From Scratch Pot Pies

I'm so happy to finally be sitting down and posting a recipe to this blog! With our move (twice) and all the unpacking and the adjusting (and not adjusting) to new schools...new recipes, cooking full meals, photography and blogging have been out of my reach.  I'm oh so full of relief to see the light of hope and get myself back into the kitchen on a routine. I love to cook!

Here's a perfect recipe just in time for the holidays. Wondering what to do with your leftover turkey? Make these pot pies from scratch and your family will be Thankful for you!

My recipe is a hybrid from two of my favorite cookbooks:  The Joy of Cooking, 75th Edition, by Irma Rombauer and French Farmhouse Cookbook by Susan Loomis.   If you only own one cookbook, The Joy of Cooking should be it! You'll find a reference for everything inside. 

The star ingredient in this homemade delicacy: chicken or turkey. I start with organic chicken; Costco has a bag of two for a sweet price. Organic free range birds make for the most savory, flavorful broth.  After you've roasted your bird, you'll end up with some delicious left overs just waiting for good use. Pull the meat off the bone and save in a dish. Don't forget to make a wish! Throw the whole carcass, juices and skin into a big pot. Add enough water to cover bird, and simmer for at least 30 minutes.  It's that easy!

Here is the pastry I like to use for pot pies, based on the French Farmhouse Cookbook.

Pastry:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

7 Tbsp unsalted butter (chilled & cut into 7 pieces)

• In kitchen aide mixer, place 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour, 1/4 tsp sea salt and 7 Tbls unsalted butter.  Blend until mixture looks like course peas.

• Add 5 Tbls ice water and blend until pastry begins to hold together and is sticky.  Add 1 Tbls more of ice water as needed to just hold pastry together.

• Place pastry on floured pastry mat and shape into round. If at all possible, let it rest for 30 minutes lightly dusted with flour and covered with a tea towel.

• Roll out dough. For a pie dish, roll and cut into 2 9-inch rounds.  
• For individual ramekins, cut into 12 5-inch rounds.

For filling:

3 Tbls butter

1/2 cup flour

1 cup rice milk, divided

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups frozen vegetables

1-2 cups cooked chicken or turkey

Salt

Pepper

•  Melt 3 Tbls of butter in large saucepan.
• In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of cold rice milk.  Whisk until smooth and completely mixed.  Add another 1/2 cup of cold rice milk, and mix.
• Add milk mixture to melted butter and whisk in saucepan over medium heat.
• Add 2 cups of broth and whisk thoroughly. 

• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add 2 cups of frozen petite vegetables.
• Add chopped, cooked chicken/turkey to saucepan.
• Stir until heated.
• Place pastry in bottom of each ramekin.

• Using a soup ladle, place 2 scoops of filling into each ramekin.
• Place a pastry round on top of each. Cut a small hole/slit in the top of each pastry.

• For nice glossy finish, brush top of each pastry with a little beaten egg.
• Bake at 350 convection or 375 standard
• For single pie, bake about 30-40 minutes. 
• For individual ramekins, bake about 20-30 minutes, until tops are brown and filling is bubbling.