Chef Alexis Quaretti’s Classic Thanksgiving Dishes

There’s nothing like roasted turkey around the holidays – it always reminds me of my childhood in France. It’s the perfect traditional dish that gathers people together and warms the home like no other recipe as the temperature falls outside.

On board our ships, we serve delicious roasted turkey paired with all of the classics à la Oceania Cruises in celebration of Thanksgiving to bring that same warmth to your holidays across the seas. This means our savory stuffing is laced with chestnuts, Italian sausage and truffle paste, our sweet potato takes on the form of a creamy duchess sweet potato with glazed dried orange slices, and our green peas are studded with bacon. Try preparing one of these favorites to share with your family this holiday or try them all – I do hope you enjoy making them as much as we do on board. I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Oceania Cruises!

ROASTED TURKEY & GRAVY RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

Turkey
1 whole turkey, 12 to 14 pounds
3 ¾ tablespoons vegetable oil
3 ½ tablespoons butter
Salt, to taste

Turkey Legs
2 leg pieces from the whole turkey
5 tablespoons butter
1 ½ cups onion
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 ¼ cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of rosemary
Salt, to taste

Giblets
Giblets from the turkey, washed and drained
1 medium onion peeled and stuck with 3 cloves
1 bay leaf
Salt, to taste

Gravy
4 ½ pounds turkey bones and trimming
3 ½ tablespoons butter
1 ½ cups onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup white wine
2 ¼ cups chicken stock

DIRECTIONS

For the Turkey Preparation:

1. Cut off the wing joints, cut off the legs and debone. Remove all tendons from the legs.
2. Season the legs inside and out.
3. Make a roll of the deboned legs (skin outside). Tightly tie the legs with a string about every third of an inch in order to have a nicely shaped roulade. (Keep the wing bones and leg bones for the sauce).
4. Reserve the giblets and heart for the sauce (garnish).

For the Turkey Legs:

1. Season the tied turkey legs with salt and sear in a heavy-bottomed pan with butter until it has a nice golden coloration all around.
2. Remove the legs, add the onion and roast until golden brown. Add the tomato paste and roast for another 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf and rosemary.
3. In a preheated oven at 300°F, braise the turkey legs for approximately 1 hour or until tender. Once done, remove the legs and cool down.
4. Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve and keep it for the sauce and for reheating the legs prior to serving. (This should be done one day ahead and legs should cool down in their cooking juice overnight).
5. Once the turkey legs are cold, slice them into approximately ½ inch to ¾ inch slices. There should be at least 8 pieces from one leg.
6. Reheat the sliced turkey legs in the remaining turkey stock before serving.

For the Roasted Turkey Breast:

1. Season the turkey breast (bone-in) with salt and roast in a preheated oven at 320°F for approximately 1 hour.
2. Reserve roasting liquid for the sauce. Keep the breast warm on the bone until the last moment.

For the Giblets:

1. Rinse the giblets under cold water, place all ingredients in a pot, and simmer for 1½ hours or until soft.
2. Strain and cool down. Once cold, finely dice the giblets/heart and set aside for the gravy.

For the Gravy:

1. Line a heavy-bottomed roasting pan with butter and roast the mirepoix over moderate medium heat until golden brown.
2. Add the tomato paste and the roasting juice from the turkey.
3. Under constant stirring, roast for another 10 minutes. Adjust the heat in order to avoid the tomato paste burning.
4. Deglaze with white wine and reduce until almost dry.
5. Add turkey stock (from the leg braising stock) and chicken stock, and bring slowly to a boil. Skim off the fat and scum.
6. Add the bay leaves. Let simmer for 15 minutes or until almost reduced by half by cleaning the surface continuously.
7. Season to taste with salt.
8. Thicken with roux if necessary and let simmer for another 10 minutes.
9. Strain through a very fine mesh sieve.
10. Add the finely diced giblets and keep warm.
11. Remove all excess fat on the surface and then at the last minute, finish by whisking in a little butter. Keep warm for serving.

