Smoked Turkey Cobbler - Recipe Review

Picture it: 

It was Saturday morning and I hadn't been cooking much all week. 

I had an unusual amount of leftover turkey chilling in my refrigerator.

This recipe for Smoked Turkey Cobbler appeared in an article I was reading.

That night's dinner menu had just been adjusted.

Smoked Turkey Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cup(s) flour
• 2/3 cup(s) medium-ground polenta
• 1 tablespoon(s) medium-ground polenta
• 4 teaspoon(s) sugar
• 1 3/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 9 tablespoon(s) butter, cold
• 1 tablespoon(s) butter, melted
• 1 cup(s) fresh corn kernels
• 1/2 cup(s) sliced green onions
• 3/4 cup(s) low-fat buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon(s) low-fat buttermilk
• 8 ounce(s) green beans, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
• 2 cup(s) low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup(s) whole milk
• 1 pound(s) smoked turkey breast, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Whisk 1 1/3 cups flour, polenta, sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl.

Cut 4 tablespoons butter into small pieces and blend into dry ingredients with a pastry blender until mixture resembles a coarse meal.

 

Toss in 1/2 cup corn and green onions. Gently stir in the buttermilk until just combined.

 

At this point, let me remind you of the importance to pay careful attention to your measurements.  I had to mix my buttermilk, since I buy mine in powder form because I never use the liquid stuff fast enough.  For some reason, I mixed up 2 cups of it.  And then poured it all in.  Yes, I said two cups.  The recipe required 2/3 of a cup.  At that point, I realized there was nothing to do but make a triple batch.  Still working on using the extra biscuits. 

 

Now back to the recipe.

Drop 1/4 cupfuls batter, 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with 1 tablespoon melted butter and bake until pale blond, about 12 minutes; set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees F.

Heat a large saucepan to medium-high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and add the remaining 1/2 cup corn, green beans, peppers, and adobo sauce and cook until the vegetables are tender.

 

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in remaining 1/3 cup flour and cook, while stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in broth, milk, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.

Bring to a simmer while whisking and cook until smooth and thickened. Pour mixture over vegetables and add turkey. Stir to combine. Pour filling into a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish and top with reserved biscuits.

  

Bake until bubbly and biscuits are golden brown, about 30 minutes.

I really liked this recipe overall.  There's a nice amount of spice in it and the taste was delicous.  You could probably make this without the spice, but I'm pretty sure you'd just have something close to turky pot pie filling.  It has also kept well, and the leftovers have been devoured.  (Mostly by me because I didn't want to cook anymore for a few days.  I'm still blaming my swelled up like a melon bum knee for that.)

Things I would do differently:

• Use more butter on the biscuit tops before baking.I was way too skimpy on the butter when I brushed it on the biscuits.  They were a little dry, but once they were mixed into the filling it was perfect.  
• Place the whole thing in a smaller casserole dish so it would be deeper and more evenly covered with the biscuits. 
• Remember to measure my buttermilk :)