The other
day, I really wanted something homey and comforting, so I decided to make
popovers (served with honey butter), chicken pot pie and raspberry crumble
bars. It was a delicious meal and it completely hit the spot.
Chicken
Pot Pie
I haven’t
been thrilled with my chicken pot pie recipes, so I decided to find another
one. This one comes from Ina Gartner and is, hands down, the best chicken pot
pie I have ever tasted. It is everything chicken pot pie should be: creamy,
comforting, rich.
It is,
however, rather time intensive, so don’t make this on a Monday night after work
while trying to get the kids ready for bed. You will drive yourself nuts. Save
it for the weekend.
INGREDIENTS
For the
chicken:
3 whole (6
split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on [I actually used leftover chicken from
a roasted chicken we did the day before]
3
tablespoons olive oil
Kosher
salt
Freshly
ground black pepper
For the
filling:
5 cups of
chicken stock
2 chicken
bouillon cubes
12
tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of unsalted butter
2 onions,
chopped
2 gloves
of garlic
3/4 cup of
all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of
heavy cream
1
(10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)
1/2 cup
minced fresh parsley leaves
For the
pastry:
3 cups of
all-purpose flour
1 1/2
teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon
of baking powder
1/2 cup of
vegetable shortening [I used the butter flavored one]
1/4 pound
of cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3
cup of ice water
Sea salt
and cracked black pepper
DIRECTIONS
For the chicken:
I skipped
these steps, as I used already cooked, leftover chicken.
1.
Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees.
2.
Place
the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil.
3.
Sprinkle
generously with salt and pepper.
4.
Roast
for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through.
5.
Set
aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and
discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of
cubed chicken.
For the filling:
1.
In
a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the
stock.
2.
In
a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the onions and garlic over
medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent.
3.
Add
the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
4.
Add
the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute,
stirring, until thick.
5.
Add
2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken,
peas, and parsley. Mix well.
For the pastry:
1.
Mix
the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with
a metal blade.
2.
Add
the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is
coated with flour.
3.
Pulse
10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas.
4.
With
the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough
and have it just come together.
5.
Dump
the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the
dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
PUTTING IT
ALL TOGETHER
1.
Preheat
the oven to 375 degrees.
2.
Divide
the filling equally among two pie dishes.
3.
Divide
the dough into halves and roll each piece into an 16-inch circle, and then
place the dough on top.
4.
Crimp
the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick.
5.
Cut
slits in the top of the crust and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper.
6.
Place
on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the
filling is bubbling hot.
Raspberry
Crumble Bars
INGREDIENTS
2 sticks
of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup of
sugar
1 teaspoon
of pure vanilla extract
2 -1/3
cups of all-purpose flour
1/2
teaspoon of kosher salt
10 to 12
ounces of good raspberry jam (homemade is the best!)
2/3 cup of
good granola without dried fruit
DIRECTIONS
1.
Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees.
2.
Place
the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment and mix on medium speed just until combined. With the mixer on low,
add the vanilla.
3.
Sift
the flour and salt together and, with the mixer on low, slowly add to the
butter mixture, mixing until it almost comes together in a ball.
4.
Turn
the dough out on a board. Lightly pat two-thirds of the dough evenly on the
bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan and about 1/4-inch up the sides.
5.
Spread
with the jam, leaving a 1/4-inch border.
6.
Mix
the granola into the remaining dough with your hands.
7.
Break
the dough into small bits and distribute it on top of the jam, covering most of
the surface. Bake the bars for 45 minutes, until lightly browned.
8.
Cool
completely and cut into 9 or 12 bars.
