Christmas Turducken with Roasted Summer Fruits
This succulent turkey breast stuffed with chicken breast and duck breast (aka turducken) is a fabulously festive dish to celebrate Christmas Down Under. The late Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme trademarked the name Turducken in 1986 after coming up with the idea for a Sunday brunch in the 1960s.
Inroduction
About this Recipe
You’ll find a useful guide to cooking Turducken here. With thanks to Alana Lowes for the inspiration for this recipe.
I used Blue M Sour Cherry & Vanilla Jam to glaze the Turducken which gave it a rich luscious flavour and I used red nectarines though yellow nectarines are fine.
Ingredients
Serves 6 -8
- Turducken, approx. 2.5Kg
- Sour Cherry Vanilla Jam, 220g jar
- Olive Oil, 2 tablespoons
- Salt Flakes
- Nectarines, 2, halved
- Yellow peaches, 2 quartered
- Fresh Cherries, 15 -20
- Fresh Rosemary Sprigs, 1 tablespoon
- Redcurrants, 1 punnet
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan-forced).
To prepare the turducken melt half the cherry jam in a small saucepan. Place the turducken in a baking tray drizzled with half the olive oil. Using a pastry brush, brush the melted cherry jam all over the top of the turducken, reserving the remaining jam to continue glazing through the cooking process. Season well with salt flakes.
Place the turducken into the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C (160C fan-forced) and continue to cook for a further 2 – 2 .5 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the remaining jam.
The turducken is ready when the juices run clear when pricked with a skewer or the internal temperature reads approx 75°C (165-167F).
To prepare the summer fruits: toss the nectarines and cherries in the olive oil and rosemary sprigs. Place in a baking tray and roast for the last 20 minutes of the turducken cooking time.
Remove the turducken and roasted fruits from the oven. Cover the Turducken with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Cover the fruits to keep them warm.
While the turducken is resting, strain the juices from the baking tray to make a rich jus.
Serve on a large platter surrounded by the roasted summer fruits and redcurrants.