Duration
1 hour
Serves
4
There’s something deeply satisfying about coming home from a hunt with more than just meat in your game bag. Historically, hunters in the French countryside paired wild game with foraged mushrooms in a rustic preparation known as "Chasseur sauce," which literally translates to "hunter's sauce."
Today it’s typically made with chicken simmered directly in the sauce, but I prefer to treat wild turkey breast a little differently. Pan-roasting the breast gives it a beautifully browned crust while keeping the meat tender and juicy, and it leaves just enough fond in the skillet to build a quick mushroom sauce with white wine, tomato paste, and fresh herbs. Even though the roots of this dish are rustic, it’s quite elegant and makes a perfect celebratory meal.
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs. turkey breast (upper portions; see note)
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- Chicken Schmaltz or oil for cooking
- 16 oz. wild mushrooms (morels, boletes, oyster, trumpets, or even portobellos, etc.)
- 2 small shallots, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- ⅔ cup white wine
- 2 cups turkey or chicken stock
- 2 tbsp. cold cubed butter
- 1 tbsp. minced fresh tarragon or parsley
Note: I like to use the thick upper portion of the turkey breast for this recipe so that it cooks evenly. Cut the breast in half crosswise, reserving the thin lower portion for other dishes, like a crispy cutlet.
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Season the turkey with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add enough fat or oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Once hot, add the turkey and brown it until it develops a golden-brown crust, 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Remove and place on top of a sheet tray. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat and transfer it to the oven to finish cooking. Roast the turkey until it registers 150°F for a slightly blush-pink color or 155°F for well-done meat. This should take about 20 to 30 minutes depending on how thick it is.
- While the turkey is cooking in the oven, get started on the mushrooms. Turn the heat down to medium and add a little extra oil to the skillet if needed. Add mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, for several minutes so they brown. Season with a pinch of salt and then give them a stir. Continue cooking until they are brown.
- Add the shallot and cook for a few more minutes until soft. Next, add the garlic and cook briefly to release the aroma but not burn it.
- Stir in the tomato paste, then pour in the white wine, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan as it simmers. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil (raise temp as needed), then cook until the sauce has reduced to about a third of what it originally was. This will take a few minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, drop in the butter, and constantly stir as it melts to emulsify. Remove from heat and let the sauce thicken as it cools. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle in the fresh herbs to finish.
- When the turkey reaches the desired internal temp., transfer it to a cutting board to rest for 5 to 8 minutes. Thinly slice the meat at a 45-degree angle against the grain and serve immediately with the sauce.
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(3)There’s something deeply satisfying about coming home from a hunt with more than just meat in your game bag. Historically, hunters in the French countryside paired wild game with foraged mushrooms in a rustic preparation known as "Chasseur sauce," which literally translates to "hunter's sauce."
Today it’s typically made with chicken simmered directly in the sauce, but I prefer to treat wild turkey breast a little differently. Pan-roasting the breast gives it a beautifully browned crust while keeping the meat tender and juicy, and it leaves just enough fond in the skillet to build a quick mushroom sauce with white wine, tomato paste, and fresh herbs. Even though the roots of this dish are rustic, it’s quite elegant and makes a perfect celebratory meal.
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs. turkey breast (upper portions; see note)
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- Chicken Schmaltz or oil for cooking
- 16 oz. wild mushrooms (morels, boletes, oyster, trumpets, or even portobellos, etc.)
- 2 small shallots, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- ⅔ cup white wine
- 2 cups turkey or chicken stock
- 2 tbsp. cold cubed butter
- 1 tbsp. minced fresh tarragon or parsley
Note: I like to use the thick upper portion of the turkey breast for this recipe so that it cooks evenly. Cut the breast in half crosswise, reserving the thin lower portion for other dishes, like a crispy cutlet.
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Season the turkey with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add enough fat or oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Once hot, add the turkey and brown it until it develops a golden-brown crust, 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Remove and place on top of a sheet tray. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat and transfer it to the oven to finish cooking. Roast the turkey until it registers 150°F for a slightly blush-pink color or 155°F for well-done meat. This should take about 20 to 30 minutes depending on how thick it is.
- While the turkey is cooking in the oven, get started on the mushrooms. Turn the heat down to medium and add a little extra oil to the skillet if needed. Add mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, for several minutes so they brown. Season with a pinch of salt and then give them a stir. Continue cooking until they are brown.
- Add the shallot and cook for a few more minutes until soft. Next, add the garlic and cook briefly to release the aroma but not burn it.
- Stir in the tomato paste, then pour in the white wine, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan as it simmers. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil (raise temp as needed), then cook until the sauce has reduced to about a third of what it originally was. This will take a few minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, drop in the butter, and constantly stir as it melts to emulsify. Remove from heat and let the sauce thicken as it cools. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle in the fresh herbs to finish.
- When the turkey reaches the desired internal temp., transfer it to a cutting board to rest for 5 to 8 minutes. Thinly slice the meat at a 45-degree angle against the grain and serve immediately with the sauce.
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