BY CHERYL ORR

I recently visited my youngest son in Chicago, and we literally walked down memory lane on the cobblestone streets of our quaint suburb of Geneva. Historic homes surrounded by ancientoaks were reminders of a simpler time, not much different than my home in Edenton.
After he and his young wife treated me with many fine meals in the city and around Chicagoland I offered to make them dinner one day. His choice was a childhood favorite of
simple comfort food, and perfect for a crisp autumn evening, a Chicken Pot Pie.
A steaming pot pie is not only the ultimate warming comfort food, but this dish can feed your family for little money which is important as we face rising food costs. If you want to skip the homemade pie crust a store-bought pie dough will do just fine, although you can’t beat the flavor of a rich buttery crust.
This week I have included my Chicken Pot Pie recipe. The recipe does take some time. I usually make a crust in my food processor or stand mixer in minutes, and while the dough rests prepare the filling which needs to cool so that it doesn’t melt the dough. Be sure to roll the dough very thin to avoid a soggy crust. I like to make individual pot pies in ramekins, but the recipe can prepared in a pie plate as well.
Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

Creamy Chicken Pot Pie

Serves 6
INGREDIENTS

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced potato
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ¼ cup sherry
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chicken demi-glace, low sodium
• 4 cups cooked chicken, cut into 1/2″ pieces
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 recipe double-crust pie dough

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 425 F degrees.  
2. Sauté mushrooms in olive oil, remove and set aside.
3. Sauté onion, carrots, celery, and potato in olive oil until tender. Add garlic and cook one minute. Stir in flour and coat the vegetables. Stir in sherry, followed by stock and cream, continuing to stir until smooth. Add demi-glace, thyme, nutmeg, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in mushrooms. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
4. While mixture is cooling roll out pie dough, and place in a pie pan. Add cooled filling. Place top crust over filling, pinch, and flute crusts together, cut air vents, and chill pie for 15 minutes.
5. Brush pie crust with egg wash and sprinkle with herbs. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Cover with foil, reduce heat to 375 degrees, and continue to bake for 45 minutes or until crust is crispy and lightly browned. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Pie Dough

For one 9-inch double-crust pie
Dough
INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup ice-cold water
• 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• ¼ cup cold shortening or lard

PREPARATION

1. Whisk together dry ingredients. Add small pieces of butter and shortening and cut into dry ingredients until crumbly, using a pastry blender, mixer with a paddle attachment or
   a food processor. Mixture should still have small pieces of butter the size of a pea.
2. Add cold water and blend into mixture to form a dough. Place dough ball in plastic wrap
   and chill for 30 minutes, or until use.

Note: Cold vodka can be substituted for the water for a crisp crust.
Note: 1 teaspoon vinegar can be added to the cold water for a tender crust.
Note: During the resting period, starch molecules in the flour are absorbing the liquid in the
batter which causes them to swell and give the dough a thicker, more viscous consistency. Any gluten formed also becomes relaxed and easily reforms itself into the long protein chains which are the superstructure of the finished dough. Any air bubbles are also working their way out creating a smoother dough.
Note: Always chill dough a second time in pie pan after rolling out.
Note: To make a pre-baked pie shell that is filled, line chilled pie pan and dough with foil and add pie weights or dried beans. Bake 20 minutes at 425 degrees, remove foil and press down any raised areas. Brush with egg wash and bake an additional 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool before filling. If using dried beans they can no longer be prepared so set them aside for your next pie shell.

---

If you have a cooking question, contact me at cher.orr@gmail.com and I’d be happy to assist! Cheryl Orr is offering weekly Pop-up events at Edenton Bay Trading Co that all can attend. She is currently completing her cookbook, and offering private cooking classes, small catering, and private chef dinners. See all on www.edentonepicurean.com