Heads Up for 2020

Pancetta-Wrapped Roast Turkey Breast (Turketta) Recipe

Last week the Wall Street Journal, after consulting over 100 experts in the design field, reported they had identified 6 new decorating trends “that are winning and waning” for the upcoming year. Some I agree with, like buying disposable furniture is out–I’ve never understood why people buy crap just because it’s cheap, or figure their kids will wreck it anyway so why even bother buying something nice? 

Rather than mention that perhaps children should always be taught not to wreck anything–let’s focus on the thrift and environmental angles. This is why secondhand stores, garage sales, and your parent’s attic exist; they are all great sources for cheap furniture that is well made and fairly kid proof. Our landfills are too full and our resources too stretched to keep buying junk. So enough of not taking your parents’ hand-me-downs. Man up. Or save up and buy something worth keeping. We started in the antique business and like to think even when we sell something brand new we are selling tomorrow’s heirlooms.

The next item on the list was a bit discouraging. Evidently  light or bleached floors are out–I’ll just have to concede that I may never be in because this is my house in the photo below. I have never had dark floors and really tried to give them a go in this house but there were just too many different woods involved (five) and no one darker stain would work on all of them.

Also I am fairly certain floor color has to relate to what is going on in your house–not the world at large. I think in my case dark floors would have sucked the life out of this room.  The ceilings are low, the room isn’t huge and I am trying to carve out separate but equal prep and dining spaces.

Next up was wall color. The chief decorating honchos have been trying to dislodge grey as America’s go hue for several years now–unsuccessfully. Now they are all about deep olive greens (and clearly too young to remember the avocado kitchens of the 70’s) earthy reds and ochres–which is code for mustard–so beware. 

The color I noticed most towards the end of last year and hope to see much more of in the future is blue. Perhaps my most favorite house I visited last year was a rhapsody in blue. Take a look at Gloria’s Rumson living room:

And I love this beautiful blue that Lori used in her west coast Florida condo.

And how can I ever forget David’s vibrant dining room in Tinton Falls?  Trust me, you cannot go wrong  with blue!!!

Their next observation was one I definitely agree with–straight edged ultra modern furniture is out: “We’re embracing the feminine touches and a soupçon of the romantic,” said Ms. Huh, a renowned NYC designer. Like Lori’s, Gloria’s and David’s rooms in the photos above, why shouldn’t furniture be pretty? But I also must confess mid-century modern (which was all there was in my youth and seems to be all the rage now) never floated my boat.

But there is hardly any antique period: Victorian, Queen Anne, Edwardian, you name it, that I don’t love–in moderation. And you can see all those influences in the furniture I chose for my living room.  Note the antique Biedermeier secretary, the oak drop leaf table that was Keith’s grandmothers, alongside a glamorous classic Chesterfield sofa and the delightfully  proportioned high hoop-backed wicker and wood Chippendale influenced armchair. Whew.

All of the upholstery is by Hickory White, the higher end division of Sherrill Furniture, and what we carry in the store. Full disclosure–I originally had planned on a navy and white scheme for this room but by the time the house was ready for furniture we had already sold it all! Fortunately we found these Hickory White showroom samples at the spring High Point Furniture Market and now, I think, they look like they were made for this room. Kudos to the great designers at Sherrill who made this all work!

Meanwhile back to the out list: colorless stone is totally over. But I adore my practically white faux marble quartz so much that I will just have to dare to be square. Like many of you I’d had it with the dark, swirly granites and really wanted to go with a more subtle Carrara marble but knew that ain’t happening with me, the original messy chef, at the wheel.

Next was slipcovers. Frankly I see nothing wrong with slipcovers and just picked up a Century sofa for the store in a dark navy and white seersucker slip that would look amazing in a small family room or beach house. But the point of the article was who needs slips when there’s tons of wonderful performance fabrics available now?  Providentially I do have a fabulous Century sectional in off-white performance fabric on the floor as well…

So, in conclusion, I think the point of the Wall Street Journal article is kind of well–pointless. What matters in home decor is not what anyone else, no matter how famous, thinks is in–or out–it is about your taste and what you like. 

It just makes sense to buy the best furniture you can afford, with an eye towards value and longevity, and don’t forget about comfort.  Please sit on that sofa before you buy it–all couches were not created equal. My advice would be to remember that paint is relatively cheap so go ahead and experiment with color on your walls, but floors and kitchen counters are expensive to redo so proceed with caution.

And in the end, let’s face it, the whole point of having a home is to have a place of your own to feast in and be festive. One of the best dishes we had all year was stuffed turkey breast wrapped in pancetta.  We’ve been trying to wean ourselves from beef and pork (not easy) and had already done the whole roast turkey thing for Thanksgiving and were beginning to despair of ever finding a meal worthy of Christmas when our daughter, Laird, found this recipe from Saveur .  Try it; you’ll love it!

Happy New Year.

Pancetta-Wrapped Roast Turkey Breast (Turketta)

Pancetta-Wrapped Roast Turkey Breast (Turketta)Matt Taylor-Gross

This preparation is inspired by porchetta—an epic Italian pork roast, the modern version of which often features a tenderloin capped with herbs and seasonings and wrapped in a layer of crispy, skin-on pork belly. The lean turkey breast is coated with a garlic and sage compound butter and layered with smoky cheese, enhancing the meats juices. And a thin layer of pancetta locks in the flavor and browns to a crispy exterior.

What You Will Need

Yield: serves 4-6
Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp. (2 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 14 cup minced fresh sage leaves
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, minced (1 Tbsp.)
  • 1 tsp. fennel seeds
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 whole, single boneless turkey breast, skin-on (2 lb. 2 oz.)
  • 2 oz. smoked mozzarella, diced
  • 8 oz. pancetta, sliced about ⅛ inch thick, then unrolled slightly
  • 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, add the butter, sage, garlic, and fennel. Mix well with the back of a spoon and season the mixture with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  2. Use a long, thin knife to butterfly the turkey breast, carefully slicing it along the longer side, and unrolling it until it is a long, even strip, about 1½ inches thick. With the skin side facing down, spread the turkey breast evenly with the compound butter, then top with the smoked mozzarella in an even layer. Starting with the narrow end, tightly roll up the meat so that the skin is once again on top and the seam is on the bottom. Neatly layer the pancetta slices over the skin side and use cotton kitchen twine to tie the turketta tightly 3 times crosswise and once lengthwise. Refrigerate the prepared meat (unwrapped) until you are ready to cook it, up to 24 hours ahead of time.
  3. 2 hours before you plan to serve, preheat the oven to 375°F. Set the turketta in a large cast iron skillet or medium roasting pan and brush it all over with the olive oil. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 130°F, 55–60 minutes. (The lean meat will continue cooking in the hot skillet for several minutes out of the oven, so we prefer to pull it out a few degrees before it is fully cooked to around 150°F.) Remove from the oven, tent the turketta and the hot skillet loosely with foil, and let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
  4. Immediately transfer the roast to a cutting board; cut away the twine and discard. Thinly slice the roast crosswise, and serve hot.
  5. This last note is from me. Do not fret about butterflying the turkey breast–have the butcher do it! We had great luck with the team at Sickles Market in Little Silver. And try to find smoked mozzarella–not easy but worth the effort.
Laird and Keith and our Christmas feast.