I’ve had Tyler Florence’s book, Tyler’s Ultimate for over a year. When I first bought the book at the Wine and Food Festival in South Beach last year, I was so excited to try some of the recipes.  And then life got in the way, and I forgot.  I was really in the mood for some cooking this past weekend and pulled out the book again.  This is a fabulous book for simple but fabulously good recipes.

I made some minor changes to his recipes…  I used turkey tenderloins because my grocery store had them all perfectly trimmed.  I’m a sucker for convenience!  I also used dried cranberries in place of  dried apricots… To me, turkey and cranberries go together like cookies and milk or peanut butter and jelly!  As I was eating this delicious dinner, I realized it was missing one thing… Just a little cranberry relish.  I will DEFINITELY make this recipe again, but will add a bit of cranberry relish to the finished dish.

Oven Roasted Turkey with Leeks and Dried Fruit Recipe (adapted from Tyler’s Ultimate)

2 leeks, roots trimmed
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
2 turkey tenderloins
1/4 c golden raisins
1/4 c dried cranberries
1 tsp fresh thyme

1. Trim off the dark green part of the leeks, leaving the white and just an inch or two of the light green part.  Cut the leaks almost in half lengthwise, leaving the halves attached at the root end.  Rinse under cool running water, separating the leaves gently to rinse out the dirt and sand.  Pat the leeks dry with a paper towel.

2. Heat 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add the leeks and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, turning often.  Remove from the pan and let cool.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Use a sharp knife to butterfly the turkey tenderloins.  Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and pound each tenderloin to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch.  Sprinkle the surface of the turkey with salt and pepper.  Place one cooled leek in the center of each tenderloin.  Scatter the raisins, cranberries and thyme over the leeks.  Dot the top with the remaining tbsp of butter.

4. Gently roll the turkey over the filling and tie with two pieces of kitchen twine.  Repeat with the other tenderloin.  Season the outside with salt and pepper.

5. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the same saute pan over medium high heat.  Add the two rolls of turkey to the pan and sear all over. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 10-15 minutes, until an instant read thermometer stuck into the meat registers 160 degrees.  Take the turkey out of the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting crosswise into medallions.

Makes 4 servings.