Smoked Citrus, Cumin & Garlic Turkey Breast

Here's a heads up for ya, folks. Think of this as one of those big yellow "Work Zone Ahead" signs on the turnpike. Only this one would say "BBQ Overload Ahead." Yep, that's what happens when you get a new smoker. Well, that and BIG silly sauce stained smiles on the faces of neighbors and family from all that smoky deliciousness!

One of the BEST things about smoking is how easy it is...I think of it almost as the crockpot of summer cooking. Really. Seriously!  A little simple prep, throw it in the smoker with soaked wood chips of choice, check the internal temp of the protein on occasion and pull it out when it registers what you're looking for. Boom! If you put some fresh ears of corn in there at the same time, maybe even some par-boiled potatoes, mushrooms and/or tomatoes, you have an entire meal at once. 

Although the ease is one reason for my smoking enthusiasm, the crazy BBQ flavor is the deal sealer for me. Don't have a smoker? You can use a smoker box in your gas or charcoal grill. Don't want to invest in an expensive smoker? Do what we did around here. For $40 we initially bought an electric column type smoker at Home Depot that we used for years! After that, the same type - only a charcoal model from Lowe's - was our baby for another few years. That one was a whopping $50! Bottom line here is that you can get in on the ground floor of smoking for almost peanuts.

Okay, enough talking about smoking. Let's get goin' and get on the road to the recipe!

Smoked Citrus Cumin Garlic Turkey Breast

• a 2-3 lb boneless, skinless fresh turkey breast
• a quart bowl of smoker wood chips, soaked in water for at least an hour before putting the turkey in the smoker - I used a combo of apple and hickory chips

Citrus, Cumin & Garlic Butter:

• zest of 1 lime, 1 Meyer (or regular) lemon, 1/2 an orange (zest the orange BEFORE cutting in half)
• 1 t cumin
• 1 large garlic clove, pressed or minced finely
• 1 small shallot, finely minced
• 3 T soft butter
• 1/2 T kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Baste:

• juice of 1/2 the lime, 1/2 the Meyer lemon and the WHOLE orange
• 1 t cumin
• 1 t oregano
• 1 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1 T honey
• 2 T olive oil

A few hours before you start smoking (or the day before), butterfly the turkey breast. 

Laying the breast longitudinally in front of you on a cutting board, make a shallow cut down the center being sure not to cut through to the bottom. Next place your knife inside that cut and cut horizontally towards the left of the breast being careful not to cut all the way through. Do the same on the right side and open the breast up, laying it flat. 

Spread or pat the prepared butter in the center, leaving plenty of butter-less space around the edges. You want to keep the butter inside the breast as it cooks. Roll the buttered turkey breast from one side to the other and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the turkey breast 1-2 hours (or even overnight) and take out an hour before you want to put it in the smoker.

Turkey breast butterflied open and spread with Citrus Cumin Garlic Butter

Prepare your smoker and bring it up to 225 degrees. Once it's at temp, place the turkey breast in the smoker, inserting a cooking thermometer into the center of the breast (my smoker came with a probe built in - convenient!). Smoke to an internal temp of 165 degrees basting occasionally with the basting liquid throughout the smoking time. When the probe registers 165, remove and let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing thinly. And enjoy!

NOTE: Once you start smoking, you may never have to buy expensive lunch meats again. Leftovers make fantastic sandwiches and salads! In fact, my next post will feature a recipe for leftover smoked brisket...stay tuned.

Summer State Of Mind In The Midst Of Winter - A Rum Drink

Okay, I'm in denial. But as cold and snowy as it is out there, I still think summer is a state of mind. 

Inspired by these adorable little mini-pineapples, a warm weather tiki-ish drink HAD to be concocted! Two kinds of rum, a little Don's Mix for tiki-ness, fresh lime, pineapple and Meyer lemon juices capped with a dash of Tiki bitters from Bittermens and I know it was summer...at least in my hand for a moment.

So what if its fluffy snow and not snow white sand? So what if it's just a wee bit chilly out there? Put a tiki drink in my hand and the snows melt, the sun shines, the seagulls squawk and the waves swoosh around my toes...in my mind it IS summer...until the REAL thing is here. And for now, that's good enough. Well, almost anyway.

