Luxury Chicken Pot Pie

After a few weeks in Manila I got a good grasp of what Filipinos like to eat by what they served in restaurants, what was available in food courts and what my workmates brought to work.   Here it's about about the meat, the sugar and the butter.  Everything here's quite Americanised with an Asian twist.

I asked people if they knew about the Pioneer Woman.  To by utter shock they don't know her in my circles here!  So I set about to correct this and ordered three copies of  The Pioneer Woman Cooks through Amazon - One for the maid who loves to cook but lacks inspiration, a new friend I've met who loves the same food as me and a workmate who is Filipino/Australian and his new Australian Fiancé as an engagement present.

It may seem a little over the top, but I know that book is MADE for Filipino families.  They love this kind of food.  There is a fast-food outlet here that JUST sells cinnamon scrolls!

So last weekend I set about using the book with the maid and we made this chicken pot pie.  I tweaked it a little by adding some corn (there's a distinct lack of vegetables here) and used butter in the pastry because I couldn't find any shortening.. but the results, spectacular!    The maid (Khim) was overjoyed with the results, she had never made pastry before and it was a real thrill passing on some kitchen skills to someone who really really loves food.

Give this a try for your family, I guarantee you won't make it once!


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups plain flour
160g cold butter
1 egg
cold water
2 brown onions, diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 rashers bacon, finely diced
2 cups shredded BBQ chicken
1/4 cup plain flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup cream
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tb ground black pepper


Method:
In a food processor process flour cold butter and egg until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add cold water little by little until the dough comes together:

Place in a ziplock bag or cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for one hour.

Meanwhile in a saucepan or pot heat some butter and ad onions, carrot, celery, corn and peas, heat and stir until the onion becomes translucent.

Add the bacon, stir well then add chicken and sprinkle the flour over the top, then stir well.

Add stock, wine and then the cream.  Add thyme and pepper and simmer for about 10 minutes before completely turning off and allow to simmer for a little bit..

Place in your pie dish whilst you make your pastry..

Preheat oven to 200 degrees c

Take your pastry dough out of the fridge and place onto a floured surface.  What I find easier if you at this time to shape your dough into roughly the same shape as your tin/casserole pot.

Roll out until about 4mm thick.  Roll back onto your rolling pin..

 

And roll onto your pie filling..

Cut around the edges, add some decoration with the cast off pastry and then with a fork, prick the surface of your pie, this allows it to become lovely and crispy... no-one likes soggy pastry!  Brush with some egg-wash (1 egg yolk mixed with a bit of milk)

Bake for 30-40 minutes until it's as brown as you like on top..

Dig in!  You'll wish you made two!

Banoffee Pie

You know last week's conversation with my uncle about the recipes you pick up along the way got me thinking.... almost twenty years ago when I lived in London my boyfriend at the time loved Banoffee pie.   When he told me this I had no idea what a Banoffee Pie was.  So before the days of google he took me to a cafe in Paddington that served his favourite.

My forensic eating skills are well known.  I like to dissect my foods flavours and try and work out what is in it. This one was an absolute no brainer.  So I surprised him one weekend and made it.  He was amazed I did it without a recipe - but really I couldn't work out how he hadn't worked it out.  What I couldn't work out the most is why he paid £5 a slice.


It's very rich and not exactly weight-watchers-friendly but it is a slice of heaven and my husband who doesn't even like bananas wasn't the least bit perturbed at their presence or the fact that I used to make it for my ex-boyfriend.  He was too busy scoffing himself....




Ingredients: 
200g nice biscuits (or other sugar cookie)
100g melted butter
1 tb golden syrup (optional)
2 tins skim sweetened condensed milk
300ml cream, whipped
2 bananas, slice


Method:
Process or crush your biscuts until they are bread-crumb-like.. A few chunks isn't going to break you...

Melt your butter and mix in your golden syrup..  Pour into your biscuits and mix well.  Press down into a greased pie tin.

Make your caramel... put it on a medium heat and don't answer the phone.  Stay there and stir that thing until you can't stand the sight of it any more.. that should take about 10 or so minutes.  If you walk away to answer the phone you'll come back to a little crust around the outside of your pan like I did (and luckily it didn't burn but I was NOT happy!)

It will change colour to a caramel colour and start to become heavy.

Now if you have an urge to answer the phone or children or even husbands who love to interrupt, don't worry - you can sieve it and get out most of the brown bits if you haven't burnt it.

Pour into your base - try to resist the urge to pour it into your mouth - because it will hurt.  Trust me.

Smooth it out.... leave it for about 15 minutes.   Whip your cream...

And spread it over the top and then slice your bananas and place on top before serving.

 If you MUST be one of these people who needs chocolate on everything - sprinkle with a little flake if you like.. personally I don't think it needs it.

Slice it up and savour!  Close your eyes and tell the weight-watcher folk it's worth the points.. A little bit goes a long way!

Sunday baking project - Cherry pie

Those of you who are long-term readers of frills know how passionate I am about Australian produce and always buying Australian where there is a choice.  I buy most of my fruit and vegetables direct from the farm, but always around this time of the year I am seduced.

I'm seduced by cherries from the USA.   I justify buying them because we don't have any cherries in season, and oh they are so GOOD!  These ones cost me $9 a kilo and I can't believe I didn't even care.  They were plump and tasted just as good as they look.

I usually just eat them from the colander (wash them first people!) or if they are lucky they might make it into my vanilla, lemon cherry cake.. but these were destined for my pie tin.  I love this pie tin and since I picked it up for $3 at the Salvos I've been thinking of all the pies I want to make in it.  Now I think I'll buy another (even at retail price!) because I love this one so much.  Easy, great shape.

