Famous Last Meals / Modern companion recipe
Roast Turkey with Cranberry Relish
4 roast-turkey portions with about 3 tablespoons cranberry relish each; other sides separate · Active 30 min · Total 2 hr 20 min
Print recipe · PDFA small boneless turkey breast makes a manageable roast, with its thickest center checked before resting and carving. Cranberries simmer separately into a tart small accompaniment. This household version chooses the cut, seasoning and orange in the relish openly rather than claiming to recover a historical turkey recipe.
Turkey and cranberry are the documented connection
Roast turkey and cranberry sauce appear together on the 14 April 1912 second-class dinner menu held by Royal Museums Greenwich. The menu gives no cut, stuffing, seasoning, portion or sauce formula. Our small breast roast and orange-accented relish are new, with no claim about a named passenger’s selection or consumption.
A small breast still needs several checks
Use plain raw boneless turkey breast with skin, following any stricter label directions. Keep an evenly shaped roast secured only with food-safe butcher’s twine if necessary. Do not wash raw poultry, and keep its board and utensils away from the cranberry pan and clean carving equipment. The skin can brown before a compact center is cooked, so shield it loosely if needed. Probe more than one thick location, avoiding a false reading from the hot pan or a shallow surface layer.
Make the cranberry pan independently
Cranberries, sugar, water and orange juice simmer until many berries burst and a few shapes remain. It is a spooned fruit accompaniment, not gravy made from raw turkey drippings. Keep it separate throughout preparation. If made early in the roast, cool promptly in a shallow container and refrigerate rather than leaving the small pan out for an uncertain wait. Serve it cold or reheat the portion required. Rest the cooked turkey on a clean plate, remove twine and carve across the grain. The written four portions include the relish but no unlisted stuffing, potatoes or vegetables.
Ingredients
- 2 lb plain raw boneless skin-on turkey breast roast (900 g), evenly shaped
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (15 ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (3 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 5 1/4 oz fresh or plain frozen cranberries (150 g), sorted and rinsed if fresh
- 3 tablespoons sugar (40 g)
- 1/4 cup drinking water (60 ml)
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice (30 ml), seeds removed
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (1 g), from a washed orange
Set out
Oven, Small roasting pan with oven-safe rack, Food-safe butcher’s twine if needed, Thin-probe food thermometer, Foil for shielding/resting, Small saucepan, Shallow refrigerator container for relish if made early, Clean resting plate, Clean carving knife and board
Allergens
No major allergens inherent in the listed base ingredients; check actual turkey and fruit labels. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Keep turkey cold until preparation, blot dry without rinsing and rub with oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Place skin-side up on the rack. Wash hands and clean raw-poultry surfaces.
- Roast about 65–85 minutes until several thick locations reach 165°F (74°C), shielding skin loosely if it darkens before the center is ready. Follow any stricter package instruction and allow longer for a compact shape.
- During roasting, simmer cranberries, sugar, water, orange juice and zest in the separate saucepan 10–12 minutes, stirring, until many berries burst and liquid lightly thickens. If not serving shortly, cool promptly in a shallow container and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below; do not hold it on the counter through an extended roast.
- Transfer cooked turkey to the clean plate and rest 15 minutes loosely covered. Remove twine if used and carve with clean tools into four portions. Serve each with one-quarter of the relish. Reheat refrigerated relish to 165°F (74°C) if a hot serving is wanted, or serve it cold.
A clean carve follows a measured rest
Prepare the clean plate and carving board before the roast finishes. They must not be the board or tray that held raw turkey, even when the cranberry pan is already ready.
Primary menu source
Royal Museums Greenwich, item LMQ/1/12/2: https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/archive/rmgc-object-484157 . The original printed dinner menu was inspected; it does not establish what any named diner ate.
A useful detail
The 140-minute total includes preparing the turkey, preheating, up to 85 minutes roasting, 15 minutes resting and carving; cranberry preparation overlaps the roast. The starting cut is boneless breast, not a whole bird or raw rolled stuffing, which require different timing.
Another way
- Use 150 g plain frozen cranberries directly from the freezer instead of fresh, allowing a few extra simmer minutes if needed. Do not replace turkey breast with a whole bird and retain this small-roast clock.
Keep it well
Refrigerate shallow turkey and relish portions separately within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 3 days or an earlier product deadline. Reheat turkey leftovers and any relish served hot to 165°F (74°C). Freeze promptly cooled small portions for up to 2 months for quality and thaw in the refrigerator. Sugar and fruit acidity do not make relish shelf-stable.