Cactus Style Thanksgiving Dinner

As we all prepare for ourselves for turkey comas this weekend, we thought some of you might need a good recipe for your dinner…

Enter Rob Feenie:

Whiskey Marinated Turkey Breast

Whiskey Turkey Brine

• 1 each                 5-6 lb turkey breast
• 4 L                       water
• 1 L                       whiskey
• 200 ml               coarse salt
• 375 ml                sugar
• 1 tbsp                  black peppercorn – whole
• 2 tbsp                  coriander – whole
• 1 each                 carrot – diced
• 2 each                 celery – diced
• 1 each                 onion – diced
• Bunch rosemary, thyme, bay leaf

1. Bring water, whisky, salt and sugar to boil.
2. Take off the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Steep until cool, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Place turkey in brine and brine for 24 hours.

Roasting Turkey

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Remove turkey from brine.
3. Heat a large roasting pan on the stove top with 3 Tbsp olive oil. Sear the top side of the turkey breast.
4. Remove pan from stove top and place in oven.
5. Half way through cooking, about 30 minutes, take 2 cups of the reserved whiskey brine and baste top of turkey.
6. As the turkey cooks, continually baste it with the reserved liquid in the bottom of the pan.
7. When the turkey reaches 160 degrees, approximately 1 hour to 1½  hours, remove from oven. Cover turkey with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Slice and fan on a serving platter.

Pancetta Brussel Sprouts

• 2 lb                         brussels sprouts – stems trimmed, halved
• 2 tbsp                     butter
• 1 tbsp                     shallots – minced
• 250 ml                   honey
• 10 oz                      pancetta – diced
• 1 tbsp                      sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a large pot with salted water. Blanch brussel sprouts for 5 minutes and drain.
2. Heat a large pan with butter. Add shallots and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add brussel sprouts and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add pancetta and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add honey and sugar. Turn heat down and allow sprouts to naturally caramelize from the honey and sugar. Season with salt and pepper.

Cranberry Port Wine Jus

• 4 cups                         cranberries – whole, fresh or frozen
• 250 ml                        orange juice – fresh
• 250 ml                        port wine
• 60 ml                          honey
• 2 each                         star anise
• 2 each                         cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp                            lemon juice
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Bring first 6 ingredients (cranberries through to cinnamon sticks) to a boil in a pot. Simmer cranberries until they are soft, but whole, approximately 20 minutes. Do not over cook.
2. Remove cranberries, star anise and cinnamon sticks. Reserve cranberries.
3. Reduce liquid by half. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
4. To serve: Return cranberries to sauce and stir together.

HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING WEEKEND!