Recipe: Turkey Breast with Bigoli Pasta and Giblet-Foie Gras Sauce

Turkey Breast with Bigoli Pasta and Giblet-Foie Gras Sauce
Source: Chef Charlie Trotter

Preheat oven at 150 C (300 F)
Chef's Note

Sometimes it's fun to pair something clean, simple and straightforward, like turkey breast, with something rich and opulent, like foie gras and variety meats, to produce a stunning flavor contrast. Here, toothsome bigoli create a memorable stage for the turkey, providing an element that is more about texture than flavor. Lightly wilted spinach adds a necessary foil for the other richer, fuller components. Pig's feet or tails would also be a welcome addition.

1 small turkey with giblets (about 3.6 kg / 8 lb.)
6 sprigs thyme
1 bulb garlic
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil

Sauce:
250 ml (1 cup) coarse salt
Grape seed oil for the giblets
2 cloves garlic
125 ml (1/2 cup) chopped Spanish onion
4 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
150 g (5 oz.) foie gras (duck liver), cleaned
250 ml (1 cup) meat stock reduction

Pasta
625 ml (2 1/2 cups) flour
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
2 tbsp. milk
1 1/2 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tbsp. whole-grain mustard

Garnish:
500 ml (2 cups) loosely packed baby spinach
1 tbsp. butter

To prepare the giblets:
Cover the giblets with the coarse salt and refrigerate overnight. Preheat the oven to 150 C (300 F). Rinse the salt from the giblets, place in an ovenproof pan, and cover with grape seed oil. Add the garlic, onion, 4 sprigs of the thyme, the rosemary, and the bay leaf. Cook in the oven for 3 hours, or until tender. Cool the giblets in the oil and chop coarsely.

To prepare the turkey
Preheat the oven to 160 C (325 F). Place the garlic bulb and the 6 sprigs of thyme in the cavity of the turkey. Season the cavity and the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper. Brush the turkey with the olive oil and roast, basting occasionally, for 3 hours, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 76 C (170 F). Let rest for 5 minutes. Remove the breast from the bone, and cut into twelve 6 mm (1/4") thick slices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Reserve the remaining parts for another use.)

To prepare the foie gras:
Season the foie gras with salt and pepper. Place in a hot saut pan and cook for 1 minute on each side, or until just cooked. Cool to room temperature and cut into small dice.

To prepare the sauce:
Place the meat stock reduction into a small saucepan and add the foie gras and giblets. Warm over medium heat just prior to serving.

To prepare the bigoli pasta:
Place the flour, eggs, egg yolk, milk, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter, and the mustard in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until incorporated. Knead the pasta into a ball, wrap airtight with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 3 hours. Extrude the dough from a pasta machine using the largest spaghetti setting. Cook in boiling salted water for 3 minutes or until al dente. Drain the pasta and place in a saut pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cook for 1 minute, add half of the giblet sauce, and season with salt and pepper.

To prepare the spinach:
Place the spinach in a saut pan with the remaining 1 tbsp. butter and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Assembly:
Arrange some of the spinach and pasta in the center of each plate. Place 3 slices of the turkey over the pasta and spoon the giblet sauce around the plate. Top with freshly ground black pepper.