Thursday, January 12, 2012

Evaluating the results of a cranberry-turkey experiment

A few weeks ago I bought fresh cranberries with the intention of baking delicious cranberry orange cupcakes with a mascarpone goat cheese frosting.  Fast forward three weeks and those cranberries are still in the fridge.  Even though the bag was buried beneath various fruits and vegetables in the drawer, I could hear the berries scream "Use us!" every time I opened the fridge.  Since I have committed myself to eating healthier then the cupcakes were not an option and I needed to think of some other application for the cranberries...

Time to think of a use for cranberries...need an idea...cranberries...Thanksgiving...turkey...turkey! 

To challenge myself I didn't use a recipe but instead experimented with flavors that would "match" cranberries and turkey.  Result?  Pretty tasty (and healthy!) dinner.

Please ignore the smudgy range top, I'm not the cleanest cook.

Cranberry-Pomegranate Glazed Turkey Fillets (yes, I need to work on my recipe-naming skills)

For the glaze:
2 tbsp pomegranate jelly or preserves
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced (I used 1/2 tsp of jarred minced garlic)
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp pink peppercorns, crushed (crushed between fingers, not ground)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb turkey fillets
1 cup fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Salt

In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the glaze.  Mix well and set aside.

Remove turkey fillets from packaging and lightly sprinkle with salt. Heat olive oil in a large skillet pan over medium heat, add fillets to pan when oil has warmed. Brown fillets for 1-2 minutes and turn to brown other side. After turning, brush first browned side of each fillet with a spoonful of glaze. Turn fillets again and brush with a spoonful of glaze. Add remaining glaze, fresh cranberries and shallots to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of fillets. During this time, turn fillets occasionally (don't worry about squashing the cranberries when you do this, they almost taste better when they get smushed!).

When fillets are cooked through, remove from heat and cool slightly before slicing. Serve with the cooked cranberries and shallots spooned over the turkey.

Makes 4 servings, approximately 275 calories per serving

I served the turkey with Trader Joe's Harvest grains that were prepared in chicken stock. I planned on roasting brussel sprouts to accompany the turkey, but I became too lazy and too hungry to spend the time on that, maybe tomorrow night!

Cranberry-pomegranate turkey fillets, an original recipe!

2 comments:

  1. so pomegranate jelly or preserves? is that something you had in your pantry?

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  2. No, pomegranate jelly/preserves is not a pantry staple in our house ;-) But I designed this experiment at home with the ingredients in mind then headed to the grocery for what I didn't already have (I had everything besides the jelly and turkey fillets)!

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