Doing a smaller Thanskgiving? Or just looking for something a bit healthier than the standard bird? This Pear Gravy And Herbed Roast Turkey Breast Recipe it is!
2(3 to 4- pound)bone-in skin-on turkey breast halves
1tablespoonkosher saltdivided plus more for seasoning
1teaspoongranulated sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
For The Orange Herbed Paste:
8mediumgarlic clovesquartered
Zestfrom 2oranges
1/4cupfresh thyme leavesdivided
20fresh sage leavesthinly sliced, divided
3tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
3cupslow-sodium vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water
For The Pear Gravy:
5medium ripe pearshalved and pitted
2medium yellow onionsquartered
1/4cuphoney
2tablespoonsorange juice
2medium celery stalksdiced
1medium dried bay leaf
3cupslow-sodium vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water
2tablespoonswhite whole wheat flour
1teaspooncider vinegar(optional)
Instructions
Season The Turkey: Heat oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Remove skin from turkey if it has not yet been removed (see note below for tips) then pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt and the granulated sugar all over two turkey breast halves.
Make The Orange Garlic Paste: Place garlic, orange zest, all but five springs of the thyme, half of the sage, and a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper on a cutting board and sprinkle remaining kosher salt on top. Chop until mixture is a rough paste (it should resemble cornmeal). Drizzle turkey breasts all over with 1 tablespoon of the oil, rub with the paste, and let sit at room temperature while the oven heats up, about 30 minutes.
Roast The Turkey Breast: Arrange turkey breasts side up in a roasting pan fitted with a rack and pour broth in the bottom of the roasting pan. Toss onions and pears with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, season with a pinch kosher salt and pepper, and arrange in bottom of the roasting pan.Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and roast until internal temperature of turkey reaches 140°F, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Meanwhile, place honey and orange juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat as soon as it boils and set aside.
Remove foil, raise oven to 400°F and brush turkey liberally with the honey glaze. Roast until glaze is golden and turkey is 160°F to 165°F, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove turkey from roasting pan, sprinkle with remaining fresh thyme and sage, a pinch of kosher salt, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let turkey rest at least 10 minutes before carving. Reserve pears and onions for the gravy .
Make The Pear Purée: Place two pears (four pear halves) and all the onion from the turkey roasting pan in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes then set aside.
Make The Pear Gravy: Place the roasting pan (turkey should be out of roasting pan) over two burners over high heat. (Alternatively, pour all the roasting pan juices in a large frying pan.) Add celery and remaining herbs and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. When the pan juices begin to sizzle, slowly pour in half of the remaining broth and cook, scraping up any browned bits with a flat spatula. Pour juices into a medium saucepan, whisk in pear purée, remaining broth and flour, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
Taste the gravy; if it is exceptionally sweet, add the vinegar. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then strain through a fine mesh strainer. Push on the back of the strainer to remove all the liquid, discard the solids, and serve with the turkey.