In my past life, I worked for a peanut butter company. I helped with marketing and advertising as the company was beginning to grow. I met and befriended the corporate Chef, Jason Davis. He is a big part of my learning to cook “better” with fresher ingredients, and new combinations of flavors. Over the course of a year, we set up a studio in his garage in North Carolina and filmed several recipe videos.
This is a Thanksgiving themed recipe we shot together about 5 years ago. It’s a turkey roulade, which basically just means “rolled up meat with stuff inside it”. In this case, it’s stuffed with sauteed apples, cranberries, onions, and bacon. You won’t need any extra cranberry sauce, as the sweet and savory apple-cranberry stuffing does double duty.
Ingredients:
- 2 slices “thick cut” bacon, chopped
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 tbsp PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter
- 7 oz. box of PB Thins, crushed
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1-1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 3 cups chopped peeled Granny Smith apple (about 2 medium)
- 1 can of cranberry sauce with whole cranberries
- 3 (12-ounce) turkey tenderloins
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of apple cider
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat 7 minutes or until bacon begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in onion, chopped rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook for 8 minutes or until onion begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 cup broth, apples, PB2, and cranberries. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until liquid evaporates and apples are almost tender (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and cool slightly. Set aside 1 cup apple mixture.
3. Slice turkey tenderloins lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, the other side. Open halves, laying tenderloins flat. Place each tenderloin between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Discard plastic wrap.
4. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper evenly over both sides of tenderloins. Spread 1/3 cup apple mixture over each tenderloin; roll it up, starting with long sides. Secure about every 2-inches with twine.
5. Heat oil in a large frying pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add tenderloins; cook 6 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. If using a frying pan, move the browned tenderloins to a roasting pan. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 165°. Remove tenderloins from pan; let stand 10 minutes. Slice crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
6. Strain off some of the liquid from roasting pan, or use chicken stock. Combine flour and 1/4 cup cooking liquid or chicken stock, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Return flour mixture and the remaining cooking liquid to the roasting pan or frying pan you browned your turkey roll in. Stir in reserved 1/2 cup apple cider; bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly. Serve with the turkey.
NOTES: Prepare the filling, stuff the tenderloins, roll, and tie them a day ahead if you like. Just let them stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking. If you can’t find turkey tenderloins, use skinless, boneless turkey breast halves. I’ve done it two years in a row.
ALSO: See below for the video for the original recipe. PB2 no longer makes PBThins, so in the recipe above I just eliminated it because there’s really no substitute.