Chicken Pot Pie

Let me extol the virtues of chicken pot pie. First, the crust. How ingenious is it to use pie crust in savory dishes, so you don't even have to wait for dessert. Of course, that's assuming you've had good pie crust and know what you're constantly missing out on everyday there's not a pie waiting for dessert.

Second, who doesn't like stew in cold fall temperatures? That starchy, mellow goodness that warms your whole body and satisfies every bit of your hunger. It just feels like you're home when you're eating a stew.

And third, it's a one-dish meal. Kind of. It actually takes a few dishes to prepare it, but you only need to put one serving dish on the table when you're sitting down to eat. Everyone gets some protein, everyone gets a few vegetables, and everyone gets a little incentive to eat the dish, since it's topped with a delicious homemade crust.

Okay, now I'll tell you what I really think, usually, of pot pie. All the ingredients taste pretty good, but then you stick them all together and there are no clean flavors left. The result is that harmony of nothingness. Creamy, stewy, whatever. I like making chicken pot pie, but by the time I serve it, I don't want another bite. I'm over-stewed. Except this time.

One of the problems is that nothing has any distinct flavors in a stew. This is really okay, but to make it interesting, you can't just add all your average components and expect to have an above-average flavor in the end. You also can't add exciting flavors and expect them to stand out above everything else; well, if you add a whole lot of them, they will, but the pie will be best when you have achieved a good balance of complementary flavors.

I like mushrooms in my pot pie, and I like the way that Sherry tastes with mushrooms. I prefer crimini to white mushrooms because they have an earthier flavor. That was a good starting point for me. I considered the rest of the basics: shallots over onions and/or garlic, red potatoes (definitely) boiled or fried, how much chicken, roasted or poached, and seasoning.

I thought shallots would make a difference here, since I didn't want onions or garlic taking over the flavor of the dish. Boiled potatoes, a very watery starch, would only dilute the other tastes and textures, but frying the potatoes in an oil-free non-stick skillet would not only give the potatoes texture, but also enrich the flavor of the rest of the dish. However, I thought the more delicate texture and flavor of poached would make a better meal. I'm not crazy about overdoing the chicken flavor in chicken pot pie, which I guess sounds really ironic.

As far as other flavors go, I decided to start with bacon to give it a little smokiness, which really mellowed out by the end, but I'm happy with the amount I had. You could opt for more if you want that flavor to stand out, but as I've said, it's not about anything standing out, but coming together. I also added an apple and a touch of Dijon for just a bit of acidity to balance everything else out. Now, you might think, "Oh, yum, this recipe sounds really good, but I think I'll leave out the Dijon. I'm not crazy about that part." At least, if you're like me, you'll be thinking of how to alter the recipe before you start. Don't leave out the Dijon. There's just a teensy weensy bit in there, and it's so perfectly a part of it. Don't leave it out. I'm not kidding. Just leave it in. Please. You'll be so happy you did when you taste it, except you won't really taste much of it at all, and it will be just right, and you'll realize how absolutely brilliant I am. And that I'm always right.

Of course, the crust is extraordinarily important, so make your crust. It doesn't take long, and you can just quickly use your fingers to smash the mixture to pieces if you don't have a stand mixer, but an all-butter crust will make the dish, since butter goes so well with stew, but shortening does not. Oh, and also (which is a phrase I think my daughter uses), I only make a top crust, since otherwise it's not so much about making a dinner as it is about eating crust.

This was so good that I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner, even after tasting everything so much along the way. In fact, I wanted to eat a lot more, but, well, it's not the healthiest meal out there. But it is delicious. (Do I sound torn? I was very torn.)

By the way, this does fit in with my diet. It's all about portion control, after all. And exercising 60 minutes today. And having nothing else but V8 the rest of the day (I'm drinking one right now and it's delicious). See, I can make it work.


