Charity Cooks: Stretching the holiday feast
Part of the fun of planning the Thanksgiving menu is the anticipation of leftovers. A pot pie is an attractive and hearty way to put some of that extra turkey to good use as holiday gatherings continue through the weekend.
Turkey Pot Pie
8 servings
1 cup sliced shallot
1 cup sliced carrots
2 garlic cloves, crushed and coarsely chopped
2 cups broccoli rabe trimmed and very coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups roasted turkey
3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken or turkey stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
1 egg mixed with ½ teaspoon of water to make an egg wash
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the shallots, carrots, garlic and broccoli rabe in a bowl with the olive oil, and roast on parchment or foil in a sheet pan for 20 minutes until tender, stirring once.
2. Cut or tear the roasted turkey meat into bite-sized pieces. Mix the turkey and vegetables together in a large bowl.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan until it is foamy, add the flour stirring until it is thick and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, and stir over medium high heat until it cooks down–about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat, add the cream and continue stirring until the mixture thickens again. Add a pinch of salt and four grinds of pepper.
4. Combine the cream mixture with the turkey and vegetables. Scrape into a 9-inch diameter deep dish pie plate.
5. Roll the unbaked pie crust to a 10.5-inch circle, using short, fast strokes, and working from the middle of the circle out to the edges. Drape the pastry over the rolling pin, and use it to transfer the dough to the top of the pie pan, draping the pastry over the top of the dish, and sealing the edges with your fingers.
6. Brush the pie with the egg/water mix, cut four slits in the crust to allow steam to escape, and place the pie pan on a sheet pan.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, lower the temperature to 375 degrees and bake for another 25 minutes, until the pie crust is golden, and the contents are steaming up through the vents in the crust. Let the pie sit for 10 minutes before serving it.
My preferred method for a flaky piecrust is to tip a barely-mixed glob of flour, butter, egg yolks, and milk onto the counter, gather it into a hill, and mash the heel of my hand down through the dough. Then I shape it into two one-inch thick disks, wrap them tightly in plastic and refrigerate them for at least two hours, before rolling and baking.
The result is dough with streaks of smashed butter sandwiched between layers of flour. Once it’s rolled out and baked, the resulting crust is delicate and buttery, and very flaky.
Rich and Flaky Pie Crust
Adapted from Joanne Chang’s recipe, Pastry Love, 2019
Makes two 9-inch piecrusts; or enough for a 10-inch apple pie and lattice top.
1 and 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons cold milk
1. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand-mixer.
2. Add the 12 pieces of butter all at once, and use the paddle attachment to slowly combine until the mixture just holds together when you grab a handful. There will be visible lumps of butter.
3. Mix the yolks and milk and add all at once to the butter/flour mixture. Mix very briefly, just until it comes together into a shaggy mess.
4. Dump the mixture out onto the table and gather it into a tight mound. Using the palm of your hand, smear the dough from the top down the side of the mound to the table piece by piece, until the butter chunks are smeared into the dough, and the whole thing comes together. Press the dough into two flattened disks about 8 inches in diameter and an inch thick, and cover tightly in plastic wrap.
5. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
6. Roll each dough package out into a 10-inch circle, to line a 9-inch pie pan, or to drape over the top of your pot pie.
7. If you are going to blind bake the crust, refrigerate it in the pie pan for at least 30 minutes.
8. To blind bake, line the crust with a coffee filter or parchment, held down with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, until the edges are pale brown.
