Wednesday 12 March 2014

Warm turkey tart for two!


Turkey is always a reminder of home. In our families it's mostly eaten around a table with relatives on Christmas or Thanksgiving, and there's always leftovers made into sandwiches or pot pies. Our tart is reminiscent of those days after the holidays, when we can get creative with turkey scraps. This is our play on a pot pie, with a similar creamy, mushroom and parsnip based filling complimented with cranberry goat cheese and pine nuts, wrapped in phyllo pastry, big enough for two! Before you begin any of the following steps, make sure to unwrap the phyllo pastry sheets, lay them out on a baking tray to thaw, and cover with a damp paper towel.

Braised turkey:
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 parsnip, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
2 turkey drumsticks
2 bay leaves
3 thyme stems
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 oz cooking sherry
1L chicken stock 

Method: 
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
2) Heat a braising pan on medium heat, add the vegetable oil, and sear the turkey on all sides till golden brown. 
3) Remove the turkey drumsticks form the pan and add in the parsnip, onion, garlic, and celery. Cook the vegetables out until they sweat.
4)  Deglaze the pan with the cooking sherry then add the cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and turkey. Add the chicken stock then cover with a tight fitting lid or aluminum foil, then put into the preheated oven for one hour. 

5) Once cooked, let it rest covered for 30 minutes before pulling. Reserve braising liquid for the sauce.
6) Bring the oven down to 350 degrees F to bake the tart later.

Creamy mushroom & parsnip sauce:
1 cremini mushroom, finely sliced
2 oyster mushrooms, torn into small pieces
2 tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove
2 cups reserved braising liquid and veggies
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1) With a hand blender take 2 cups of the braising liquid with the vegetables and puree it.
2) Sauté the mushrooms in the butter and garlic, once cooked add the puree and season. 
3) Set aside to add into the filling.
Phyllo Tart Filling:
1 cup pureed braising sauce
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1/2 small shallot, finely chopped
1/2 parsnip, finely chopped
3 cremini mushrooms, finely sliced
4 oyster mushrooms, torn into small pieces
8 sprigs of thyme, picked
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
3/4 cup cranberry goats cheese 
1/4 bunch of chives, finely chopped
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil

Method:
1) Toast the pine nuts in a pan on medium heat until golden brown.
2)  In a stainless steel bowl combine the goats cheese, pine nuts, thyme and chives.
3) Bring a non-stick pan up to medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil.
4) Add the garlic, shallot, mushrooms, parsnip. At this point you can season with salt and pepper to taste. This will prevent the shallot and garlic from burning. 
5) Once everything is cooked through, remove from heat and add to the cheese and nut mixture. At this point you can also add the pureed sauce you made earlier.
6) Once your turkey is pulled you can add this into the bowl as well and adjust the seasoning before stuffing your tart.

Building the tart:





1)  Cut the phyllo sheets in half.
2) Make an egg wash of 2 whisked egg yolks, water and a little bit of salt.
3) Layer 8 of the cut sheets one of top of the other in a spiral shape, brushing the egg wash on the entire surface in between each layer. Press down to smooth over each layer.
4) Place half of the tart filling in the middle of the layered phyllo. Ruffle the excess phyllo around the filling to create the above effect. 
5) Brush more egg wash amongst the ruffles and creases of the tart to prevent burning.
6) Place on a baking pan and pop it in the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
7) Eat right away while its hot!