Turkey and Cranberry Cobbler

Turkey and Cranberry Cobbler

page 136, of Donna-Marie Pye's Easy Everyday Slow Cooker Recipes

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Some dishes evoke the feeling of home. This old‑fashioned favorite has been given an updated twist with the addition of dried cranberries.

• 4- to 6-quart slow cooker

• Large baking sheet

1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour     75 mL

1 tsp   ground dried sage   5 mL

1 tsp   salt     5 mL

1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper         1 mL

21⁄2 lbs           boneless skinless turkey thighs,          1.25 kg
        cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes

2 tbsp vegetable oil (approx.)       30 mL

8  mushrooms, quartered  8

2  onions, chopped 2

2  carrots, diced       2

2  stalks celery, finely chopped    2

1 tsp   dried thyme  5 mL

11⁄2 cups         chicken broth            375 mL

1⁄3 cup dried cranberries     75 mL

1 cup   frozen peas, thawed           250 mL

1                      sheet frozen puff pastry (half a          1
                        14 oz/397 g package), thawed
                        (see Tips)

1.         In a bowl or a heavy plastic bag, combine flour, sage, salt and pepper. In batches, dredge turkey in flour mixture, shaking off any excess. (Once all the turkey is coated, reserve the remaining flour mixture.)

2.         In a large skillet, heat half the oil over medium-high heat. Cook turkey in batches, adding more oil as needed, for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned all over. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to slow cooker stoneware.

3.         Add mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery and thyme to skillet; sauté for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in reserved flour mixture until vegetables are coated. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in broth and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from pan. Pour over turkey. Stir in cranberries.

4.         Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours, until turkey is tender.

5.         Stir in peas. Cover and cook on High for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.

6.         Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 15- by 10-inch (38 by 25 cm) rectangle. Cut into 6 or 8 squares (or use a large, round cookie cutter to cut circles) and place at least 1⁄2 inch (1 cm) apart on baking sheet.

7.         Bake pastry pieces for 15 to 20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

8.         Ladle cobbler into serving bowls and top each with a pastry crust. Serve immediately.

Tips

To prepare mushrooms, wipe them with a damp paper towel. Don’t rinse or soak them, or they’ll absorb water and turn mushy when cooked.

Puff pastry package sizes vary between brands, ranging from 14 to 18 oz (397 to 511 g). If your package is slightly larger or smaller, half a package will still work just fine for this recipe.

Slow cooker stoneware inserts are heatproof, so you can top any hot stew made in the slow cooker with a pastry crust or biscuit dough and put it in a preheated oven — it won’t suffer a temperature shock and crack.

It’s so easy to use frozen puff pastry dough, and it looks decadently impressive on top of this stew, but you can also serve this stew in puff pastry shells. Bake shells according to package directions and serve stew mixture spooned into shells.