This wild turkey recipe is a take on the age-old classic Cordon Bleu, stuffed with salt-cured ham and a decadent triple cream brie.
Cordon Bleu is a classic recipe in which a breaded meat is wrapped around a cheese stuffing and either fried or baked. The traditional version incorporates a paper-thin layer of Serrano ham between the layers of meat and cheese. For this wild turkey recipe, we used wild turkey breast and a thinly sliced, salt-cured country ham. Stop by your local deli and ask for country ham sliced at a number one or two thickness. The cheese choices are up to you, but we used a nutty Swiss and a decadent triple cream brie for both flavor and texture in the finished dish.
Instead of the more traditional fried Cordon Bleu, we roll the turkey breast in a mixture of Panko bread crumbs, flour and Parmesan cheese, then spray it with a bit of vegetable oil and bake to a crunchy, golden brown.
Stuff the roll with your choice of cheese. We use a combination of triple cream brie and a nutty Swiss.
Ingredients
- Side of a wild turkey breast butterflied and pounded to an even thickness
- 8 ounces country ham sliced thin
- 8 ounces brie cut into slices
- 8 ounces Swiss cheese cut into thick slices
- Tablespoon Cavender’s Greek Seasoning
- Salt and pepper
Coating
- 8 ounces Panko bread crumbs
- 4 ounces parmesan cheese finely grated
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Butterfly the turkey breast, then use a meat mallet to pound it out to an even thickness.
Instructions
Butterfly the turkey breast by slicing from the side until nearly through the breast meat. Fold open like a book. Cover the breast with plastic wrap and pound the meat into an even thickness.
Season the breast meat with salt and pepper and half the Cavender’s seasoning. Layer the country ham evenly over the breast meat. Place the cheeses down the center of the meat and roll tightly around the cheese. Pin the roll together with toothpicks. (Pull them out just before slicing.)
Roll the turkey and ham layers tightly around the cheese filling, then pin in place with toothpicks.
Mix the coating ingredients in a Pyrex dish or sheet pan. Roll the turkey in the dredge to coat evenly. Place the turkey roll on an oiled sheet pan and spritz the surface with vegetable-oil spray.
Roast at 350 degrees until the coating is golden brown and crunchy and the interior reads 160 on an instant-read or remote thermometer. This one took about 45 minutes; larger rolls may take up to an hour, smaller rolls slightly less.
Dredge the roll in the bread crumb/flour/Parmesan cheese mixture.
Let the Cordon Bleu rest for 10 to 15 minutes before removing the toothpicks and slicing. Serves 5-7.
Note: This wild turkey recipe was adapted from Realtree’s Timber-2-Table.
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