Ludo Lefebvre and His Son Demonstrate How to Make the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey Breast

The lead-up to Thanksgiving means thatturkey is about to fill our kitchens, and Ludo Lefebvre's is no exception. In the latestLudo(and Luca) à la Maison,chef Lefebvre is joined by a very special guest—his son, chefLucaLefebvre—to make turkey breast with honey lemon glaze, because a.) "Turkey is the most important thing in Thanksgiving," and b.) "Chef Luca loves turkey."

First,Lefebvreinstructs, make sure to brine the turkey breast overnight in water. Then, to avoid ending up with a dry, overcooked turkey, he reveals a trick: wrap the turkey breast in three layers of plastic film, and then two times in aluminum foil, the first to keep the steam inside "like a steamer," the second to keep the plastic from melting.

While cooking at 250 degrees for "三个heures" (three hours), the Lefebvres work on the glaze. They add a bit of rosemary, thyme, salt, and olive oil to garlic, then wrap it all in aluminum foil and roast the bulb for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. Once it's done, they peel the garlic and add it to a blender with honey, olive oil, lemon juice, orange (whichthe older Lefebvrepoints out is "the color of Thanksgiving), and chicken stock (which the younger Lefebvre points out is really just "chicken juice.") They blend it all together.

Removing the turkey, the father-son duo put it into ice water to stop the meat from cooking, then unwrap it. Luca brushes the turkey with glaze, and they add a little bit ofherbes de provence(Lefebvre's own, of course), then put it back in the oven at 425 degrees. During the 25 minutes it cooks, Ludo says, "You baste, then you baste, then you baste, every two minutes," never leaving it alone, until it's done."

Finally, all that's left is the gravy. Ludo melts butter, adds a little bit of flour and mixes, slightly cooking the flour. He adds more chicken stock/juice, along with rosemary and thyme to infuse flavor, plus some fresh-squeezed orange and lemon juice and dry wine. They reduce it by half, at which point Ludo feels it's missing a bit of acidity, so he adds "a little touch" of white wine. He pours the leftover glaze in for more flavor, strains and adds a touch of vinegar, andviola, it's done. Judging by how much Ludo, Luca and another surprise family member enjoy the final product, this turkey recipe will likely have your family giving thanks toyoucome this year's biggest shared turkey-based meal.