We’re almost halfway through December and I haven’t had a bite of turkey yet. I tend to avoid it, thinking I’ll get sick of it, when the reality is that I probably won’t eat any at all.
That said, I’ve just spotted Éric Lanlard’s recipe for turkey and chestnut pie. Could a dish be any more festive?
The recipe is in his excellent Tart It Up! cookbook. I’ve used the book throughout the year to make pasty-based dishes. With the thermometer having nose-dived this week, I was looking for something truly wintery.
Getting hold of hold of some turkey for the pie shouldn’t prove too arduous – the shops are full of the bird at the moment.
I tend to opt for goose at Christmas. Turkey only really overtook goose as the Christmas staple in the mid-19th century.
Some people say its popularity is the result of America’s international influence, though Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, published 100 years earlier, must take some of the credit.
“Lanlard’s recipe is perhaps my last – and only – chance to have some turkey this year”
The fact that turkeys are big birds, suiting large family get-togethers, must also have played a role.
I’ll be in France for Christmas, of course, where there is no tradition of eating turkey at Christmas. Given that I’ll be heading south in just over a week’s time, Lanlard’s recipe is perhaps my last – and only – chance to have some turkey this year.
You may be in for a surprise: turkey or ‘dinde’ is commonly eaten at Christmas in France, although the birds never reach the size of those sold in North America (thankfully!). Also, turkey breast or ‘filets de dinde’ is sold alongside chicken in most supermarkets. Bon appétit!
LikeLiked by 1 person