PREP: Mise the recipe ahead of time.

1. Make the velouté sauce:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan placed over low heat, then add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes until the roux becomes light tan in color.
• Whisk in the wine and stock in a thin stream to avoid lumping. Cook at a simmer for about 20 minutes until thickened.
• Season with a little salt.
• If prepping ahead, cool to room temperature and store in a container.

2. Fabricate the chicken: (Photos of this process appear in the lesson section of this recipe post.)

• Trim the chicken breast of silverskin (connective tissue membrane) and any visible fat.
• Cut the chicken into 1 1/2-inch cubes.
• If prepping ahead, place the chicken in a plastic bag.

3. Fabricate the vegetables: (Photos of these processes appear in the lesson section of this recipe post.)

• Wash the mushrooms, blot dry, and trim off the hard, discolored stem ends. Cut large mushrooms into quarters and smaller ones in half. If prepping ahead, loosely wrap the mushrooms in paper towels and place in an unsealed plastic bag.
• Use a paring knife to cut diagonally into the stem end of each snap pea, and then use the knife and your thumb to pull downward, removing the string that runs along one side. Turn each snap pea over and remove the string from the other side. (Not all snap peas have strings, but check just in case.)
• Snap each asparagus spear by holding the tip end with one hand and the butt end in the other, and then bending the spear until it breaks. Discard the tough butt ends. Use a swivel peeler to gently scrape off the outer layer of skin from the lower half of each asparagus spear. Cut the asparagus spears on the diagonal into 1 1/2-inch lengths.
• Peel the carrots and roll-cut into roughly ¾-inch pieces.

4. Par-cook the vegetables:

• Bring at least 3 qt water to a full boil. Place a bowl of cold water next to the stove.
• Drop the snap peas into the water and boil for about 10 seconds. Use a “spider” strainer to remove the asparagus into the bowl of water, and then place the bowl in the sink under a stream of cold water for a minute or so. Remove from the water and drain on paper towels.
• Blanch the asparagus for about 20 seconds, and then refresh and drain in the same way.
• Blanch the carrots for minute or longer, until a paring knife inserted into a carrot section meets with just a little resistance. Refresh, and drain the carrots in the same way.
• If prepping ahead, combine the par-cooked vegetables in a plastic bag with a folded paper towel in the bottom.

5. Prep the lemon zest and lemon juice:

• Use a swivel peeler to shave off two strips of yellow zest from the lemon. Mince the lemon zest and place it in a small container. Squeeze about 1 tsp lemon juice into the container with the zest.

6. Mise the biscuit dough:

• Sift the flour, sugar, and baking powder onto a cutting board. Sprinkle the salt overtop.
• Place the step 6 cold butter onto the flour mixture and use a bench scraper or chef knife to cut the butter into small pieces the size of a pencil eraser, mixing it into the flour as you cut. Work quickly to keep the butter cold.
• Measure the milk.
• If prepping ahead, place the flour-butter mixture into a plastic bag and the milk into a container.

7. Assemble the remaining ingredients.

HOLD: Refrigerate the ingredients up to 4 days.

COOK! Finish and plate your dinner.

8. Prepare the oven and casserole dish:

• Preheat an oven to 400°F.
• Rub the inside rim of a 1-qt casserole or baking dish with the step 8 butter, and place the dish on a sheet tray lined with aluminum foil. (If you’ve doubled or tripled the recipe, use a proportionally larger casserole.)

9. Chop the tarragon leaves and strip the thyme leaves off of the stems.

10. Mix the cobbler dough:

• Place the cold flour mixture into a bowl.
• Add the milk to the bowl all at once. Use a fork to mix the milk into the flour mixture with a few strokes, to create a lumpy, shaggy dough. Don’t over-mix.
• Place the dough in the refrigerator until needed.

11. Sauté the mushrooms and chicken:

• Place a sizzle pan or small tray near the stove.
• Blot the chicken dry on paper towels.
• Place a sauté pan, preferably carbon steel, over high heat and wait for it to become very hot.
• Add half the oil and half the step 11 butter, and then add the mushrooms and a little salt. Sauté, shaking and tossing, for about 30 seconds until the mushrooms are browned and slightly shrunken. Transfer to the sizzle pan.
• Add the remaining oil and butter to the pan, and then add the chicken with a little salt. Sauté for about 30 seconds until the exteriors of the cubes are browned but the interiors are still raw. Turn off the heat, and add the mushrooms back into the pan. 

12. Finish the sauce and assemble the cobbler:

• Add the par-cooked vegetables to the sauté pan, and toss to combine.
• Transfer the chicken, mushrooms, and vegetables to the casserole and press gently to settle them into it.
• Scrape the velouté sauce into the sauté pan, turn the heat on to low, and heat the sauce until it liquifies. Raise the heat and bring to the simmer. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, and then stir in the cream.
• Evaluate the seasoning and, if necessary, correct the salt and/or lemon.
• Stir in the chopped tarragon and thyme leaves.
• Slowly pour the sauce over the contents of the casserole, while using a fork to gently separate the contents so that the sauce penetrates to the bottom.
• Use a #60 portion scoop, or 2 tablespoons, to top the chicken and vegetables with scoops of biscuit dough. Ensure that the dough scoops extend to the rim and are tightly packed together.

13. Bake the cobbler:

• Place the baking dish on its tray in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes until the biscuit topping is golden brown.

14. Plate:

• For each portion, use a serving spoon and a flexible spatula to separate and lift off a portion of the biscuit crust and place it on a sizzle pan or plate.
• Spoon a portion of chicken, vegetables, and sauce into each warmed pasta plate or wide bowl.
• Arrange a portion of crust across the back of the plate.