All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025

Friday, December 26, 2008

turkey tenderloins with leek & rosemary sauce






This was my first experience with turkey tenderloins - and it made for a delicious Christmas Eve dinner. It was succulent and flavorful from its slow cooking on a bed of leeks, rosemary, and Granny Smith apples with a sprinkling of thyme. The hour it took to roast gave me plenty of time to set the table and saute the sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts we had as sides. This is definitely a keeper and I look forward to making it again.
To Make:
2 turkey tenderloins, about a pound each, rinsed and patted dry
1 cups thinly sliced white of leeks
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 T. white wine or herb vinegar
a 5" sprig of fresh rosemary
1 Granny Smith apple, not peeled, sliced
2 T. olive oil
1 t. thyme
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 325F.
Sprinkle the leeks, apple slices, and rosemary in the bottom of an ovenproof casserole. Drizzle the vinegar and chicken broth on top.
Set the turkey tenderloins on top of the leeks and apples.
Sprinkle the turkey with salt and freshly cracked pepper, the olive oil, and the thyme. Cover with foil.
Bake in a 325F oven for one hour.
Uncover the turkey and remove tenderloins. Pour the juices into a blender, then scrape the leeks and apples into the blender and puree - remove the rosemary sprig before pureeing.
Put the tenderloins back in the casserole and cover with the foil, then let the turkey rest for 15 minutes.
Cut the turkey into medium thin slices and top with the leek and apple sauce.
I served this with sauteed sweet and white potatoes in olive oil, thinly sliced brussels sprouts sauteed in a little oil and water, and an arugula salad. Delicious!!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mmmmmm - this looks soooo good, too! Your Christmas Eve dinner sounds delicious and festive!

I saw your biscotti on Tastespotting! Yum!

Anonymous said...

Happy almost New Year, Barb! Christmas Eve was a bit hectic, but I was SO pleased with the turkey tenderloins....never sure about a new recipe - especially one spun out of air!
Don't you just LOVE TasteSpotting? I'm always winging by to take a look at those luscious pictures - and happy they accept some of my photos.

Anonymous said...

When you say 'especially one spun out of air' does this mean you made it up yourself??? You are a genius - honestly!

I do love to look at TasteSpotting and I believe any of your pictures/food would be a welcome highlight on that site!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Barb - that recipe is one I made up after thinking about turkey and nibbling on an apple as I unpacked leeks from the market! It's all in the taste buds, I think. Delighted it came out so well, and that you enjoyed it!

madame donna said...

Katrina, what a lovely combination of flavors. I've combined a pork tenderloin similarly with caramelized onions and tart granny smiths, but I like the idea of turkey--with leeks in lieu of onions-- very much too! Beautiful plates!

Anonymous said...

Ummm - your pork tenderloin sounds wonderful! The same day I made this, I made a pork tenderloin in milk - and was sadly disappointed. It was a new recipe, as I'd lost the old one, which was a rustic Italian method. The turkey was just wonderful, though, so all was not lost.
Have a Happy New Year, if I miss you, Donna!