This was an attempt to bring together some traditional Thanksgiving elements into a new form based on the success we've had in other applications using the sous vide method on poultry, which really is quite amazing. We originally imagined this as a kind of layer cake but opted for the cupcake form factor as a way of managing portion control, keeping the layers together effectively and getting things plated and to the table as quickly as possible.
So, after pounding out two halves of an organic butterflied turkey breast, a butterflied duck breast and four deboned chicken thighs, we layered them starting at the bottom with a layer of turkey breast, a layer of duck breast, a layer of chicken thighs and a final layer of turkey breast. On each layer we used a sprinklings of transglutaminase (meat glue) and kosher salt and on alternating layers a few generous grinds of black pepper or Old Bay Seasoning. In an attempt to break up the monotony and add a ribbon of colour, we used a dusting of dehydrated beet powder in the final layer between the chicken thigh and top turkey thinking it would make a vein kind of like a Morbier but it ended up being not that effective – other than to add some colour to the sous-vide bag juices. Within the finished product it really only made that part look a bit more....rare. So we wouldn’t do it again (though crispy bacon would be a great idea!). In a later iteration with some leftover cupcakes we rolled the sides of the cupcake tire-like through a plate of the beet powder and that looked great (though with a celeriac puree icing).
We vacuum sealed our turducken loaf and refrigerated overnight to let it set and let the transglutaminase reaction do its thing. The next day, we put the loaf into the sous-vide at 140F/60C for a good four hours. In our experience, this temperature yields the ideal moist chicken and we hoped it would work for the three meats together just as well, which it did.
Using a sturdy stainless steel ring cutter, we managed to get 11 cupcakes out of our loaf. In terms of portion size, it turned out to be just about perfect – a smaller footprint on the plate but a generous serving piled high.
In the meantime, we had cut our ample supply of turkey and duck skin into strips and got them into the deep fryer with some vegetable oil.
They curled up just beautifully and provided just the right element of unctuous, crunchy goodness. In fact, we ate quite a few of them as we were making them!
We had pre-made a smooth spiced sweet potato puree with creme fraiche and used a piping bag to "ice" each of the turducken pucks cupcake-style and added a curl of the deep fried skin in the middle of each. We then dotted a few maple-candied cranberries and walnuts around a sprinkled with chopped Italian parsley.
For the gravy, the problem with sous-vide over roasting is that you don’t get any Maillard-y pan juices or rendered schmaltz. So we made some of Jamie Oliver's “Get Ahead Gravy” (using chicken wings and aromatics) since you can make it ahead of time and not have to wait for the bird to be done. We had also recently learned a technique for salvaging the supremely flavorful sous-vide bag juices by heating them in a saucepan and removing the foam and solids so you can use it better in sauces. We reduced all this while we were putting the cupcakes together for a thick and delicious gravy. You'll find the full account of the meal including stuffings and accompaniments
here.
