With a Little Time and Patience

After yesterday's post on making Puffed Pastry, this post will be a snap.

But you'll need yesterday's recipe before starting this one today, so get started!

Pic of my TV screen - the savory pies

This recipe idea started when I was watching a show called "City Bakes," where Paul Hollywood visits various cities around the world and samples their pastries and breads. In the episode where he visits St. Petersburg, Russia, Paul visits a little pastry shop with an impressive array of abundantly decorated savory pies. These just blew me away. They were so beautiful, they took my breath away. Watching with my sister-in-law, who was manning the remote, I had to ask her to STOP, PAUSE, so I could take pics of the TV screen. I wanted to be able to refer to something, when I attempted to recreate one of these pies. And I absolutely planned to recreate one! 

Free Form Puff Pastry Turkey Pie

The first part was making a puffed pastry (see yesterday's blog post for that recipe). While the recipe on the TV show did not absolutely specify a puffed pastry, it certainly looked like it had many hallmarks of one. So, my plan was to make a slightly enriched version of a puffed pastry. I made that and got it in the fridge to rest for the night.
 

Slice of the Pie

What struck me the most about the pies on "City Bakes" was their ornateness. They were so overwhelmingly beautiful. That said, it is in no way necessary to spend time in that much decoration. The pie could easily be made using a good pie pastry, either in the same manner as with this recipe (below) or as a rustic Galette. But, having made a puffed pastry for croissants a few months back, I felt a little more prepared to attempt something like this, in all its ornate glory.

And "glory," it certainly was. In every way, this pie was just stellar. The ornate decorations came out beautifully, over top of the pastry case itself, which was also stellar; the bottom just as nicely browned and as crispy as the top, puffed beautifully and with such an enchantingly lovely golden brown. 

The next part was the filling for this pie. The filling came out just an absolute delight of flavors. I used leftover turkey breast for the filling meat, but in this recipe, chicken - even just a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket - would do. My mixture was inspired, if I do say so myself, because it had all the flavor I had hoped for.

I have been trying to get some good greens and other vegetables into our food, things my husband has never been wont to eat in past. Kale, not having huge flavor, per se, is easy to cut into a very fine chiffonade and slip into soups or other foods such as this turkey mixture. A chiffonade is easily accomplished by stacking leaves and rolling them, cigar-like, then slicing across the "cigar" very finely. Basil in chiffonade is lovely over a tomato salad or tomato soup. Kale, while usually found curly, is a little more challenging to roll and slice this way, but it can still be accomplished, and the little "threads" of kale all but disappear in the mix.

Hot Pepper Mustard Relish

Since I have many jars of my Hot Pepper Mustard Relish on my pantry shelf, and since it tastes so wonderfully good, I have been using it in recipes, to marked success. While not noticeable as such, it does lend a great under-note. I know not everyone will have this amazing condiment on their shelves, so I will say that if you are one of those who has not yet had the pleasure of trying this mustard relish, I would substitute about 2 tablespoons of honey mustard mixed with 4 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish, or even Chow Chow, if you have it. The piquancy of the mustard, along with the sweetness of the pickle relish, should approximate the type of flavors very well. Let me say that if I had no Hot Pepper Mustard Relish at hand, this is what I would use to substitute.

Free-Form Puff Pastry Turkey Pie

Free Form Puff Pastry Turkey Pie

One 8 x 12-inch pie

1 recipe Puffed Pastry Dough

FILLING:
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 cups finely chopped leftover turkey 
     or chicken
2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
4 ounces Chevre goat cheese, crumbled
2 cups kale in fine chiffonade, no stems
¼ cup minced parsley
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, 
     minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
⅓ cup Hot Pepper Mustard Relish
1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, 
    for egg wash

The day before, make the Puffed Pastry recipe. You will need about half the recipe, so use the other half of the dough and make some croissants - you won't be sorry. If not making your own Puffed Pastry, simply thaw a box of store-bought puff pastry sheets. 

MAKE THE FILLING:  Heat a skillet over low heat and add in the butter and olive oil. Once butter is melted, add the chopped onion and the first ½-teaspoon salt. Stir to coat the onion pieces and allow the onion to cook, very slowly, stirring occasionally, until beautifully golden brown and caramelized. This can take nearly an hour, depending on how low your burner will go. Add in the garlic and stir for 3 minutes more. 

While onion is caramelizing, place the chopped turkey in a mixing bowl, along with the hard boiled eggs. Add in the onion and garlic, once done, and add in all the remaining ingredients except the egg wash. Stir the mixture to evenly distribute the ingredients. Set aside.
 

Free Form Puff Pastry Turkey Pie. Before and after baking.

MAKE THE PIE: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. Cut off about half of the Puffed Pastry and roll out to fairly thin, about one-sixteenth of an inch. Cut a piece for the base of the pie about 8 x 12-inches. Set this onto the baking sheet lined with parchment. Cut another rectangle, just slightly larger, about 9 x 13-inches. Pour the filling mixture onto the base piece of pastry, pressing into a mound down the middle of the pastry, leaving plenty of edge space clear. Brush the free edges with some of the egg wash. Place the larger rectangle over top of the filling, smoothing the edges to match with the bottom crust and pressing any air out of the center. Press down on the edges to seal them together. Brush the entire top of the crust with egg wash.

Free Form Puff Pastry Turkey Pie - before baking

Cutting decorative strips

With any scraps from the pastry, cut out the decorations. For flowers, if you have small flower shaped cutters, use those, or other small shapes, such as leaves, etc. For the jagged edged designs, use oddly shaped bits, up to 8 inches long and up to an inch wide and slice into the sides at about ¼-inch intervals. Set the jagged edged pieces here and there, curling them or just curving them, overlapping them where needed. Set flower pieces wherever desired. Decorate as much or as little as desired. For the edges around the pie, slice inwards at ½- to ¾-inch intervals. With the tip of a knife and a finger, give each "tab" a twist so the top of the tab is now the bottom. This is entirely free-form design. There is no right or wrong way. When satisfied, brush the top with egg wash again.

Bake the pie in the center of the oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, until nicely golden brown. Using a spatula (or two) slide the pie onto a decorative plate or tray to serve.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.