Looking to glam up your Thanksgiving this year? How about serving your turkey the way they do in Hollywood?

Former executive chef of the Beverly Hills Hotel, Alex Chen, delighted many of his A-list celebrity clients with this exact recipe.

Vancouver-based Chen actually resigned from his position at the Beverly Hills Hotel to pursue his dream of representing Canada at the world’s most prestigious culinary competition, the Bocuse d’Or, which takes place in Lyon, France in January 2013.

After being named Canada’s Bocuse d’Or chef for 2013, he assumed the role of Culinary Architect at Moxie’s Grill & Bar. With Moxie as the title sponsor of Bocuse d’Or Team Canada, his position allows Chen to prepare for the competition while impacting the restaurant.

The chef’s Sage Butter Roast Turkey, with its unique presentation, touches of simple glamour, and emphasis on perfectly cooked meat is a great way to impress this Thanksgiving.

The Night Before

1. Mix sage, shallots and butter with wooden spoon. Keep sage butter at room temperature.

Turkey Leg and Thigh Log

1. Remove giblets from cavity; cover in milk and refrigerate overnight.

2. Remove both legs and thighs; save neck and bones for gravy. Carefully remove bones from leg and thigh, keeping meat in one piece, ensuring skin remains attached. Using boning knife, remove sinew and small bones from turkey legs.
Lightly cut through leg and thigh meat to make multiple incisions. Trim leg and thigh meat to make it as square as possible (about 9 by 9 inches).

3. Season both sides of turkey with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Spread 2 tbsp of sage butter on surface of meat (but not side with skin).

4. Cut tinfoil and parchment paper into 12 by 12 inch sheets. Roll meat into very tight log. Wrap tightly with parchment paper then wrap tightly with tinfoil, ensuring a tight, even log. Twist both ends of tinfoil. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Turkey Breast (Crown)

1. Using fingers tips, separate skin from turkey breast, but still keep it intact. Spread generous amounts of sage butter under the skin onto the breast meat. Smooth out the butter beneath the skin by gently applying even pressure to the skin.

2. Heavily season the entire turkey with kosher salt and cracked pepper, even inside the cavity. Cover entire turkey and refrigerate overnight.

The day of

1. Remove turkey breast from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

2. Set the oven temperature to 450 F and place turkey on roasting pan. Roast at 450 F for 20 minutes and baste often. Reduce temperature 220 F and insert thermometer through the thickest part of the breast.

3. When breast temperature reaches 90 F, remove leg and thigh log from refrigerator and place in  220-F oven. Roast
turkey breast until internal temperature reads 155 F. Remove from oven.

4. Let turkey breast rest for 20 minutes; remove meat from bones and slice meat thinly.

5. Cook leg and thigh log until thermometer reads 165 F. Remove meat from tinfoil and parchment; save all the liquid for gravy. Slice meat log into .25-inch medallions, about 10 slices per leg.

Ingredients

• 8 leaves of sage, thinly julienned
• 30 g finely diced shallots
• 200 g soft unsalted butter
• 1 whole fresh free range turkey (25 lb)
• kosher salt
• cracked black pepper

Recipe courtesy of Chef Alex Chen