L’Atelier Guy Martin

Gourmet on the Go

Two years ago, I discovered the Atelier Guy Martin, a cooking school at 35 rue de Miromesnil near Metro Miromesnil, just a few metro stops from our apartment. Six days a week, in two spotless, state-of-the-art professional kitchens, they offer cooking classes in the morning, evenings, and at lunchtime. Guy Martin is a Michelin starred chef whose restaurant, Le Grand Vefour, is one of the oldest and most beautiful in Paris.

I have been to the lunchtime class five or six times and have enjoyed the experience and the food very much. When you arrive, you wash your hands, put on your apron (plastic but it works) and get to work. Everyone has a work station and a set of very sharp knives. And the chef demonstrates each step and then, we students take over.

The other day, my husband, Kent, and I and several friends signed up for the class on turkey ballotine with a red berry sauce and sweet potato puree sounding like a perfect start to Thanksgiving week. We chopped the mushrooms, parsley, and shallots, peeled and chopped the sweet potatoes, and looked pretty professional, in fact. Once the sweet potato puree was ready, Chef Laurent showed us how to plate the puree with a decorative flourish creating a little moat for the red berry sauce.

And soon, our delicious and lovely looking lunch was ready for our table. We sat down

and enjoyed our rolled stuffed Turkey Breast with Red berry Sauce and Sweet Potato Puree.

We were offered a glass of red wine from Roussillon, Chateau Les Pins 2007 or a glass of white, Helios, Dom Brial 2010.Yum! The price is reasonable and you can get the chef’s surprise dessert if you wish. And, the French had no idea they had just helped us produce a Thanksgiving meal with a twist! The recipe sounds sexier in French, but is delicious in any language.

Ballotine de dinde farcie, jus aux airelles et moussseline de patate douce

(Rolled stuffed turkey breast with red berry sauce and sweet potato puree)

For 4 people

Ingredients

Turkey or Chicken

2 turkey or chicken breasts

salt and pepper

Stuffing

1/2 lb. mushrooms

1 shallot

1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley

Olive oil

80 g mascarpone cheese

Red Berry Sauce

80 g of cranberries or airelles

100 g chicken stock

1 T honey

20 g butter

Sweet Potato Puree

500 g sweet Potatoes

100 g sweet butter

Salt and pepper to tast

Preparation

Cut the breasts in two, horizontally. Season with salt and pepper. Take a large wide knife, place it flat on the breast and pound it flat like veal scaloppini. Place the breast flat on the oven-safe plastic wrap. Spread a moderate amount of stuffing on top near the back edge of the breast, fold it over using the wrap, and roll it into into a stuffed turkey sausage, creating the ballotine. Close the ends well by spinning and folding the plastic wrap. Cook in a steamer for 20 minutes. Since the stuffing has already been cooked, the breast will come out just right.

Stuffing

Finely chop the mushrooms and the parsley and set aside. Dice the shallots and saute in a little olive oil. Do not brown. Add the mushrooms and parsley and cook about 5 minutes over moderate heat to sweat the mushrooms dry. Add the mascarpone, salt and pepper and mix well.

Juice/Sauce

In a small saucepan heat up the honey. Add the berries and cook 3 minutes. Add some chicken stock and reduce for 10 minutes. Blend and then put back in the saucepan and add a little butter.

Sweet Potato Purée

Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into large cubes. Cook in 1 liter of cold water with salt. Once cooked, drain, mix in a blender adding butter and a little chicken stock.

Assembling the Dish

To assemble the dish, take the turkey or chicken rolls out of the plastic wrap and cut in two or three pieces. With a spoon, put the sweet potato puree on the plate as demonstrated and fill the little moat with red berry sauce. Place the turkey or chicken roll slices in the center. (see photo). The extra red berry sauce and puree can be placed on the table for seconds.

ENJOY