TASTE Restaurant Chicken Pot Pie         Makes approximately 8 servings   

Using spring morels, baby turnips, carrots, sage biscuits, fresh chevre or mascarpone

Sage biscuits:           Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2 cups soft white flour

½ teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 cup sage, finely chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

12 ounces very cold butter

1 ¼ cups cold buttermilk

In a bowl, blend the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sage and salt until it is well mixed. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, mix the butter in until it resembles cornmeal. Fold in the buttermilk and mix until just mixed. Do not over mix or they can be tough. Taste to make sure there is enough salt. Press to about 1” thick on a baking tray and rest in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This allows the butter to firm up and helps with a flakier biscuit. Cut into squares or triangles. Bake for approximately 8 minutes or until just golden brown and the biscuit flakes apart.

Chicken preparation:

To cook the thighs and breasts:

Simply coat in olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a roasting tray. Cook in a 350 degree oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Let the chicken cool until it is manageable to pull apart. Pull the meat off the bones and let cool completely and store in a covered container. Save the bones for your stock.

For stock:

Bones from one chicken (organic, pasture-raised from local farmers year-round at the markets)

½ pound chicken feet from Stokesberry

3 quarts cold water

1 leek top cut into 1 inch sections (available fall/winter/spring at the farmers markets, or local grocers in off-season)

1 carrot cut into 1 inch sections (available summer/fall/winter at the farmers markets, or local grocers in off-season)

1 sprig of thyme, sage, and rosemary (available in summer/fall at the markets, or local grocers in off-season)

Put all items into a large soup pot and bring to a slight boil. Turn heat to low and let simmer for approximately 8 hours. Strain and cool. This can be made one to two days ahead and kept covered in the fridge or can be frozen for a couple of weeks.

For pot pie assembly:  (most of these herbs/vegs are available spring, or substitute other seasonal vegetables from the markets in winter, fall or summer)

Extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch baby turnips, peeled and cut into quarters

1 bunch baby carrots, peeled and cut into small dices

2 Leek bottoms, cut into half moons

2-4 ounces morel mushrooms, cut into halves

¼ cup fresh parsley and thyme

Your pulled chicken

Salt and pepper

Heat about and 1/8 cup of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook the vegetables based on their firmness. Cook the carrots and turnips until they are barely getting soft (tasting is the best way to know), then add your leeks and morels and continue to cook until tender. At this point add your shredded chicken and fresh herbs and cook just until the chicken starts to get hot and take off the heat. Season to your liking with salt and pepper.

Get your favorite bowls and split the vegetables and chicken up between them. Pour your hot chicken stock over the mixture just to cover. Garnish with the biscuit and a dollop of fresh chevre (eg., Port Madison Farms chevre) or mascarpone.

Enjoy!