Chicken Pot Pie
makes 2 pies (one for you, one for me)

1/2 lb. bacon, chopped (I prefer thick, maple-cured bacon)
1 lb. shallots, sliced
2/3 lb. crimini mushrooms, chopped
1 lg. apple, diced (I used Honey Crisp, but any would be fine)
2 1/2 lbs. red potatoes, 1/2" dice
2 large chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lbs.)
2 T. butter
1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. sherry
3 c. chicken broth
3 T. cream (because I had it around, milk would be fine)
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 c. peas
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
One recipe pie dough, divided into two equal portions, rolled out (you can roll them out, wrap them in plastic wrap, and set them in the fridge while you do all this)

First, poach the chicken. In a small or medium saucepan, add water to about 3 inches, the core from the apple you diced, a few baby carrots, and 1/2 t. salt. Add the two chicken breasts, set over medium heat, and bring nearly to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the chicken sit in the poaching liquid for another 15 minutes or so, cooling, until you're ready to cut it up.

In a large non-stick skillet, set the bacon over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until done. Remove to drain on paper towel, then pour off all but 4 T. of the bacon grease. You can eyeball this. If you're concerned about saturated fat, keep the bacon but substitute olive oil for the bacon grease.

Turn the heat up to medium-high, then add the shallots with a few pinches of salt. Cook, stirring, until they're nice and soft, then add the mushrooms.

(Just a note here, in case you haven't heard this already: it's important to salt food as you make it, in the layers that you're putting it together, to bring out the flavor of each layer. Also, sometimes it's important to draw out the liquids in each food to help them cook faster, as with onions, mushrooms, and potatoes.)

Cook the shallots and mushrooms until the mushrooms are starting to brown a bit and have given off a lot of their liquid. Add the bacon and apple, stir a few times, and remove to a bowl for later.

Preheat the oven to 400°.

To your skillet, add the potatoes and about a teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring, covering with the lid for a minute or two here and there to help them along (this will steam them a bit, then they'll dry out after the lid is removed, which helps them to cook without browning too much), adding a bit more salt here and there as needed for taste and to draw out more liquid. If they seem to be browning quickly, turn the heat down to medium and keep stirring. This takes about 20 minutes. Remove the potatoes to a large bowl.

Dice the chicken into 1/2" cubes.

Add the mushroom mixture back to the skillet along with the 2 T. butter. After that has melted, stir in the flour completely, then stir in the sherry. After cooking for a few seconds, add the broth, cream, peas, and chicken. Bring to a simmer, where it should thicken up a bit. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the Dijon. Add the whole mixture to the bowl of potatoes and stir.

Divide the stew between two pie pans and top each with the pie dough. Cut a couple of slits in the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the crust is just done. Cool 10 minutes and serve.


Now, doesn't that sound easy?

Russian Tea Cakes

I have a lot to confess before handing over the recipe today. First of all, that's not my picture. It's just one I found on a Google image search and downloaded from here.

Also, I haven't used this recipe yet. My friend Kristine made them for a bridal shower the other day, and she gave me the recipe. I'd normally test it out first, just so I can be held accountable, but I'm terribly afraid I'll lose it, and they were really, really, really good, and I don't want to lose it.

Also, I'm dieting, and I think I ate about a dozen of these. Well, maybe I wasn't dieting right at that moment.

I wasn't sure what to call this recipe, since there seems to be no shortage of names these little delights take on. I think someone finds out how good they are, they grow scarce, and they take on another alias just to be safe. Sometimes they go by Italian Wedding Cookies, and sometimes they go by Snowballs (that's just silly, though, isn't it?), and sometimes they go by Mexican Wedding Cakes, among other names. I tried to find out what the origin of the cookie is, but it isn't easy. It seems most Western countries developed similar recipes around the time that white granulated sugar and powdered sugar became mainstream. Some began without adding nuts, some used hazelnuts, some walnuts or almonds or pecans. I went with the name Russian Tea Cakes, since that's the name I first heard them called when I was younger. It doesn't really matter. What matters is that you eat them. Oooh, they're so delightful and so very easy to make.

