Hey! to all those who asked for this recipe previously... i'm so sorry it took me so long to post! This potpie takes awhile to make the first time, but after that, you know what you're doing and it's a piece of cake! (or pie)...
Pie Crust
2.5 cups flour
1.25 teaspoons Salt
2.5 sticks (10 ounces) cold butter
about 5 TBLSPOONS of Ice water
Combine the flour and salt in a lrg bowl, then add the cubed butter. work in mixer until butter is to pea sized pieces. Then drizzle 1/4 cup of the ice water slowly over the top as it mixes until the dough just holds together. Remove dough from bowl and knead with hands until dough is smooth and butter is fully incorporated.
Divide dough in half, with one half slightly larger than the other (as it will be the bottom crust of your pie). shape each 1/2 into a one inch thick round disk, wrap tightly with saran wrap and refridgerate for at least an hour (if the dough does not rest and chill, it shrinks as its baking).
Remove from fridge 30 minutes before use so it can soften enough to roll out.
Pot Pie FILLING
1 cup of 1/2 inch cubed potatoes (you want these small so that you don't get a huge bite slightly seasoned of potato when eating your pie!)
1.5 cups of carrot slices
1 small-medium sized white/yellow sweet onion (chopped to approx 1/2 inch pieces)
1 cup of 1/2 inch celery slices
2 cups of shredded or cubed cooked chicken
4 bay leaves
24 black peppercorns
3 thyme sprigs
Put Potatoes, Onions, and Carrots in small separate saucepans with water covering them and add one bay leaf, one thyme sprig, and 8 peppercorns to each pan. Simmer over medium high-heat until just tender (about 8 minutes). Drain vegetables, discard bay, thyme and peppercorns. Spread veggies out on a baking sheet. bring a large pot of salted water with one bay leaf in it, to a boil. fill a medium bowl with ice water. Blanch the celery (basically this means stick the celery in the boiling water for about 1-2 minutes, then transfer it directly to the ice water to stop the cooking process). drain and add celery to the other veggies. lightly season the trayfull of vegetables.
Beachamel (Sauce)
3 Tablespoons of butter
2 tbs of flour
2.5 cups milk
1 cup cream
1 chicken bullion cube
1 tablespoon of finely chopped italian parsley
2 sprigs Thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour and cook, whilst whisking for about a minute or two (til the flour mixture starts turning golden but not quite brown). Whisk in the milk and cream, and lower your heat to keep it at a gentle simmer. Add all the seasoners. And cook, whisking often, until the sauce has thickened and reduced to about 2.5 cups (approx10-15 minutes usually). Be sure to move the whisk around the bottom and sides of the pan to avoid burning the bechamel. Once cooked down and seasoned to perfection, remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf from your bechamel.
Preheat oven to 375*
Roll out pie crust and place bottom part in your pie tin. Fill bottom crust with your chicken and veggies, then pour bechamel over. Apply rolled out top crust and press edges of dough together to seal. trim away excess dough that overhangs the rim. Brush the top and edges of crust with beaten egg. cut vent holes in the top of crust, so steam can escape. Bake on LOWER oven rack until the crust is a rich golden brown (50 minutes to one hour). transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for ten minutes...
ENJOY!!!
let me know if you have any questions about it!!!
-JuLi
