This recipe for Bresse-Style Poached Roasted Turkey is one in a series shared by D’Artagnan, a gourmet-food company founded by Ariane Daguin in 1985.
The company creates fine farm-to-table meats and is the leading purveyor of foie gras, game meat, organic poultry, pâtés, sausages and smoked delicacies in the U.S. The company reports that all the four-star restaurants in New York City have D’Artagnan products on their menus.
For those who want to go beyond brining your turkey, there is the Bresse style of poaching.
Daguin states she is a huge proponent of this style of cooking from Bresse, the capital of all things poultry in France. Why? “Because poaching a turkey, chicken or capon in a large pot renders the meat more tender than any cold brine can. It’s not really any more effort than brining, as both techniques require a pot that can fit the whole bird. This is probably best for turkeys on the smaller side, as home kitchens may not have poaching vessels large enough to accommodate a huge turkey.”
After being poached, the turkey is roasted for only a short time the next day, which frees up the oven for other things. The turkey comes out of the oven with a crackling brown skin and impossible-to-believe tender meat. Bonus: you get turkey stock before you even eat the bird.
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