How long should the turkey be steamed?

The turkey is steamed tender in the pot for 1½–2¼ hours, depending on size. Allow around 200 minutes total including preparation and sauce.

Why is the turkey rubbed with lemon?

The breast is rubbed with a cut lemon half before steaming. It adds freshness to the meat and keeps the breast light.

What is the crayfish sauce made of?

Butter and crayfish butter (see page 7 in the book) with wheat flour as thickening, thinned with 6 dl freshly strained cream or half cream and half milk. It simmers 5 minutes and is thickened with egg yolk. Seasoned with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. The dish uses 20 cleaned crayfish.

What lies in the bottom of the pot during cooking?

The bottom is lined with slices of pork fat (150 g). Boiling meat stock is poured over, it is brought to a boil and skimmed, before coarsely cut roots (carrot and onion) are added.

Turkey with crayfish sauce (dindon à la sauce aux écrevisses)

Name: Turkey with crayfish sauce (dindon à la sauce aux écrevisses)
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 2 h 20 min
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 1 turkey (cleaned, about 4 kg); 0.5 lemon; 150 g pork belly, sliced; 1 carrot; 1 onion; 1 tsp salt (to taste); 1 l meat stock (boiling); 25 g butter; 25 g crayfish butter (made from the crayfish shells); 20 crayfish (cooked, tails cleaned); 40 g wheat flour; 6 dl cream (or half cream, half milk); 1 egg yolk; 1 pinch sugar; 1 pinch pepper

Turkey with crayfish sauce from Erken 1914: turkey steamed tender in stock on pork fat slices with carrot and onion, carved and covered with a sauce of butter, crayfish butter, flour, and cream, finished with egg yolk and crayfish tails.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 277 (falt i det fri)

Be the first to rate

About the dish

Crayfish were the great summer delicacy in well-to-do Norwegian homes, and crayfish butter was made from the shells and claws. The combination of turkey and crayfish sauce reflects the era's fondness for rich, French-inspired sauces.

How to make it

1
Preparation
Rub the breast of the cleaned turkey with a cut lemon.
2
Steam tender
Place slices of pork fat in the bottom of the pot, set the turkey on top, and pour on boiling meat stock. Bring to a boil and skim well.
3
Root vegetables
Add the cleaned, coarsely cut carrot and onion and salt. Let the turkey simmer 1½–2¼ hours depending on size, until tender.
4
Carve
Carve the turkey neatly and place it on a slightly deep platter. Keep warm.
5
Sauce
Melt the butter, stir in the flour and crayfish butter, and thin with the cream or half cream and half milk. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes.
6
Finish the sauce
Take the sauce off the heat, whisk in the egg yolk, add the crayfish tails, and season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.
7
Serving
Pour the hot crayfish sauce over the carved turkey and serve at once.

Changes from the original

Measures are converted to modern units (6 dl cream/milk), crayfish butter is kept as an ingredient with a note that it can be made from the shells. The method has been divided into numbered steps, and the egg yolk is stirred in off the heat to keep the sauce from curdling.

In stores now

Clean, minimally processed groceries matched to the ingredients — approximate prices.

Product data and prices via Kassalapp. Prices are updated daily and may vary.

Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

Pick two different editions to see a comparison.

Community interpretations

Be the first to share your own version.

See interpretations →

Frequently asked questions

How long should the turkey be steamed?: The turkey is steamed tender in the pot for 1½–2¼ hours, depending on size. Allow around 200 minutes total including preparation and sauce.
Why is the turkey rubbed with lemon?: The breast is rubbed with a cut lemon half before steaming. It adds freshness to the meat and keeps the breast light.
What is the crayfish sauce made of?: Butter and crayfish butter (see page 7 in the book) with wheat flour as thickening, thinned with 6 dl freshly strained cream or half cream and half milk. It simmers 5 minutes and is thickened with egg yolk. Seasoned with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. The dish uses 20 cleaned crayfish.
What lies in the bottom of the pot during cooking?: The bottom is lined with slices of pork fat (150 g). Boiling meat stock is poured over, it is brought to a boil and skimmed, before coarsely cut roots (carrot and onion) are added.

Related recipes

More dishes in the same category from the archive

Kommentarer

Ingen kommentarer ennå. Bli den første til å dele!