Creamed Turkey with Pastry Pillows
Submitted by jcharuk
Creamed turkey with pastry pillows: leftover roast turkey and Italian sausage in a mushroom-sherry cream sauce, served over buttery puff pastry squares. Holiday-leftover dinner for a crowd.
YIELD
18 servingsPREP
50 minCOOK
60 minREADY
110 minThis is a brunch-buffet-scale recipe built for the Monday after a big holiday meal, designed to transform leftover roast turkey into something feast-worthy. Pulled turkey meat and sliced browned Italian sausage get folded into a thick cream sauce built with butter, flour, milk, sherry, and chicken bouillon, punched up with onions, mushrooms, and paprika.
Split golden puff pastry pillows catch the creamy mixture, and one chafing dish feeds 18.
The sausage technique deserves attention. Simmering the links in a quarter-cup of water first cooks them through gently and keeps them juicy, then as the water evaporates the rendered fat browns the exterior. This is far better than pan-frying raw sausages, which often char outside before they’re cooked inside.
Use full-fat whole milk, not low-fat. Three full quarts at low fat breaks into a grainy sauce when it hits the boil.
The sherry is a small but important flavor. Dry sherry (not sweet) adds nutty, winey depth that ties the turkey, sausage, and mushrooms together into something more than a sum-of-parts cream sauce.
Split pastry pillows horizontally and spoon the creamed turkey over the bottom halves, capping with the tops.
Pro Tips
- Thaw puff pastry only briefly, warm pastry is fragile and hard to cut cleanly, 20 minutes is just right
- Save the turkey carcass and bones, simmer with aromatics for a homemade stock to use in next year’s version
- Heat the cream sauce gently, high heat breaks the emulsion and leaves a greasy layer on top
- Hold over low flame in the chafing dish, stir occasionally to prevent the sauce from scorching on the bottom
Variations
- Swap Italian sausage for chicken sausage or diced ham for different flavor profiles
- Add a cup of frozen peas at the end for color and sweetness
- Use store-bought biscuits or split croissants instead of puff pastry for a different base
Ingredients
Directions
Let one 17 ounce package frozen puff pastry stand at room temperature 20 minutes to thaw slightly.
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Unfold one sheet of pastry; cut along fold lines to make three 10×3 inchrectangles; cut each rectangle crosswise into 3 pieces.
Place pastry pieces on large cookie sheet.
Repeat with remaining sheet of pastry.
Bake 15 minutes or until puffed and golden.
With pancake turner, remove pastries from cookie sheet to wire racks to cool.
Meanwhile, in 10 inch skillet over medium heat, heat sausages and water to boiling.
Cover; simmer 5 minutes.
Remove cover; continue cooking, turning sausages frequently, until water evaporates and sausages are well browned, about 20 minutes.
Remove sausages to paper towels to drain.
Thinly slice sausages.
Cut turkey meat into bite-sized chunks; set aside.
(Reserve turkey bones for soup another day.)
In 8-quart Dutch oven or saucepot over medium heat, in hot butter or margarine, cook onions and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.
Stir in flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and bouillon until blended; cook 1 minute.
Gradually stir in milk and sherry until smooth; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens slightly and boils.
Add turkey meat and sausage to cream sauce in Dutch oven; heat through.
To serve, spoon turkey mixture into large chafing dish.
Garnish with parsley.
Split each pastry pillow horizontally in half.
Let each person spoon some creamed turkey over pastry.
Comments