Kristine made probably the best batch I've ever had (my husband agreed), so I'm following her instructions. Yes, you can use any nut, but while I'm usually partial to pecans, the almonds were perfect in this. One exception: she used salted butter and omitted the salt, but since I only keep unsalted around, I am writing the recipe with the salt included. Either way should work fine, as the nuts like salt. Just don't double up... you know, use salted butter and add salt. You'll have to throw them out.


Russian Tea Cakes

1 1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. finely ground almonds (you'll need to use a food processor)
1 T. vanilla extract
1 t. almond extract
3 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1/3 c. confectioners' sugar, for rolling

Cream the butter in a bowl, then gradually add the 3/4 c. sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the almonds, vanilla, and almond extract. Stir in the flour in portions (to avoid dust clouds), and make sure the dough is even. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325°.

Shape the dough into balls, using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Do not brown. Cool to room temperature, then roll in the extra confectioners' sugar.


Aaah, delicious. You better give some away quickly, or you'll be finishing them off yourself. Of course, you could just freeze some of them and pull them out next week.


Completely off the subject, fall is setting in, which means I'm listening to Loreena McKennitt again, something I only do in fall and winter, since her music is moody and melancholy and beautifully mystic. I love it in the fall, and I highly recommend picking up a cd. Or downloading it on iTunes.

Mac and Cheese

So, how often do you eat Kraft Dinner? I've never really been a big fan, frankly, but I have to admit that I kind of like the Three Cheese variety. In fact, it's the only one I'll buy if I have the option, but not all stores carry it. My family prefers it, too, so you should give it a try, but only to prove to yourself that there is a hierarchy of macaroni and cheese, and that the Three Cheese variety is better than the original.

This one is better still. It's my recipe, and though you have to be standing over the stove the entire time, it still only takes 15 minutes to make. Max. My daughter always requests it when I'm asking for dinner suggestions, and if I want her to clarify whether she wants Kraft or homemade, she never lets me down. Oh, it's nice to be adored. Well, at least my food is adored.

What makes homemade macaroni and cheese better? For one, it's made with real pasta, not the soft flour-type product that comes with a packet. That's not really, pasta, you know, it's just shaped like it. Also, it's creamier, cheesier, and smoother. And delicious. Delicious. Also, it's easy to make. I start with an easy white sauce, add cayenne and nutmeg for a little nuttiness (the cayenne doesn't make it spicy, though you could add enough to make it that way), and sharp Cheddar. The "sharp" part is very important, or you won't get a cheesy enough flavor. And I often end up with more sauce than I need, since I never measure, which is very handy for chilling, mixing with salsa, and dipping.


Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb. good small pasta (I like Barilla brand, and rotini, small shells, or small penne)
3 T. unsalted butter
4 T. (1/4 c.) flour
2 - 2 1/2 cups milk (2% is great for this)
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
pinch cayenne
Kosher salt
10 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, grated


In a large saucepan, bring water to boil and prepare pasta according to directions, being cautious to stop at the "al dente" stage. Drain the pasta and set aside in a serving bowl.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until it starts to smell a little roasted. It may even start to brown just a touch (don't go too far on this). This will give the sauce a rich, buttery flavor. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for about a minute, to cook the raw flour taste away.

Whisk in about 1 1/2 c. milk to start. As it's heating, stir in the nutmeg, cayenne (up to 1/8 t. if you like a bit of kick), and 1 t. salt. When the sauce begins to near the boiling point, you'll notice it's getting much thicker. Add milk gradually, watching the thickness of the sauce, and keep it at a pretty medium consistency. Taste for salt and add more if necessary. Once the sauce has just started to boil, turn off the heat and stir in the cheese.

Lightly salt the pasta, then add enough sauce to thoroughly coat the pasta but not leave it swimming. Taste again for salt and season as necessary. Serve and enjoy!

(Goes great with sliced Fuji apples.)

