edges of the dough together by pinching them together to seal. Roll the dough from the bottom layer over the top layer and press down all the way around the perimeter of the pastry. This creates a tighter seal.
6. Brush the egg wash over the entire surface of the pastry. Decorate with additional pastry leaf shapes if desired. Just cut leaf shapes out of the trimmed pastry and score leaf veining into them with the tip of a sharp knife. Cut four 1/2 inch slots in the top of the pastry to let steam escape. Chill for 20 minutes or longer in the fridge before baking. This helps the pastry to puff.
7. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F.  Use a meat thermometer to make sure that the center has reached at least 170 degrees F to be sure the turkey is completely cooked, about 35-45 minutes longer. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting into individual servings.