The Everything Guide to Cooking Sous Vide (26 page)

Holiday Turkey Breast (with crispy skin)

Turkey Breast with Pistachio Mushroom Dressing

Instead of stuffing a turkey, cook the turkey breast in the sous vide so that it is tender and juicy while baking the dressing in the oven, making it toasty and delicious.

Ingredients

Serves 4–6

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 boneless turkey breasts (with skin on), 2" thick, about 2 pounds for each breast

¹
⁄
₄
cup butter

4 medium shallots, minced

5 cups diced button or cremini mushrooms

1 cup salted pistachios

1 cup panko bread crumbs

¹
⁄
₂
cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano

1. Sprinkle the salt and pepper on the turkey breasts.
   
2. Place the turkey breasts in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag. Make sure the breasts are side by side and not stacked. Use multiple bags if necessary.
   
3. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 146°F.
   
4. Place the turkey breasts in the water bath and cook sous vide for 3–6 hours.
   
5. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and mushrooms and sauté until soft and tender, about 4–6 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
   
6. Using a food processor, crush the pistachios. Stop when they are an uneven consistency—some coarse and some fine.
   
7. In a large bowl, stir together the pistachios, mushroom mixture, panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and fresh oregano. Pour the stuffing into a medium-sized casserole dish.
   
8. Preheat the oven to 375°F. About 30 minutes before the turkey breasts are done cooking, place the casserole dish, uncovered, in the oven and bake the dressing for 25–30 minutes. The dressing should be toasty brown.
   
9. Take the turkey out of the bag, peel off the skin, and carve it into
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₂
   "-thick slices.
   
10. To serve, place a few slices of turkey breast on each plate and spoon some of the dressing next to the turkey.
    

Turkey Breast with Apple Cranberry Chutney

The sweet and sour chutney makes this recipe ideal for any Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner, and the toasted walnuts are the perfect crunchy addition.

Ingredients

Serves 4–6

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 boneless turkey breasts (with skin on), 2" thick, about 2 pounds for each breast

¹
⁄
₂
cup water

¹
⁄
₂
cup apple cider vinegar

¹
⁄
₂
cup granulated sugar

1 medium sweet onion, minced

4 medium apples, (McIntosh, Gala, etc.) peeled, cored, and diced

3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cup roughly chopped toasted walnuts

1. Sprinkle the salt and pepper on the turkey breasts.
   
2. Place the turkey breasts in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag. Make sure the breasts are side by side and not stacked. Use multiple bags if necessary.
   
3. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 146°F.
   
4. Place the turkey breasts in the water bath and cook sous vide for 3–6 hours.
   
5. In a medium saucepan make the chutney by bringing the water, cider vinegar, and sugar to a low boil. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Add the minced onion. Cook until the onion is tender, about 3–4 minutes. Add the diced apple and cranberries and place the lid on the saucepan. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the apples are soft and the cranberries are plump and break, about 8–10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to simmer, stirring often until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.
   
6. Take the turkey out of the bag, peel off the skin, and carve it into
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₂
   "-thick slices.
   
7. To serve, place a few slices of turkey breast on each plate, spoon some of the chutney on top of the turkey, and sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top.
   

Succulent Duck Breast

This duck breast is perfectly cooked to a medium-rare and is both moist and tender with a crispy skin.

Ingredients

Serves 1

1 boneless (6–8 ounce) duck breast, with skin on

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon sea salt

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon oil with a high smoke point (like peanut, sunflower, corn, vegetable, or safflower oil)

The Easy Way to Cook Duck

So many people say that cooking duck is difficult because it often comes out overcooked and tough. Using sous vide takes the guess work out of cooking duck and results in a perfectly rare duck breast every time!

1. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 135°F.
   
2. Rub the duck breast all over with the salt and pepper. Place the duck in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag.
   
3. Place the duck in the water bath and cook sous vide for 90 minutes.
   
4. Remove the duck from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel.
   
5. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Sear the duck in the skillet skin side down for about 3–4 minutes. The skin should be crispy and the fat rendered.
   
6. Serve immediately.
   

Duck Breast with Basil Pesto and Pomegranate Reduction

The bright, fresh flavor of pesto is matched by the deep, rich notes of the pomegranate reduction sauce and both are the perfect complement to duck breast.

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 boneless (6–8 ounce) duck breasts, with skin on

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon sea salt

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups pomegranate juice

¹
⁄
₄
cup brandy

¹
⁄
₃
cup granulated sugar

1
¹
⁄
₃
packed cups basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

¹
⁄
₂
cup pine nuts

¹
⁄
₃
cup grated Parmesan cheese

¹
⁄
₂
cup olive oil

1 tablespoon oil with a high smoke point (like peanut, sunflower, corn, vegetable, or safflower oil)

¹
⁄
₃
cup pomegranate arils/seeds

Make-Ahead Options

The basil pesto and pomegranate reduction sauce give this recipe a number of steps. To make things a little easier around dinnertime, it is definitely possible to make the pesto and reduction sauce ahead, maybe even the day before. Simply keep them covered and in the fridge, ready for plating once the duck is cooked. Just let the reduction sauce come to room temperature before plating.

1. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 135°F.
   
2. Rub the duck breasts all over with the salt and pepper. Place the duck in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag. Make sure the breasts are lined up side by side and not stacked. Use multiple bags if necessary.
   
3. Place the duck in the water bath and cook sous vide for 90 minutes.
   
4. Make the pomegranate sauce by adding the pomegranate juice, brandy, and sugar to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then lower heat to a simmer. Reduce the liquid until there is about
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₂
   cup of sauce. This takes about 30 minutes.
   
5. Make the pesto by adding the basil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese to a food processor. Turn on the food processor and slowly pour in the olive oil until incorporated and the pesto is fairly smooth.
   
6. Remove the duck from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel.
   
7. Heat the 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sear the duck in the skillet skin side down on medium heat for about 3–4 minutes. The skin should be crispy and the fat rendered. Slice the duck breasts.
   
8. To serve, spread some pesto on each dinner plate. Spread sliced duck on the pesto. Drizzle with pomegranate sauce, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, and serve immediately.
   

Duck Breast with Basil Pesto and Pomegranate Reduction

Herb-Infused Lamb Chops

Sometimes simple is best. The fresh herbs in this dish are all that is needed to both highlight the wonderful richness of the lamb chops and give them an enhanced aromatic flavor.

Ingredients

Serves 4

8 (3-ounce) lamb loin chops, 1" thick

2 sprigs fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, tarragon, etc.)

1 tablespoon oil with a high smoke point (like peanut, sunflower, corn, vegetable, or safflower oil)

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon sea salt

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Watch Those Bones

Lamb chops obviously have bones and they can have sharp points that can pierce the bag during the vacuum sealing. One possible solution is to use the pulse feature on the vacuum sealer to control how much air is pulled out of the bag and to stop it just as the bag wraps around the lamb chops. This can get all the air out while stopping it just before the bag gets pierced.

1. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 134°F for medium rare. If a different doneness for lamb is desired, check
   Appendix A: Time and Temperature Charts
   .
   
2. Place the lamb chops and sprigs of fresh herbs in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag. Make sure the lamb chops are lined up side by side and not stacked or piled. Use multiple bags if necessary.
   
3. Place the lamb chops in the water bath and cook sous vide for 2–4 hours.
   
4. Remove the lamb chops from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel.
   
5. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sear the lamb chops in the skillet for about 1–2 minutes per side. While the lamb chops are searing, add the butter to the skillet and use a spoon to baste the top of the chops with the melted butter.
   
6. Remove the lamb chops from the skillet and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.