Turkey Breast en Croute for Two for Thanksgiving (serves up to four) ~ Limit your stress and make a turkey breast for Thanksgiving.

Preparing for Thanksgiving can be stressful for any cook: experienced or otherwise. The turkey, the stuffing and the gravy – the holy trinity as far as I am concerned. I could even live without the turkey if I have really good gravy, stuffing and sides but let’s face it: you have to have a turkey unless you are specifically hosting a vegetarian Thanksgiving.

If you don’t need or want to cook a whole turkey, a stuffed-pastry wrapped turkey breast is beautiful and practical.

A three-pound turkey breast will feed up to four with everyone having seconds or you can get a smaller one for two. Just be sure to make enough stuffing, gravy and other sides. If you have a whole turkey, cut out the breasts for this recipe and use the legs and thighs for gravy and a delicious soup, sopa de tortilla, to feed a crowd over the weekend.

Ingredients for Turkey Breast en Croute

Thermometer

Turkey breast

Salt and pepper

Stuffing (make day before)

One box of frozen puff pastry

Egg wash

Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Turkey breast should cook 20 minutes per pound or until the center reaches 160 degrees.

Step 2: Add salt and pepper to turkey breast. Do not remove the skin from the breast.

Step 3: Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a large sauté pan at medium heat. Sear turkey breast skin-side down until skin is browned. Then, turn over and slightly brown on other side. Remove from pan and allow to cool.

Step 4: Lay out your sheet of puff pastry, using rolling pin to flatten. Place puff pastry on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Step 5: Once the breast has cooled, butterfly the breast and place opened on the puff pastry.

Step 6: Fill the breast – it’s ok to overfill since you will just be wrapping it up with the pastry.

Step 7: Then, start at one side, pulling up the pastry and pinching in a fan-like pattern.

Step 8: Use any leftover pastry to decorate your package.

Step 9: Brush with egg wash and place in the oven.

Bake for one hour or as big as the breast calls for and allow to rest before serving. Present whole at the table on a beautiful platter with fresh herbs, then slice afterwards. This makes a beautiful sliced serving.

Serve with abundance of sides and gravy. Check out my Thanksgiving wine pairings.