This special yet simple dish recipe was given to me by one of my butchers in Paris. I could stay hours talking to him – he had the knowledge and ‘savoir-faire’ that I seeked.   He always had inspiring ideas and old-fashioned recipes that I love, and he sure knows how to cook  the ‘viande’ to his liking. I tend to associate turkey with Christmas or Thanksgiving holidays, and never thought I could end up with such a succulent and different dish. The sauce is a delightful mix of white wine, mustard, and crème fraîche – it is so good I always make sure to make a copious amount as everybody at the table always asks for more. I was advised to use slim turkey filets because the meat is softer than veal or chicken. Once cooked I serve these rolls sliced, and they look so inviting with the layers of ham and cheese. I like serving this with simple wheat (I use Ebly) – it’s a nice change from pasta or rice. My kids love this dish – they even call it ‘a gourmet meal’ because they think the rolls look so fancy!

Ingredients:

4 thinly sliced turkey breast filet

4 slices ham

200 grs grated Gruyère or Emmental cheese

200 grs crème fraîche

1 tbsp mustard (or 2 if you like it stronger)

150 ml white wine

Cooking ficelle/string to wrap your turkey rolls

Salt and pepper to taste

You’ll be needing a clean working surface, and aluminium foil to lay out the turkey filet. I always work with silicone gloves to make these roulades (rolls).

Lay the turkey filet flat and start layering with a slice of ham, then sprinkle a  generous  amount of grated cheese – make sure not to over fill as it won’t roll properly. Add some salt and pepper and roll the filet into a roulade and secure it with the ficelle (as if you were tying a string on a parcel).  See photo.  Repeat with the other filets.

Now you can start cooking your parcels.  Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pan/ cocotte, when it starts to sizzle add the parcels until golden on all sides.  Don’t worry if it’s not cooked through as you will let it cook slowly later on.  When the turkey filets are golden, add the white wine and let it reduce for 4 minutes.  Lower the heat to its lowest setting and cover, letting it simmer for 20 minutes.  Finally add the crème fraîche and mustard for 1 minute and stir.  Before serving cut off and remove the strings, slice the roll (see photo). Voilà, c’est prêt!

Georges, my butcher in Paris.