The Turkey

3-4 lb. boneless free range turkey breast
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp. chopped lemon thyme
1 tsp. sea salt
to taste freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. thinly sliced shallots
½ cup ruby port
2 cups chicken stock
¼ cup sun dried figs, quartered
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375°. Place boneless turkey breast on cutting board. Butterfly cut breast lengthwise to create pocket. Place one third stuffing in turkey breast pocket. Tie with butcher twine. Place turkey breast in roasting pan skin side up. Baste with olive oil. Rub in lemon thyme, sea salt and pepper. Bake 45 minutes to one hour or until center of turkey breast reaches 160 degrees. Remove turkey from roasting pan. Discard fat. Add sliced shallots. Cook on low heat to translucent. Pour in ruby port and sun dried figs. Reduce by half. Add chicken stock. Reduce by two thirds. Whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Stuffing

8 large croissants, cubed
6 hot Italian sausages, uncooked
2 cups minced leeks, white part only
½ cup finely diced celery
½ cup thinly sliced fennel
¼ cup chopped pecans
½ cup diced sun dried apricots
½ stick unsalted butter
1 tsp. chopped sage
½ cup minced parsley
1 cup chicken stock

Melt butter in medium skillet over moderate heat. Add leeks, celery, and fennel. Cook until translucent. Add pecans, sun dried apricots, sage, parsley, chicken stock. Bring to boil. Let cool. Remove sausage from casing. Crumble sausage meat into mixing bowl. Combine with cool vegetable mixture and croissants. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place two thirds of stuffing into baking dish. Cover. Place in oven at 375° degrees for 30 min.

Braised Apples

8 Granny Smith apples, braised
½ cup. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. lavender honey
8 oz. lingonberries (a little jar)
1 lemon, halved
pinch ground cardamom

Cut apples in half horizontally. Core and stem. Place in baking pan. Rub apples with cut side of lemon. Fill apples with lingonberries. Melt butter with honey. Drizzle over apples. Sprinkle ground cardamom. Bake in oven at 375° 15 minutes or until tender.

Presentation

8 sprigs sage
Cut turkey breast into 1 inch slices. Place in center of warm serving plate. Scoop portion of stuffing in center of turkey slices. Garnish with braised apples. Ladle sauce directly over turkey slices. Garnish with sage sprig.