February 2, 2016 - Radio Kitchen - Pot Pies
If ever there were a season for comfort food, this is it. Give me something hot and hearty, homey and familiar, and I'll be a happy boy. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Schola Cooking School can attest, very few dishes answer better in the bleak mind-winter than a pot pie.
A full discussion of pot pies will reveal several issues. For instance, two crusts or one? This depends on how much you like a crust, particularly a really good flaky crust. I'll take two, thanks; but some folks find it easier to make just the top crust. If the gravy in the pie is very wet, then you may want to skip to bottom crust.
What type of crust? The most common crust is essentially "pâte brisée," a great crust for pies or tarts. Working cold, it is nothing more than flour, butter and/or shortening, salt and ice cold water. The advantage to pâte brisée is that it stands up well to liquids (i.e. a pot pie's gravy) while it bakes.
You can take this recipe one step further and make a puff pastry from it. The secret is to roll the dough out into an 8"x16" rectangle, quite thin, and then fold each end of the dough toward the middle, like folding a letter to three thicknesses.
Turn the dough 90°, roll the folded dough out again to a 8"x16" rectangle and repeat the process.
Refrigerate after the second folding, then repeat the process. Four foldings will give you 81 layers exactly.
When they bake, they puff apart to give you that delicious ultra flaky character.
I've had pot pies made with puff pastry, and they are fabulous. Of course it's a lot easier to just buy the Pillsbury puff pastry dough in the store.
Some people will make a crumble crust with lots of buttery bits, others will use a pre-made mix like Bisquick to whip up a dollop of thick batter on top. It's not nearly as good, but if you are making small individual pies in a ramekin, it's not a bad idea at all.
Should the gravy be thick or thin? The gravy starts with your choice of broth, and is thickened with either flour or corn starch. This is a matter of taste, but we feel a middling thick sauce is a wise choice.
How about the choice of vegetables? The standard chicken pot pie recipe usually calls for celery, carrots, onion and peas, possibly diced potatoes.
But what would be wrong with a root vegetable pot pie? Or mushrooms? Or shallots, green beans, broccoli florets or red peppers? Anything that can go into a stew can go into pot pie: it's that simple.
How about your choice of seasonings? Aside from salt and pepper, you should let the choice of ingredients lead the way. Turkey...sage, lamb... rosemary, beef... herbes de provence, ham... baking spices.
Can you make a curried pot pie? Certainly, just toss some garam masala into the stew and you're half-way there.
And the main question would be you choice of protein. Here is where you can get very creative.
Chicken is the default meat, but turkey works well too. There certainly is nothing wrong with beef or lamb pot pies, as long as you change the broth to match up.
I can see no objection to ham chunks in a pot pie, with pieces of sweet potato and apple mixed among the onions, celery and carrot. But if you want to go whole hog and produce a truly luxury dish, think of the impact you'd make with lobster pot pie.
Here is Al's recipe for this special dish, inspired by his friend Jeff Drinkwater.
Lobster Pot Pie
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped vidalia onions
1/2 cup sliced shallots (peeled and cut cross-wise into circles)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups fish stock or clam juice
2 tbs dry sherry (amontillado would be good)
salt and white pepper
3 tbs heavy cream
3/4 pound cooked lobster meat, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen small whole onions
1 1/2 tbs dried tarragon
1 whole egg, beaten for egg wash
2 sheets of puff pie pastry dough
1. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan on low heat, and cook the onions and shallots until they are translucent. About three minutes.
2. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, and slowly add the fish stock and sherry. Keep stirring to incorporate the flour until a medium thick sauce develops. Add the salt and pepper and then the heavy cream. Stir until well blended. Add the tarragon, and blend it well.
3. Place the lobster, peas, corn and onions into a large bowl. The frozen vegetables do not need to be thawed. Then pour the onion-shallot sauce over the lobster and vegetables, and stir to blend evenly.
4. Roll out one sheet of puff pastry dough into a 12" circle, big enough to line the
bottom of a 9" greased Pyrex pie dish. Pour the filling into the pie. Roll a second sheet of puff pastry out to cover the top. Crimp the edges with your thumb and fingers, and brush with an egg wash.
5. Place in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat and cook for another 40 minutes until the pie is golden brown and puffy.
6. Serve with your best chardonnay.
