Day 53: Turkey Pot Pie w/ Herb Crust

I love this recipe!  It's so delicious and really not that hard.  Although, I find it a lot easier to make on a Sunday for dinner, or to make and freeze/refrigerate for a weeknight.  It's a little too involved to make the night you want to serve it (I found out tonight).  I made the crust last night and chopped up the carrots and saved the rest for this afternoon, but it has a long baking time, which is something to keep in mind.  If you have to make it the day-of and want to save a little time, cut up the turkey before you cook it so it cooks quickly.  But if you do that, look out--don't overcook it or it will be tough!  I find it easier to cut the turkey into large chunks, cook it, then cut it into bitesize pieces afterward.  The crust idea came from Bobby Flay, but the majority of the recipe is my own!  Enjoy!

Turkey Pot Pie w/ Herb Crust
1 lb turkey breast

4 cups chicken stock
few sprigs of parsley & thyme
salt, pepper
4-5 carrots, sliced
2/3 cup frozen peas
2/3 cup frozen corn
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
3 TB butter
4 TB flour
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
Crust:
2 1/4 cups flour
1-2 TB chopped fresh parsley
1 TB chopped sage
1 TB chopped rosemary
1 TB chopped thyme (*These 3 herbs can be found in the "poultry bouquet" of herbs they sometimes sell at the grocery store.)
1 tsp salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup ice water

The crust needs to chill at least 30 minutes, so you may want to make it first, or the night before.  Place the flour, herbs, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.  Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of tiny peas.  Add the water and pulse until the dough comes together.  Remove the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap to refrigerate.
To make the filling, place the turkey breasts in a large saucepan and pour in the stock.  Put in the herbs and season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until the turkey is cooked through.  Remove the turkey and allow to cool.  While it's cooling, add the sliced carrots to the stock and cook those a few minutes, until tender.  Meanwhile, cut the turkey up into bitesize pieces and place in a 1 quart (or so) baking pan.  When the carrots are done cooking, add them to the chicken, then strain the stock into a large measuring cup to remove the herbs and any other turkey debris.  Add the peas and corn to the turkey and carrots.
In the same saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the chopped shallot and cook 1-2 minutes.  Add the flour and cook 1 minute.  Pour in the white wine and the chicken stock.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Add the the heavy cream and stir.  The sauce should be nice and thick at this point.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the sauce over the turkey and vegetables.
Roll out the crust dough and sit it on top of the filling.  Trim the edges.  Poke a few holes in the crust with a knife.  Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake at 400* for 50 minutes to an hour.
***Sometimes I divide this recipe in 2 and put it in 2 smaller pans or pie plates.  Then I can freeze one or give it to a friend.  Tonight, I made the whole thing but I plan on serving the leftovers for lunch on Sunday.  I saved the crust "scraps" and will turn them into biscuits on Sunday to go with the "stew" that will be leftover.