Carne Asada, continued

So, to continue with the previous post, I next had to tackle the carne asada. I was so excited to make this with Ribeyes, since that is my favorite steak. Actually, when we do grill steak, we never touch it - just buy a good steak, add salt and pepper, and grill. But I was willing to make an exception for something that sounded so extraordinary.

According to Chef Bayless' description, he used guajillos and anchos in his adobo sauce. He has a similar recipe, without the anchos, in his cookbook Mexican Kitchen. I decided to semi-adopt this recipe, reducing the amount of liquid to make a thicker marinating sauce. I did forget one small ingredient in the recipe: 1 T. of cider vinegar. Looking ahead, I will definitely incorporate this next time, but I won't say we really felt the lack of it during our dinner. Also, we served our dinner taco-style, so I chopped up some onions and cilantro to top the meat. So, here is the recipe, as I prepared it, but with the vinegar.

Carne Asada
adapted from Mexican Kitchen by Rick Bayless

6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
about 3 oz. ancho chiles (dried), stemmed and seeded
about 2 oz. guajillo chiles (dried), stemmed and seeded
1 t. dried Mexican oregano
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 t. cumin
1 1/2 c. beef broth (I used rich chicken stock, as that's what I had available)
2 T. olive oil
Kosher salt
1 t. sugar
1 T. cider vinegar
3 lbs. Ribeye steaks, boneless, 1" thick
corn tortillas
1 small onion, diced (preferably white)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
limes, quartered

Heat an ungreased griddle (I like cast iron for this) over medium heat, then toast the garlic on the griddle, turning a few times, for about 15 minutes. While this is going on, open up all of the chiles and toast them for a few seconds on each side, pressing them down with a spatula to ensure more even heat distribution. Move the chiles to a bowl, cover them with hot water, and wrap the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the chiles about 30 minutes to rehydrate, stirring once or twice. (If you have fair skin like me, use gloves, or your hands may be on fire later in the night and most of the following day.)

Drain the chiles, then add them to the blender with the oregano, pepper, cumin, just-peeled garlic, and about 1/2 c. or so of the broth. Blend until smooth, then press through a medium-mesh strainer into a bowl.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When it is quite hot, quickly add all of the sauce and begin stirring. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until it's a bit thicker, then add the rest of the stock. I still like it to be fairly thick, so adjust the stock quantity as necessary, since I certainly wasn't measuring. Simmer for at least a few minutes (and up to 45) to let the flavors come together, then add the sugar and salt to taste. (It should taste pretty spicy, but the salt needs to come through a bit to season the meat as well.) Cool the sauce to room temperature.

Divide the sauce into two parts: about 2/3 and 1/3. Reserve the 1/3 for topping the meat later. Add the vinegar and 1/2 t. salt to the rest, then spread the adobo sauce on both sides of the steaks. Cover and let it marinade for at least half an hour, and up to four hours.

Fire up your charcoal (we use a chimney) and let it get white hot. Pour the charcoal onto one half of the grill, creating a hot side and a cool side. Don't skimp on the amount of charcoal, as you want the hot side to be as hot as possible; if your grill isn't hot enough, the steaks will get too done by the time they have a good char. Throw the steaks on the hot side and grill them until they get a nice char, then turn them over and do the same on the other side. Move them to the cooler side and put the lid on until they are done to your preference. This whole process takes about eight minutes for a medium-rare steak.

After bringing the steak in, let it rest for just a couple of minutes to pull the juices back in, then slice it against the grain in 1/4" slices. Meanwhile, wrap the corn tortillas in a towel, then microwave them on high until they are steamed and fully warmed, 1-2 minutes, depending on how many tortillas you have in there.

Combine the onions and cilantro in a small dish.

To create the perfect carne asada taco, place some of the meat in the tortilla, then top with the onions and cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and a small pinch of Kosher salt. If you're looking for additional heat, add some of the leftover adobo sauce. I can't even tell you how good it is.


I'm thinking of trying this with chicken, though it will in no way approach the Ribeye. If I do, I'll let you know what I think.