Turkey Orloff, Julia Child's Recipe

By MaryEllen

Julia Child's Turkey Orloff...fantastic dinner party dish. I've made it for over 30 years. Preparation can be split into three separate phases and it can be made ahead.

From Julia Child and Company, 1979.

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. plain raw white rice
• Salt
• 1 pound medium sized onions (5-6)
• 1-1/2 sticks butter
• 1 egg for the soubise
• 2 egg yolks for the sauce
• 1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms
• handful fresh parsley (enough to make 3 T. minced)
• 1/2 t. dried tarragon
• pepper
• 12 or more turkey breast slices*
• 5 Tbs. flour for the sauce + more for dredging the turkey
• 1 T. vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
• 2 cups hot turkey or chicken stock
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 c. low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 c. lightly pressed down coarsely grated mozzarella cheese
• 3/1 /18 *I found a frozen Butterball Turkey Breast. We'll see how that works in this recipe. Turkey Medallions are impossible to find nowadays. At least in this neck of the woods!

Preparation

Step 1

Rice and Onion Soubise
Preheat oven to 325 deg. Drop the rice into a saucepan with 2 quarts rapidly boiling salted water and boil uncovered for exactly 5 minutes; drain immediately and reserve.


Chop onions roughly, and then mince in food processor. Melt 4 T. butter in a baking dish, stir in the onions, the drained rice, and 1/4 t. salt, mixing well to coat with the butter; cover the dish and bake for 1 hour, stirring up once or twice until the rice is completely tender and beginning to turn a golden yellow. When the rice is done and still warm, beat in the egg; taste carefully and correct seasoning.

*May be done a day or two in advance

Mushroom Duxelles
While rice and onion soubise are cooking, trim and wash mushrooms. Chop into tiny pieces in the food processor, and remove. Mince the parsley in processor afterward. By handfuls, either twist mushrooms hard in the corner of a towel or squeeze through a potato ricer to extract as much of the juices as possible. Saute the mushrooms in 2 T. butter stirring and tossing until mushroom pieces begin to separate—5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the tarragon and parsley; season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir half of the mixture into the cooked rice and onion soubise; reserve the rest.

**May be cooked in advance and may be frozen.

Preparing the Turkey Scallopini
Pound the slices between 2 sheets of waxed paper (I used Glad Press & Seal) to expand them about double, and thin them down to half.

Salt and pepper the slices lightly, dredge in flour and shake off excess, saute for about a minute on each side in 1 T. of oil and 2 T butter (more if needed), just to stiffen them and barely cook through. Set slices aside on a plate as you finish them.

The gratenéing sauce
Make a turkey velouté sauce as follows. Heat broth with wine in the microwave. Melt 4 T. butter over moderate heat; blend in flour, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until flour and butter foam and froth together for 2 minutes without turning more than a golden yellow. Remove from heat and, when this roux stops bubbling, pour in 2 cups of hot turkey or chicken stock and blend vigorously with a wire whip. Return to heat, stirring and boiling slowly for 2 minutes.

In the food processor or an electric blender, puree the egg yolks with the cottage cheese. Beat the hot sauce into the cheese mixture

Assembling the dish
Butter the inside of the dish, and spread a thin layer of sauce in bottom of the dish. Make a neat and slightly overlapping pattern of the turkey slices down the center of the dish, spreading each, as you go, with the soubise. Spoon remaining mushroom duxelles down the sides. Spoon remaining sauce over the turkey and spread the mozzarella cheese on top.


***Recipe may be prepared a day in advance to this point. When cool, cover and refrigerate. If, before proceeding, you note that the sauce does not cover some parts of the meat, spread more mozzarella over these areas.

Bake approximately 25 minutes in 400-degree oven.


Should be served promptly.