Dindonneau en Daube

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sharp boning or chef's knife
• •Meat mallet or heavy rolling pin
• •2-quart (1.9-liter) lidded terrine or narrow oval casserole
• •Kitchen twine
• •Medium saucepan and fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Rimmed baking sheet

Instructions

1. 1

   Shape the turkey

   Set the turkey skin-side down. Holding a sharp knife parallel to the board, open the thick lobes like a book, then cover the meat with parchment and pound it gently into a roughly 10 by 12-inch (25 by 30 cm) sheet of even ½-inch (1.25 cm) thickness. Trim ragged edges, reserving one broad flap for patching and the smaller trimmings for the stock. Season the meat with ¾ teaspoon of the salt and half the pepper. If the knife makes a hole, don't panic. Ça se rattrape: cover it with the reserved flap and pound once lightly so the pieces adhere.

   Even thickness matters more than a perfect rectangle. Thick knots resist rolling and cook more slowly than the forcemeat around them.
2. 2

   Fortify the stock

   Put the small turkey trimmings, onion, carrot, and bouquet garni in a saucepan. Add the white wine and Brown Veal Stock (No. 9), bring them to a bare simmer, and skim away any foam. Simmer gently for 35 minutes, strain without crushing the vegetables, then reduce the liquid until 2 cups (480 ml) remain. It should taste full and lightly wine-scented, not aggressively salty. If it slips below 2 cups, add enough water to restore the measure. Keep the stock warm.

3. 3

   Mix the forcemeat

   Keep the sausage meat cold while you mix in the Cognac, diced truffle, and remaining pepper. Work it firmly with a wooden spoon until it becomes tacky and holds together, then fry a teaspoonful in a dry pan and taste it. Cold food mutes seasoning, so the sample should taste confidently seasoned while warm. Add the remaining salt only if it needs it. If the Cognac has made the mixture loose, chill it for 15 minutes and mix again. Ça se rattrape. Breadcrumbs would stiffen it, but they would also change the close, juicy slice this daube requires.

4. 4

   Build the center

   Lay three bacon slices lengthwise over the middle of the turkey sheet. Spread the forcemeat evenly over the meat, leaving a 1-inch (2.5 cm) border. Wrap the tongue baton snugly in the remaining three bacon slices and set it along the center. Press the forcemeat firmly around it with your fingertips, expelling every visible pocket of air. Bring the turkey around the filling to form a compact log, skin on the outside, and overlap the edges slightly. Tie it at 1½-inch (4 cm) intervals with kitchen twine. If the seam tries to open, add another tie rather than stretching the breast until it tears.

5. 5

   Seal the terrine

   Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Set the turkey roll seam-side down in a snug 2-quart (1.9-liter) lidded terrine. It should fit closely without being crushed. Pour the warm reduced stock around it, nearly covering the roll without making it float. Press a double layer of heavy foil tightly across the rim, then set the lid over it. The old strip of flour paste was a seal, not a ceremony; foil gives the same enclosed cooking on a home stove.

6. 6

   Cook it gently

   Set the terrine on a rimmed baking sheet and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes before checking the center with an instant-read thermometer. It must reach 165°F (74°C), because the breast surrounds pork forcemeat. If it is not there, reseal the terrine and continue in 10-minute intervals. The liquor should barely quiver when uncovered. If it is boiling hard, lower the oven to 325°F (165°C); the moist seal protects the meat, and the daube can finish gently.

7. 7

   Cool in place

   Remove the terrine from the oven and leave it sealed for 30 minutes. Do not turn the daube out warm. Set the terrine in an ice-water bath reaching halfway up its sides for 30 to 45 minutes, then dry the outside and refrigerate it, still covered and undisturbed in its cooking liquor, for at least 8 hours. This cooling in place sets the shape and turns the reduced stock into the clear jelly that holds moisture against the meat.

8. 8

   Warm and unmold

   Remove the lid and foil, then skim away any firm surface fat. Stand the lower two-thirds of the terrine in warm water for 2 to 3 minutes, dry it well, and invert it over a chilled oval platter. If the daube refuses to release, return the terrine to the warm water for 30 seconds at a time. Never tug at the meat; the outside needs only a little more warmth. Remove the twine and cut ½-inch (1.25 cm) slices with a long knife dipped in warm water and wiped dry between cuts. Spoon any clear amber jelly around the slices. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order the tongue cooked and cured in one solid piece, not shaved into deli slices. Curing gives the center its proper red color; an uncured tongue will taste good but turn beige, changing the daube's defining cross-section.
• •A preserved black truffle is the classical pantry's honest answer when fresh truffles aren't in season. Drain it well and use the real pieces. Perfumed oil has no place inside this forcemeat.
• •Use properly gelatinous Brown Veal Stock (No. 9). Its body matters twice, first as the moistening liquor and again as the clear jelly that protects the chilled daube. Thin packaged broth cannot do the same work.
• •Cut generous slices, not transparent ones. Serve cool rather than painfully cold, with a dry white Burgundy or a light Beaujolais and plain bread beside it. The tongue and truffle need no decorative commotion.

Advance Preparation

• •The finished daube should be cooked at least one day before serving. It slices more cleanly after a full night in the cold and may remain sealed in its terrine for up to three days.
• •The Brown Veal Stock (No. 9) can be prepared well ahead and frozen. Thaw the required quantity before fortifying it with the turkey trimmings, wine, and aromatics.
• •The turkey may be butterflied and the tongue trimmed earlier the same day. Keep both covered and cold, but mix the Cognac into the sausage meat shortly before assembly so the forcemeat remains firm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 380g)