But if you're not as seduced by the USA cherry, try using some tinned ones if you like!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup icing sugar

225g butter, chilled

1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk

2 cups pitted cherries

2/3 cups caster sugar

2 tb cherry cordial or kirsch

2 tb demerara sugar

Method:

In a food processor or mixture add flour, icing sugar, butter and egg and pulse process until it comes together.

It will be soft and spongey to the touch.

If you don't have a food processor, rub the butter into the flour, then add the sugar and eggs until it comes together.

Place into some cling wrap or a zip lock bag and place in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Pit your cherries if using fresh - I had my ever enthusiastic apprentice Eloise to do our with the cherry chomper I got for Christmas from Santa...

When your pastry dough is chilled, preheat oven to 190 degrees c.  Take 2/3 pastry out and return the other 1/3 to the fridge.  Let the 2/3 of pastry sit out for 5 minutes and prepare a clean surface with flour and grease your pie tin.

Roll out your pastry and fit to your pie dish.  Line on top of the pastry with baking paper and then fill with pie weights or dry beans or raw rice to weigh it down.   Put it in the oven for fifteen minutes to blind bake, remove the baking paper and weights then return empty shell to the oven for a further five minutes.

Meanwhile place those gorgeous cherries in a saucepan with the sugar and cherry cordial/kirsch until just softened (about 10 minutes)

Spoon (and drain) the cherries into the pie base

Remove the remaining 1/3 pastry from the fridge and roll out and cut into strips.  I made mine a little fancy by stealing the frills' playdough cutter.  I asked first...!

Place on the pie, weaving if you like

Lastly sprinkle the top with demerara sugar.

Bake in the oven for another fifteen to twenty minutes until lovely golden brown on top.

Serve on it's own or with a big dollop of cream or ice cream!

So friends, what are you baking today and is there a fruit or vegetable that you desire a lot in it's off season?

Sunday baking project: Cheaty raspberry, almond and chocolate pie

Holy dooly it's cold in Sydney at the moment.  It's like we're living in the ski-fields but without the glorious snow.  It just makes me want to hibernate - I think those bears have it right you know....  The good thing about this weather is the baking.  And really I'd rather snuggle up and be warm then be sweaty and hot.  I'll be prying my gas bill open this quarter with one eye closed and one hand clutching my chest though.

The frozen strawberries have been staring at me in the freezer for a while and I've not meant to neglect them... but I had them in mind for something like this - I saw the nestle scorched almonds (please buy the nestle ones they are much nicer than all the others) in the supermarket during the week and put them together with my thoughts on a cheat's raspberry pie and it all just came together.

My frills helped - the love to cook and this is an easy recipe any child over 2 could get involved with.

Ingredients:
500g frozen (or fresh if you can get them!) raspberries
16 scorched (chocolate covered) almonds
3/4 cup plain flour
1 egg
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup milk
cream or ice-cream to serve


Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees c
In a pie dish sprayed with canola spray, sprinkle your raspberries evenly over the base.

Plop in your scorched almonds, nestle them in between the strawberries, as evenly spaced as you can.

Mix the batter by mixing together the flour, almond meal, sugar, egg, milk and vanilla extract. Give a good whisk to make it smooth.

Pour it over the raspberries and almonds and jiggle the tin/dish so the batter sinks down into them.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until set in the middle and golden on top.  Serve with cream!

Psst don't forget we have a Pinterest giveaway this weekend thanks to www.smitten.com.au

ends midnight Monday 13th June 2011.

Sunday baking project - Rich chocolate tart

Today it's all about chocolate, hope you're over Easter and ready for some real chocolatey goodness.

I made two of these but topped this one with strawberries for you guys (OK who am I kidding there? I love strawberries) and later today I'll be dressing another with some spun toffee.  But you could top it with just some chocolate curls (here's a quick tutorial on that) or just some cocoa.  Honestly lovely just on its own too.

Ingredients:
Pastry
1 cup plain flour
1 1/2 tb cocoa
60g cold butter
1 egg
3 tb caster sugar


Filling
130g dark chocolate (use a plaidstowe or Lindt, it needs to be decent)
125 ml cream
60 ml milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
(if you're feeling naughty sub your favourite liqueur for the milk)


Method:

In a food processor or mixing bowl mix together all the pastry ingredients, combine until it comes together and stop *just' as it becomes a ball.

Place in a ziplock bag or clingfilm and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.  At this point preheat your oven to 190 degrees.

When your pastry has rested, grease your flan tin and then liberally flour your rolling surface and pin and place your pastry in the middle into a round shape.

Roll out to about 3mm thickness and then roll back onto your rolling pin to transfer to your flan tin.

Place over your flan tine and push away the edges.

Prick the bottom of your pastry to allow it to get crispy whilst it bakes. 

Cover with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or raw rice or beans.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until the edges pull away from the flan tin and it starts to colour a little on the edges.  Remove the baking paper and weights and return to oven for another 10 minutes.  Turn down the oven to 160 degrees.

Make your filling by first of all melting your chocolate - I do mine in the microwave but heating on a medium setting for 1 minute, then stirring with a fork and returning to the microwave on medium setting for a further minute.

Add egg, essence, cream and milk - just stir though with a fork...

Pour into your flan base and smooth the surface.  Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

If you like it warm, serve it straight away withe some double cream, or allow to cook and top with strawberries!