Creamed turkey en Croûte

This really is something of a moveable feast: if you have leftover ham, that can be used instead of bacon, leeks can replace the onion and so on.

Originally found in the Aga cookbook - Mum used to cook this a lot after Sunday lunch - it works well with chicken!

Ingredients

  • 350g cooked turkey, chopped

  • 75g smoked bacon, finely chopped

  • 25g butter

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 25g plain flour

  • 350 ml turkey stock

  • 2 tablespoons brandy

  • 75ml cream

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

  • Salt + ground black pepper

  • 350g puff pastry

  • Beaten egg to glaze

Directions

    Preparing the sauce

    • Melt the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onion for 10 minutes. Once done, remove to a plate.

    • Add the bacon and and fry until it turns golden on the edges. Then, add the onion and sprinkle the flour over. Stir until the flour has soaked up the buttery juices.

    • Add the stock, little by little, stirring until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Add the parsley and the brandy. Season to taste, then remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool.

    Cooking the pie

    • When ready to cook the pie, roll out the pastry to a 30cm square, trimming if necessary. Lift the square onto a greased baking sheet.

    • Mix the turkey pieces into the cold sauce, then place this mixture in the centre of the pastry.

    • Glaze around the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg, then pull opposite corners to the centre and pinch all the edges firmly together so you have a square with pinched edges in the shape of an X.

    • Glaze all over with beaten egg, and decorate with any pastry trimming. Glaze these too, and then bake the pie at 150℃ for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry is well risen and golden. Serve the pie cut into squares with a plain green salad, possibly with potatos.