Leftover Turkey:  Mini Tourtes de Dindes!

 Turkey and Vegetable Pie  Mini Casseroles

 

Michelin-starred chef Christian Constant has revived the use of Cocottes, or small iron casseroles dishes at his new and aptly named restaurant, ’Les Cocottes’.  The recipes are original and delicious, from cold layered starters to hearty winter main courses, to apple crumble a’ la cocotte for dessert. French President Nicolas  Sarkozy ate there last summer and gave it a big thumb’s up.

 

Here’s an easy, tasty recipe using cocottes for leftover turkey. It’s basically a  French ‘Turkey Pot Pie’.  Of course you may use a regular casserole instead and substitute chicken for turkey…

 

 

Mini Tourtes de Poulet our Dindes Aux Petits Legumes
(Turkey or Chicken Pastry Pies)

Four Cocottes or mini-casseroles

Heat oven to 385 F (180 C)

 

Leftover turkey meat, approximately 1.5 to 2 pounds

195 g butter

1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper

4 carrots

20 g miniature onions (or 1 medium onion cut into 2cm pieces)

1 litre of chicken stock

50 grams flour

20 grams half-and-half cream

200 grams baby peas (or use 200 grams of asparagus cut into small slices instead)

1 t. fresh chopped parsley 

1 sheet of puff pastry

2 egg whites, beaten with a spot of milk

 

Uncooked Turkey: place turkey/chicken on baking sheet, cover with wax paper, salt and pepper, spread with 20 grams of soft butter. Bake for 20 minutes and remove. Then cut into cubes.

 

Leftover cooked  turkey: simply cut into cubes.

 

Peel carrots and dice

Peel little onions (or peel and dice large onion into small squares)

Bring chicken stock to boil (or make your own stock with the turkey carcass)

 

In a big casserole, melt rest of butter (175g)

Sauté the onions until transparent

Add flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring all the time

Pour the stock over mixture

Let it sit on soft fire a minute or two, until it starts to thicken and loses flour smell

Add liquid cream, salt, pepper, turkey pieces, carrots, peas.  Mix well.

 

Divide the turkey mixture into 4 little cocottes, small casseroles or bowls.

Cut 4 circles of puff pastry a little larger than the pots

Baste the outside borders of each cocotte with egg yolk (so pastry sticks to it)

Place a circle of puff pastry on the top of each cocottes, pressing against the sides.

With a brush, baste the top of each puff pastry with egg yolk

Make a design with a knife such as a spiral.

Bake in oven for about 40 minutes and serve warm.

 

Enjoy your leftover Thanksgiving turkey!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s an easy, tasty recipe using cocottes for leftover turkey. It’s basically a  French ‘Turkey Pot Pie’.  Of course you may use a regular casserole instead and substitute chicken for turkey…