This recipe is delicious! But make sure you add the mustard and lemon, it is essential! I don't care if you don't like mustard, personally I cant stand it, put without it this recipe just wont cut it!
There is a bit of work in this one, and I usually make it over two days. Basically cooking the vegetables and the sauce and then making the actual pie the next day. This one was made in a day as it was Sunday!
This recipe serves two hungry or four not so hungry people. I would recommend adding an extra carrot and a leek and doubling the sauce.
What you will need;
250g (9oz) puff pastry
(you can make your own, if you are brave, but I would by the ready made stuff, Jus-Roll is really good!)
2-3 small carrots
1-2 leeks
250ml (9fl oz) chicken stock
20g (3/4 oz) butter
20g (3/4 oz) flour
leaves from 2 sprigs tarragon
(I have yet to use tarragon, as I cant get a hold of it, and It hasn't started to grow in the garden yet)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
A good squeeze of lemon
250g (9oz) cooked chicken, cut into chunks
1 small egg lightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/400 degrees F/ gas mark 6
For the Filling:
1. Cut the carrots into chunks on the diagonal.
Remove the coarser leaves from the leeks and trim off the base and the dark green bit at the top, Cut into rings about 2cm thick Wash thoroughly in running water and drain.
2. Put both vegetables in a saucepan and add the stock.
3. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer until tender.
4. Drain off the stock into a measuring jug. (you should have about 25-50ml left, add enough milk to bring up to 250ml (9fl oz).
More than likely you will have a lot more stock than you need. I recommend doubling the sauce so save whats left so you can make extra.
I used a bit more flour than recommended. If you have made white sauce before than you will have more of an idea its all down to instinct. Don't let it burn but cook its enough that its stuck together and golden.
6. Stir around over a medium heat then take off the heat and start to stir in the milk mixture, adding a little at a time and stirring constantly to create a smooth sauce.
7. Put the pan back on the heat and bring to the boil, stirring all the time.
8. Turn down to a simmer and add the tarragon, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
9. Add the chicken and the cooked vegetables and carefully combine.
10. Check for seasoning, you may want to add a little bit more mustard.
11. Heat everything through then leave it to cool a little.
The pastry;
In this recipe they assume you are making your own pastry, but like I said before I would recommend buying the jus-roll pastry. It makes life alot easier! Also I made one large pie, they made several small ones. Anyway I will include what they said for the pastry then I will do my own.
Pastry recipe;
1. Prepare the pastry lids first so they can chill.
2. Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface and cut out rounds 2.5cm (1in) larger than the dishes you are going to use.
3. Flour these lightly and put them on a baking sheet.
4. Roll out the trimmings to make strips about 1cm (1/2in) wide to fit round the top of each dish.
5. Make leaves out of the rest of the trimmings.
6. Put all these on a baking sheet and place in the coldest bit of the fridge (or briefly in the freezer).
My Jus-Roll Pastry;
Basically you want to follow the same measurements as above.
1. Roll out you pastry on a lightly floured surface.
2. Cut out the shape of you lit, make sure its larger than your dish. You can always trim it down.
3. Roll out thin strips of pastry and attach them to the lip of the dish by brushing water on the back of them.
4. Brush the surface of the strips with water and place your rolled our pastry on top. Trimming it down to size while leaving enough around the edge to allow shrinkage.
5. Decorate it as you like with the extra pastry. If I were you, any extra pastry left over, roll them in to balls or squares and bake them with the pie.Yum! Pastry biscuits/balls!
6. Bake in the oven at 200c/400f/gas mark 6 for 20 minutes until piping hot, puffed up and golden. Serve immediately! Really good with sweet chili sauce. But then everything tastes great with sweet chili!
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| The finished product! Yum!!! |
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