The Great American Slow Cooker Book (68 page)

1
Mix the brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

2
Wind butchers’ twine around the turkey breast in two to four places to form a fairly compact roast before tying securely. Rub the brown sugar mixture all over the roast. Set it in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the squash, apricots, and prunes around the roast. Tuck in the rosemary sprigs.

3
Cover and cook on low for 4½ hours in a small slow cooker, 5 hours in a medium one, or 5½ hours in a large appliance, until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 165°F. Transfer to a cutting board; let stand for 10 minutes.

4
Snip off the butchers’ twine, then carve the meat into ½-inch-thick slices. Discard the rosemary sprigs. Fish the squash and fruit out of the cooker with a slotted spoon to serve on the side.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Although you may not be able to fit a bone-in turkey breast in a small slow cooker, you can certainly get a boneless breast in there. This sweet rub slowly caramelizes on the roast, seeping down into the vegetables below to morph them into true comfort food.

•
Substitute any other variety of winter squash, like buttercup, red kuri, or pumpkin. The squash cubes should be about ½ inch—which may be smaller than those of the prepared butternut squash in the produce section. Slice these bigger pieces to the proper size.

•
Always follow the rule for dried fruit: it should smell sweet and fragrant, a bit like a concentrated version of its fresh kin. It should also be moist and pliable despite being dried. If your supermarket only has inferior offerings, you should consider taking your hard-earned dollars elsewhere.

1
Lay the turkey breast on a large cutting board and butterfly it by splitting in half lengthwise without cutting through all the way and opening it up something like a book. Cover with plastic wrap and use the smooth side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy saucepan to flatten to ¼ inch thick.

2
Combine the crumbled muffins, shallots, celery, wine, egg yolk(s), poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Stir gently but stop before the corn muffins break down into a paste. Spread over the turkey breast, leaving a ½-inch margin.

3
Roll the breast closed and tie it with butchers’ twine in at least three places, perhaps more. Knot securely but not too tight.

4
Melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Slip the turkey breast into the pan and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker; pour in the broth over the top.

5
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours in a small slow cooker, 5 hours in a medium or large model, or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the breast registers 165°F. Use a large spatula to move the turkey breast to a cutting board. Let stand while you make the sauce.

6
Ladle the juices from the cooker into a large saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Whisk the potato starch into a little water in a small bowl (just enough water to get it to dissolve, no more than a tablespoon or so), then whisk into the broth. Boil for a few seconds until the sauce has thickened. Remove the sauce from the heat. Slice the stuffed turkey breast into ½-inch-thick rings, and serve with the sauce on the side.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Though it takes a bit of work, this recipe nonetheless yields a showstopper, turkey and dressing all in one.

•
When you’re mixing that stuffing, stir only until it’s the consistency of traditional cornbread dressing (that is, not mushy).

•
Some purchased corn muffins are unbearably sweet. Look for ones without much sugar in the mix—or even none at all, if you can find them (probably at a higher-end bakery).

•
Unfortunately, there’s no real way to tell how many purchased corn muffins you’ll need to crumble into bits to make the required amount. Buy more than you think you’ll
need, then freeze the rest for the next time you intend to make a stuffing like this.

SHORTCUTS
Ask the butcher at your supermarket to butterfly a turkey breast for you. He or she may be unwilling to do so unless you buy a whole breast. Freeze the remainder in a sealed plastic bag to dice or chop for other turkey recipes.

1
Whisk the tomato sauce, chiles, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, paprika, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, mustard, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, and cloves in the slow cooker until the tomato paste dissolves and the sauce is uniform.

2
Set the turkey breast in the sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours in a small slow cooker, 7 hours in a medium cooker, or 8 hours in a large one, or until the meat can be easily shredded with a fork. Then do just that: use a fork (or two) to shred the meat into small bits. Stir the meat into the sauce to serve.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Because of varying densities among the turkey’s muscle groups, as well as residual moisture in that meat, a turkey breast may or may not become shreddable in the time stated. Start checking about an hour early, then keep cooking the meat until it’s the right
consistency
(not, as is usually the case, the right temperature).

•
Use a good-quality but inexpensive balsamic vinegar, not a syrupy, aged bottling.

Serve It Up!
Although you can serve this on toasted buns with chopped lettuce and tomato, you might consider it in soft tacos made from whole wheat tortillas, shredded Cheddar cheese, sliced radishes, and minced cilantro.

1
Dump the turkey, tomatoes, beans, raisins, chipotles, cinnamon, and salt into the slow cooker. Stir well.

2
Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 hours, or until the chili has thickened a bit and the flavors have blended.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
A simple meal, its success relies on your knife technique: cut the turkey into tiny bits. But don’t be tempted to use ground turkey—which can clump.

•
Slice the raisins in half if you want them more evenly distributed in the sauce. Or substitute dried currants.

Serve It Up!
Have shredded Monterey Jack, chopped avocado, shredded tart apples, sour cream, and/or crumbled bacon bits for condiments at the table.

1
Stir the diced turkey, mushrooms, and ziti in the slow cooker.

2
Whisk the broth, sherry, sour cream, flour, mustard, paprika, and salt in a large bowl until the flour dissolves; pour over the ingredients in the slow cooker and stir well to coat.

3
Cover and cook on low, stirring twice, for 4 hours, or until the pasta is tender and the sauce has thickened.