Summer State Of Mind

• 1 1/2 oz. Zaya rum
• 1 1/2 oz. Mt. Gay rum
• 1 oz. Don's Mix - see recipe below
• 1/4 oz. fresh lime juice
• 1/4 oz. fresh Meyer lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 6-8 drops Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters (tropical flavors of cinnamon, allspice and other island spices) - optional
• crushed ice

Stir together both rums, Don's mix, juices and bitters together. Fill a glass, small tiki mug or hollowed out tiny pineapple with crushed ice. Pour the cocktail over the ice, garnish with colorful paper umbrellas, fancy straws, pineapple leaves...anything that makes you smile and forget the winter. Escape to the beach....aaaaaahhhhhhh.......

Don's Mix: 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks -  slightly crushed, 1 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice.

In a small saucepan, mix sugar and water, add cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain out cinnamon sticks. When the syrup is cool, add grapefruit juice. Store in a covered jar or bottle. Keeps 1-2 weeks stored in the fridge.

Gluten-Free Blood Orange Meyer Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Lemon Meringue pie! The craving hit like a bolt of tart, sweet, luscious lightening! Right then and there, it was decided what the weekend's dessert would be.

As days counted down to Saturday (and the available time to make the pie), I realized a gluten-free pastry crust just didn't measure up to the good old Crisco gluten-FULL crust of my memory. Hmmmm. Okay, instead of a disappointing GF crust, how about a cupcake to cradle the citrusy, lemony curd? Done.

That lemon curd I'd been craving all week? Blood oranges and Meyer lemons seemingly beckoned from the fridge. Suddenly the lemon meringue craving turned into something just a little more exotic, more exciting.

Saturday came...finally. While the cupcakes baked, the curd came together in a jiffy and when the adorable cakes emerged from the oven, the curd was already quick-chilling.  

Once all the parts were ready to roll, the little cakes were hollowed out and filled with the orange-y, lemon-y custard. Meringue was whipped into sweet, white clouds while filled cupcakes chilled in the fridge. Last of all, the meringue fluff was piled on top and popped into the oven to brown. Gorgeous!

I'm not gonna lie...it was a lot of effort, but SO worth it! Hmmmm....I'm just thinking about maybe a coconut cupcake filled with key lime curd, crowned with a browned, coconut kissed meringue. I'm also thinking that might possibly be this year's Parrothead cupcake for the Buffet concert...WITH a Margarita, of course!

 Gluten-Free Blood Orange Meyer Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Makes 12

 

• 1 package yellow cake mix, Hodgson Mill Gluten-Free
• 1/2 package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice (or 2 T. lemon juice AND 2 T. orange juice)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup fresh blood orange juice (or regular fresh o.j.)
• 1/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (or regular lemon juice)
• 6 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 T. grated orange zest
• 1 stick butter, room temp

• 4 egg whites
• 3 T. sugar

     
Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners into 12 cupcake pan holes.
   
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, mix the cake mix, dry instant pudding, buttermilk, juices, oil and eggs until everything is mixed, scrape down sides of bowl and mix on medium another minute until well incorporated.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.

Bake approximately 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Don't overbake. Cool completely on racks. Once they are completely cool, hollow out the centers with about a 1" hole - do NOT go all the way to the bottom. Set aside.

Curd: In the top of a double boiler (or a heat-proof bowl over simmering water in a pot), mix sugar, juices, eggs and yolks, zest and salt. Whisk the mixtures constantly until it becomes very thick and silky. Do NOT let it come to a boil. Remove from heat and cool. (I quick cooled the curd in the freezer, stirring often so it didn't freeze. Once the mixture is chilled completely, move to the fridge until you're ready to fill the cupcakes.)

Assembly: Fill the hollows of the cupcakes with the curd. Chill again while making the meringue.

Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites to a froth. Add the sugar gradually, continuing to whip until they come to a stiff peak. Top each filled cupcake with meringue. Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven until the peaks of the meringue are beautifully browned. Remove from oven. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.