STUFFING RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
⅓ cup butter
¾ cup onion, peeled and finely chopped
¾ cup carrot, peeled and finely chopped
¾ cup celeriac, peeled and finely chopped
¾ cup leek, finely chopped
2 cups Italian link sausage
1 cup white mushrooms
¾ tablespoon truffle paste
1 teaspoon thyme, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sage, finely chopped
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup Madeira wine
10 eggs
3 cups white bread toast, crust removed and cut in small cubes
1 ¼ cup milk
1 ¼ cups chestnuts, peeled
Salt, to taste
10 sprigs of fresh thyme, for garnish

STUFFING DIRECTIONS

1. Sweat the onions, carrots, celeriac and leeks in butter for 10 minutes.
2. Add the mushroom, Italian sausage meat and sauté until golden brown. Deglaze with Madeira and reduce until almost dry, remove from the heat and reserve.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl soak the white bread cubes in milk for 30 minutes and gently remove the bread from the milk.
4. Press to remove excess milk. (do not use the remaining milk in the bowl).
5. In a robot coupe or large bowl mixer, combine the sautéed vegetables with mushrooms, soaked bread, whole eggs, chopped herbs, truffle paste, and drained chestnuts together.
6. Season to taste with salt. Mix for a few minutes or until a homogenized paste. Verify seasoning.
7. Brush the ramekins with butter. Fill the stuffing into 4 oz ramekins ¾ quarter full (1.5 to 2 ounces per portion) and bake just before serving in a preheated oven in a water bath at 300˚F for approximately 25 minutes. Keep warm.

SWEET POTATO ROSETTE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

Orange slices to place under sweet potato rosette
10 thin slices of orange
⅛ cup butter
⅛ cup agave syrup

Sweet Potato Rosette
3 ¼ cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced in small cubes
¼ cup butter
¼ cup butter, clarified (melted)
5 egg yolks
Salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

For the Glazed Dried Orange Slices:

1. Place the orange in a ceramic bowl along with the butter and the agave syrup. Cover with cling film.
2. Bring to a boil in a microwave. Let simmer for 45 seconds.
3. Remove from the microwave and let rest for 1 hour minimum, but do not remove the cling film.
4. Remove the orange slices, and pour off the excess liquid.
5. Place on a silicon tray and dry in the oven at 190˚F for approximately 45 minutes. Set aside.

For the Sweet Potato Rosette:

1. Cut the sweet potato in half skin on. Brush butter over it and season with salt.
2. Place in the oven at 300˚F and roast until cooked.
3. Scrape out the sweet potato flesh while still warm and pass through a Baker's sieve.
4. While warm, add the butter and egg yolks and mix. Season to taste with salt.
5. Pipe the sweet potato mash with a star nozzle over the candied orange slices.
6. In a preheated oven bake at 325˚F for approximately 10 to 12 minutes just before serving.
7. Brush the sweet potato rosette with clarified butter.

GREEN PEAS RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
⅓ cup bacon, diced
1 cup onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups green peas frozen, boiled in salted water
¼ cup Boston lettuce, finely shredded
¼ cup butter
Salt, to taste

GREEN PEAS DIRECTIONS

1. Sauté the diced bacon and onion in butter until translucent.
2. Add the green peas and diced Boston lettuce.
3. Season to taste with salt.

TO SERVE

1. To serve each plate, cut two breast slices from the bone and spoon stuffing on the side.
2. Place a Duchess sweet potato and some peas on the plate.

About Senior Culinary Director Alexis Quaretti
Born in Fontainebleau, France, Alexis Quaretti began showing a particular interest in cooking from an early age when cooking with his grandmother. At the age of 16, he had developed his passion for food to such a level that he knew he had found his vocation. After working at several renowned Michelin-star restaurants, Alexis joined the Oceania Cruises team in 2004, and he was later promoted to Executive Chef. After more than a decade at Oceania Cruises, he spread his culinary wings and took a leadership role at another cruise line. In 2022, Alexis returned to the Oceania Cruises family as Director of Culinary Programs & Development. In his new and expanded role, he oversees all aspects of culinary operations across the brand’s seven acclaimed ships and 12 restaurants and dining venues, including the development, introduction and implementation of new concepts to continually elevate the most awarded dining experiences at sea.