Equipment
Ingredients
Turkey Prep
- 600 g turkey breast cutlets, sliced to 1.5cm thickness
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 3 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Frying & Topping
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 80 g prosciutto, thinly sliced
- 100 g fontina cheese, thinly sliced or coarsely grated
Marsala Sauce
- 120 ml dry marsala wine
- 120 ml chicken stock, low-sodium
- 30 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 603 kcal
- Protein
- 50 g
- Carbohydrates
- 15 g
- Fat
- 33 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 961 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 15 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 12 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 147 mg
- Potassium
- 576 mg
- Calcium
- 165 mg
- Iron
- 1.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 53 mg
- Phosphorus
- 417 mg
- Zinc
- 3.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 177 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 7 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.4 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.09 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.28 mg
- Niacin
- 15.2 mg
- Folate
- 16 mcg
- Water
- 148 g
- Alcohol
- 5 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place turkey cutlets between two sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, gently pound them to an even 6mm thickness.
In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt, and black pepper. Dredge each turkey cutlet in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.
Preheat your broiler to high and position an oven rack about 15cm from the heat source. Heat the olive oil and the first 30g of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter foams and subsides.
Add the turkey cutlets to the skillet in a single layer. Pan-fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 74°C/165°F. Transfer the cooked turkey to a broiler-safe pan.
Top each cooked turkey cutlet with a slice of prosciutto, followed by an even layer of fontina cheese.
Place the pan under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly browned.
While the turkey is broiling, return the empty skillet to medium-high heat. Pour in the Marsala wine to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Boil until the liquid is reduced by half.
Pour in the chicken stock and boil for another 3 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens. Remove from heat and vigorously swirl in the cold cubed butter until completely emulsified.
Transfer the broiled turkey cutlets to serving plates. Spoon the rich Marsala pan sauce generously over the top and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Pounding the meat not only tenderizes it but ensures quick, even cooking so the exterior browns before the lean turkey breast dries out.
- Always use Dry Marsala (secco) rather than Sweet Marsala (dolce) to prevent an overly syrupy, cloying pan sauce.
- When emulsifying the cold butter into the sauce (mounting with butter or 'monter au beurre'), ensure the heat is off or very low to prevent the delicate emulsion from breaking into a greasy pool.
- Fontina Val d'Aosta is the traditional choice for its superlative melting qualities and deep nutty flavor. Ensure you purchase authentic Italian Fontina, which has a natural rind, rather than the red-waxed Danish variety.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store cutlets and sauce in an airtight container.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a 150°C/300°F oven until warmed through and the cheese re-melts. Heat sauce separately over low heat.
Troubleshooting
Turkey is dry and tough
Cause: Overcooking during the pan-frying stage or uneven pounding
Fix: Slice the meat thinly against the grain and coat generously with the Marsala pan sauce to add perceived moisture.
Prevention: Pound evenly to exactly 6mm thickness and use a meat thermometer to pull exactly at 74°C/165°F.
Pan sauce is thin and watery
Cause: Liquids were not reduced enough, or butter was added while the sauce was boiling too vigorously.
Fix: Remove from heat and vigorously whisk in one more cube of cold butter, or return to heat and simmer until thicker before mounting with butter.
Prevention: Ensure Marsala and stock are both reduced by half. Always add very cold butter off the heat.
Prosciutto burned under the broiler
Cause: Rack was positioned too close to the heating element or left unattended.
Fix: Carefully peel off the burnt edges of the prosciutto. The cheese underneath should protect the turkey.
Prevention: Keep the rack 15cm away from the heat source and never walk away while broiling.
Cultural Context
This dish is a robust variation of 'Cotoletta alla Valdostana', a specialty originating from the mountainous Aosta Valley region in Northern Italy, combined with elements of 'Saltimbocca alla Romana'. The rich dairy tradition of Aosta provides the melting fontina cheese, while the Marsala wine pan sauce brings a classic Italian-American culinary hallmark to the finished plate.
