Turkey Breast w/Sauce: Method Question

[odinthor]

I have an as-yet untried recipe for "Turkey Breast with Ginger Raisin Sauce" (it's a bit lengthy--I won't repeat it here; one can find it by a search). Sounds delicious! Part of the method is to cook the sliced onions in the roasting pan beside the turkey breast, then in due course--after the turkey is browned--to add other ingredients of the sauce (raisins, vinegar, spices, gingersnaps[!], etc.), at different successive points in the roasting process, to what by that point would be the mixed turkey drippings and onions, and then to continue the roasting.

I am no enemy of necessary or desirable complications (quite the opposite); but this of pulling the turkey in and out of the oven every so often, and trying to mix things with the drippings etc. in the pan with the turkey either there in the way, or wrestled for the moment out of the way, seems to me to be certainly undesirable and likely unnecessary.

Am I overlooking some unexpressed benefit to the methodology stated; or would it, as I think, be just as gastronomically desirable to wait to deal with the sauce portion until friend Turkey is done to his proper fare-thee-well, then to pour the well-stirred drippings into a sauce-pan, cook the onions, and add the raisins, gingershaps, and so on to that--in other words, making the sauce in a more normal sauce-making way?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[todao]

Normally, a sauce is prepared after the turkey is taken from the oven and while it is resting prior to carving. Once the turkey is browned, and done, I'd remove it from the oven and finish the sauce using that procedure. Just remember to watch closely so the roasting pan doesn't run dry.
However, as firecooked points out, a link would be considerably more helpful.
Post Script:
Just read the link.
The part that says "In this pan, heat 2 tablespoons of non- fat chicken broth. When the broth is hot, add the turkey and the onions. Brown them, adding more broth as necessary, so the turkey does not stick to the pan." leads me to conclude that we're "browning" meat and veggies in a liquid. "Browning" in a liquid, especially a "non-fat" liquid, strikes me as absolutely idiotic. I suppose that you could leave the ingredients in the liquid until it evaporates and use the fat from the turkey breast and the remnants of the cooking spray to do the browning, but that too is (IMO) absurd.
As to whether you cook it on the stove top or in the oven, it's either a stove top or oven braise so either should work. However, I'd use the oven method (as firecooked recommended) to have better control over the heat throughout the period of time called for.

[lisaonthecape]

I think that roasting the onions with the turkey might impart some flavor to the turkey, in addition to getting the onions nicely caramelized. I'm guessing that the rest could wait until the turkey is removed.

[firecooked]

You will need to provide a link... the are multiple recipes by this name, the one I found just calls to roast the turkey breast and do the sauce separately on the stove. From what you have stated, I'm sure that you could just do on the stove.

[odinthor]

Thanks! Your wish is my command--here's a link:

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1991...

Scroll down just a bit for the recipe...

[firecooked]

This is calling for a 3 pound turkey breast -- so really a 1/2 breast (and a small one at that). You are just browning the turkey and onions together (using broth instead of fat), then add everything except the ginger snap/water mixture (which I'm sure is the thickener for the sauce in addition to adding ginger and sweetness). I would highly recommend the oven option (boiled turkey breast is dry.. not sure even this sauce could fix that!).

[odinthor]

You've convinced me. I've often told others to "trust the chef who wrote the recipe"; time for me to take my own advice!

Thanks!

[firecooked]

I have never heard that one! Good thing. If I were making this, I would brown the breast in a bit of fat (so much easier), use fresh garlic and ginger, skip the ginersnaps and reduce the pan juices after removing the turkey and if necessary, thicken with a cornstarch slurry. But that's me.