I have a cookbook based on food mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays. Yes, someone actually went through Shakespeare’s plays and compiled recipes! Thanksgiving obviously didn’t exist back then, but there is a St. Crispin’s Day menu from Henry V that has turkey (Henry V was written in 1599-1600 and the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621)! There is no dessert, because one, I don’t really eat dessert, and two, the original menu doesn’t have dessert.
Anyway, apparently in Shakespeare's time, turkeys took off in popularity thanks to their similarity to a banquet bird of an earlier era: the peacock (according to Folger Shakespeare Library).
So here’s my adaptation!
Bison Puff
Venison pasty is in the original menu, but I couldn’t find venison, and I didn’t feel like making the pastry myself.
- 8 oz crescent dough sheet
- 1 lb ground bison
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
- Heat oven to 375°F.
- Unroll croissant dough and cut into 6 rectangles (cut in half lengthwise and thirds crosswise). Place on ungreased large cookie sheet. Press each into 5x5-inch square.
- Mix the rest of the ingredients together.
- Place 1/6 of the meat mixture in the center of each dough square. Spread to within ½ inch of three corners. Bring unfilled corner up over filling. Press edges with fork to seal. Pierce top of each pocket with sharp knife.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Asparagus
Asparagus is asparagus. There’s nothing really special here.
- Bend the asparagus until they break. Discard the tough bottoms.
- Blanch them for about 3-4 minutes.
- Drizzle olive oil over them and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Roast Turkey Breast with Sausage-Rice Stuffing
I like to brine my turkey before roasting, and I usually put the stuffing between the skin and the meat. Unfortunately, the turkey breast I got had very little skin, so I spread the stuffing on the meat and rolled it up instead.
Brining the Turkey Breast
- Add 1 cup salt and ½ cup sugar to 4 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring occasionally until the salt and sugar dissolve.
- Remove from heat and add 4 cups of ice cubes to the solution to cool the liquid to room temperature.
- Transfer the solution to a large pot. Add 4 cups of cold water and 3-4 bay leaves.
- Submerge the turkey breast in the brine, making sure it’s covered with liquid.
- Cover the pot and place in the refrigerator.
- Brine for 24 hours.
Sausage-Rice Stuffing
The original recipe calls for veal for the stuffing, but I like Italian sausage for stuffing, and I substituted rice for croutons.
- ½ cup long grain rice
- 2 tblsp salted butter or 2 tblsp unsalted butter and 1 tsp salt
- 10 oz uncased Italian sausage (I like hot)
- Simmer the rice in 1 cup water with butter (and salt) for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let stand covered for 15 minutes.
- Fluff and cool to room temperature.
- Mix rice with Italian sausage.
Preparing the Turkey Breast
Remove the turkey breast from the brine and pat dry. Lay it flat skin side down and spread the stuffing evenly over the turkey breast. Roll it up and secure with kitchen twine. Drizzle olive oil over it.
Roasting the Turkey Breast
Roast the turkey breast at 450°F for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 375°F. Roast for 30-40 more minutes, or until the internal temperature taken reaches 165°F.
Turkey Sauce
I used the sauce packet from the turkey breast and added plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Pottage of Leeks and Milk
- 2 leeks, whites only
- 8 oz cubed ham
- 1 cup whole milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- slices of crusty bread
- Slice the leek in half lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.
- Put the leeks and ham in a saucepan and add enough water to cover.
- Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the milk and salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Serve with crusty bread.
Ale
Ale is very English!
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