Martha Washington’s Turkey Pot Pie and Wassail
by Staib, Walter
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Directions
Martha Washington’s Turkey Potpie:
In a small bowl, mix together the oil and 1 ½ teaspoons each of the thyme, parsley, shallot and garlic. Reserve the remaining herbs for later use.Rub the oil-seasoning mixture all over the turkey. Place the turkey on a tray, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan.
Reduce the oven to 350°F and roast the turkey for about 2 ½ hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 185°F. Remove the turkey from the oven and let cool thoroughly. Remove the skin and the meat from the bones. Cut the turkey meat into 1-inch pieces and reserve. Discard the skin and bones. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Discard the pan drippings in the roasting pan and place the pan on the stove top. Add the onion, celery and carrots and sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes, until tender. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, loosening any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken stock, peas, mushrooms and potatoes. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the heavy cream and the reserved thyme, parsley, shallot and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat and add the turkey meat. Bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer about 5 minutes, until ingredients are fully cooked. In a small bowl, combine the butter and flour into a paste. Slowly stir butter-flour mixture into the turkey mixture until it is combined and the mixture is thickened. Ladle the turkey mixture into a large ovenproof dish or eight 14- to 16-ounce individual casserole dishes. Cover with the puff pastry, allowing a 1-inch overhang. Crimp pastry to the edge of the bowl. Using a fork, gently prick the pastry to allow steam to escape, being careful not to break the dough. Gently brush the egg mixture over the surface of the puff pastry. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the pastry edges are brown.
Homemade Egg Noodles:
Place the flour in a mixing bowl. Add the egg, egg yolk, oil and salt. Knead thoroughly with hands until it begins to form a stiff ball of dough. (This can also be done in the bowl of an electric mixer using a paddle.) Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour at room temperature. Roll dough into a ball and flatten it until ¼-inch thick. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out until 1/8-inch thick or as thin as possible. Cut the dough into ½-inch wide by 2-inch long strips. In a medium saucepan filled with 2 quarts water, add ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for 2 minutes or until al dente. Strain and let cool. Add the butter to the noodles and toss until melted.
Lemon Glaze
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium to high until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Add the molasses, egg yolks and vanilla extract; beat well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt and nutmeg. With the electric mixer on low, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool 15 minutes. To make the glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. When the cookies are cool, use a small spoon to drizzle the glaze over each cookie top.
Wassail:
Place the orange and lemon rinds, cloves and cinnamon sticks into a piece of 100% cotton cheesecloth and tie up with kitchen twine to make a sachet. Pour the wine into a large saucepan. Place the sugar and sachet in the wine over low heat. Add the nutmeg.
Heat until the wine is very warm. Do not let it boil, as boiling will burn off the alcohol content. Remove from the heat and discard the sachet. Serve in a fondue pot or ovenproof punch bowl.
Ingredients
Martha Washington’s Turkey Potpie:
Serves 8
½ cup vegetable oil
3 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
½ bunch fresh parsley, chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
1 medium shallot, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 whole turkey (8 to 10 pounds)
1 large white onion, diced
4 celery ribs, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups (1 quart) chicken stock
1 cup shelled fresh peas
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 cup chopped red skinned potatoes
2 cups heavy cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 pounds purchased puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Homemade Egg Noodles:
Serves 4
1-cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1-teaspoon vegetable oil
1-teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
Spice Cookies:
Makes about 36 cookies
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup dark molasses
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour,
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Lemon Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice, strained
Wassail:
Serves 6, Makes 24 Ounces
2 tablespoons grated orange rind (about 1 medium orange)
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind (about 1 medium lemon)
10 whole cloves
5 sticks cinnamon
1 bottle (750 ml) red Burgundy wine
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 pinches freshly grated nutmeg