Chef Doreen Prei’s German-inspired dish with bread dumplings and a toothsome wild mushroom sauce is rich and rewarding, ideal for a special winter dinner. Drink with Spatburgunder or Kekfrankos.
| 1 loaf | sourdough bread, 2-4 days old, cut in ½-inch slices |
| 10 leaves | fresh sage, chopped |
| 1 | turkey leg confit, pulled into small pieces |
| salt to taste | |
| 1 | egg, beaten with 100 ml of whole milk (or more milk added after, depending on the bread) |
| 30 g | dried cranberries, chopped |
| 30 g | pumpkin seeds, chopped |
| olive oil and unsalted butter for frying |
Combine all ingredients (except oil and butter) and ensure the mix is not too wet or dry.
Fill a pot wide enough to poach the bread dumplings with water and bring to a simmer.
Put cling wrap on your counter and add some of the bread dumpling mixture and shape into a long roll, 1-1½ inches wide. Roll into the cling wrap like you would make a sushi roll. Try to roll as tight as possible so that you avoid air bubbles in the roll. Tie a knot on both ends.
Place the rolls in the simmering water (avoid rapid boiling) and place a kitchen towel over top to allow even cooking. Poach for about 10 minutes and cool down in your refrigerator for at least two hours. Ideally you hang the rolls to keep the shape.
Remove the cling wrap and cut the bread dumplings into about ½-inch slices. Heat a frying pan to a medium-high heat. Add olive and butter (about the same amount) and fry the bread dumplings on both sides until golden brown.
Turkey Leg Confit
| 1 | turkey leg salt the turkey leg and leave uncovered for at least 12 hours in your fridge. |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| 5 sprigs | fresh thyme |
| 1 bunch | fresh sage |
| 5 cloves | garlic, crushed |
| salt and pepper | |
| 1 kg | duck fat or any vegetable oil (you can reuse the fat after cooking) |
Preheat your oven to 300ºF.
Season the turkey leg with pepper. No salt needed since it’s been added to cure beforehand. Melt the duck fat in a pot and add all the other ingredients and the turkey leg. Place parchment paper directly over the fat and cover the pot with tin foil. You can also use a casserole dish.
Cook for 3-4 hours or until fork tender.
Allow to cool down for at least 15 minutes and pull the meat when it’s still warm.
Wild Mushroom and Cassis Cream Sauce
| 100 g | wild boar bacon or pancetta, small diced |
| extra virgin olive oil (needs a lot since mushrooms soak it up) | |
| 50 g | butter, unsalted |
| 80 g | morel or shiitake mushrooms or both, dried or fresh, sliced (if dried, pour boiling water over the mushrooms and soak for a minimum of 15 minutes; keep the soaking liquid) |
| 100 g | oyster mushrooms, cleaned and cut in strips |
| 80 g | crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced |
| 2 | shallots, finely chopped |
| 100 ml | crème de cassis |
| 250 g | whipping cream |
| mushroom soaking liquid | |
| lemon juice, to taste | |
| salt and pepper to taste | |
| 1 bunch | fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped |
Heat a frying pan to medium high heat. Once heated add 5 tablespoons of olive oil and add the bacon. Sear until caramelized. Then add the shallots and mushrooms (you might need to add more olive oil at this point) and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until the mushrooms are caramelized. Add the crème de cassis. Reduce the heat to medium and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes. Add the mushroom soaking liquid and cream and reduce by half. It should be a creamy consistency. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and the parsley right before you serve with the bread dumplings.