A byootaful Life

Okay, so I’ve had a little break from blogging… I didn’t realise it had been so long since my last post, I guess “real life” kept me busy for a while. Anyway, I’m back now and eager to get going, so let’s get on with it!

When I decided to return to blogging, I figured I’d start fresh with 2012 adventures but this recipe I made at Christmas was just so delicious I had to post it. Jamie Oliver’s Turkey Wellington, otherwise known as, a delicious and size-appropriate turkey dinner for two. I love beef wellington (even though it always makes me think of Hell’s Kitchen and Gordon Ramsay screaming “It’s raw!”), so I figured turkey wellington would be just as delicious. Anything wrapped in bacon, rosemary, mushrooms and a crispy flaky puff pastry shell is a winner in my book, especially if the puff pastry is the Canadian kind. It’s so much better than the frozen sheets we get in Australia – the Canadian version just tastes more fresh, more buttery and less manufactured. It’s probably ten times worse for your waistline but it’s so worth it!

The recipe was pretty simple to follow. Turkey breast is rolled up with cranberry jam, then covered in a mushroom duxelle, sprinkled with bacon and rosemary, then finally wrapped in a flaky puff pastry shell. I didn’t make the gravy to go with it and I omitted the porcini mushrooms (I used all fresh button mushrooms instead) and it came out beautifully. The turkey was so moist and the cranberry jam so sweet, it was a tasty contrast to the bacon/rosemary combo. I am a huge rosemary fan and normally I use the dried stuff, but this time round I bough the fresh sprigs and wow, what a difference it makes! The second they started sizzling in the pan with the bacon, the house filled with rosemary aroma and it was all I could do to not faceplant the frypan and eat it all up! But my favourite part of the wellington has to be the flaky, crispy puff pastry that wraps it all up – if it was practical to live on puff pastry alone, I’d be in heaven.

I will definitely make this recipe again (and again and again!) and if you’re looking for a roast dinner alternative, it’s a good place to start. Served with some veggies, potato and gravy, it’s a tasty dinner that will leave you fighting over the last piece.

Want the recipe? It’s here: Jamie Oliver’s Turkey Wellington Recipe. Enjoy!