Chicken Pot Pie

If I had to choose a favorite type of food, it would most definitely be comfort food.

I'm a firm believer that preparing and eating food should be enjoyable.

Comfort food is that style of food that you know everyone will like, so it's usually what I turn to when we're having guests over for dinner.

No one says no to mac and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, fried chicken, chicken noodle soup or pot pie!

This chicken pot pie has been one of our favorite go-to meals since we've been married.

I make a big ol' 9 by 13 of it, and we eat the leftovers for the next couple of days (I'm not proud to admit that one time Austin and I ate the entire thing in less than 24 hours).

This recipe is easy to make, due to the majesty of frozen puff pastry. Just take it out of the freezer to defrost while you prepare the filling, slice it up, and you're good to go!

Chicken Pot Pie

Yields: 9 x 13, 8-12 servings
Time: 1 hour

1 sheet puff pastry
6 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, medium, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
5 large carrots, chopped
3 medium potatoes
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp flour
4 cups milk
2/3 cup cream
1 bouillon cube
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or chopped*
1 cup frozen peas
1 egg

1. Put puff pastry on the counter to defrost. Preheat oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit. Unfold puff pastry and cut into equally-sized strips. Make a lattice on a cookie sheet and pop it in the freezer.***

2. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, potatoes, and salt. Sauté until the vegetables start to soften. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook 1-2 minutes more.

3. Add milk, cream, and bouillon. Cook until the mixture thickens to the desired consistency. Turn heat to low and add chicken and peas and cook until thoroughly heated. Season with salt & pepper.

4. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 and pop the puff pastry lattice on top. Brush with a beaten egg and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving (this allows it to thicken up again and prevents you from burning your mouth).


*You can cook the chicken any way you like. Sometimes I cook it in the crockpot and shred it. Other times, I cook it on the stove and chop it. Anything works! I season with Emeril's Essence.

***This method makes it way easier to pop the lattice on the pie and throw it in the oven. You can make the lattice right on the pot pie, but the puff pastry starts to get kind of melty.

Mushroom Tart

Y'all already know I love puff pastry. My love of puff pastry first started in a French-style cafe my family visited often when I was growing up.

They have a dish called a chicken friand. It's a mixture of french cheese, mushrooms, and chicken stuffed into a puff pastry shell. It was the first "fancy" food I ate, and the first "fancy" dish I learned to cook by myself. Recipe coming soon (once I can muster up the self-control to put off eating the chicken friands long enough to photograph them).

This mushroom tart is reminiscent of the chicken friand, except this tart can be on the table in just a half hour. It's really versatile-- it can work as an appetizer, side, or entrée (or a dessert, if you're really strange).

One of the best parts of this recipe is that you can substitute pretty much any of the ingredients. I've made it with tons of different things, and it's always come out beautifully.

Mushroom Tart

Yields: two 9" tarts (Serves 4 entrees or up to 12 as a side or an appetizer)

1 sheet puff pastry
3 slices bacon
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 tsp Emeril's Essence*
3 tbsp water
1/4 cup shredded gruyère (or swiss, or parmesan)
1/2 cup sour cream (or cream cheese)
1 egg, beaten



1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut puff pastry in half. Place on a cookie sheet lined with Silpat or parchment.

2. Cook bacon. Remove from pan, but leave the bacon grease in the pan. Sauté the garlic in the bacon grease for 1 minute, then add mushrooms, reserving about 10 slices to decorate the tart. Add Emeril's Essence. Cook until the mushrooms release all their liquid. Add water as necessary to prevent burning or sticking.

3. Remove from heat and add crumbled bacon, gruyère, and sour cream.** Spread on the puff pastry. Top with reserved mushrooms. Brush the edges with beaten egg and bake for 15-20 minutes.


*Emeril's Essence is my go-to seasoning. I use it on everything!! You can also substitute this with your preferred seasoning.

**You can make the mixture ahead of time and refrigerate. It will keep for a day or two.

Kolaches

Every self-respecting Texan knows that it's impossible to make the drive from Dallas to Austin without stopping in West, Texas at the Czech Stop. For as long as I can remember, my family has always stopped in West to buy dozens of kolaches.

I have to clarify something for y'all: kolaches are sweet bread with fruit, cream cheese, or ricotta cheese filling-- NOT sausage in a roll.

Let's review-- Pigs in a blanket (while still SO delicious, definitely not a kolache):

Kolaches:

Delicious, buttery rolls with a raspberry cream cheese filling and crumble topping-- yum. I adapted this recipe from Saveur Magazine. 

Kolaches

Yields: 16 kolaches

For the Dough

1/2 cup warm water

1 tbsp active dry yeast (1/4 oz. package)

3 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar

4 tbsp butter, softened

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg yolk

3 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup warm milk

For the Crumble

1 tbsp butter, melted

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1. Combine water, yeast, and 1 tsp sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until activated. 

2. Beat butter and remaining 3 tbsp sugar together. Add the egg yolk and salt. Then, add the yeast mixture, flour, and milk. Combine and knead until no longer really sticky. 

3. Grease a bowl and add the dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until doubled. I turned on my oven for 3 minutes, then I turned it off and let the dough rise in there. It was about 140 degrees. 

4. Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat. 

5. Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Pinch them into round mounds, and place them 1/2" apart on the prepared pan. Brush with 1 tbsp of melted butter. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. 

6. Prepare the filling (see below) and the crumble. (To make the crumble, combine the three ingredients until it's crumbly). When the kolaches have risen, press the center of each one down with your fingers. Put 1 tbsp of filling into each and sprinkle the crumble topping on each one. 

7. Bake at 375 degrees fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes. 

Kolache Filling

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 tsp lemon juice

3 tbsp sugar

1 egg yolk

1. Combine all of the ingredients together until completely smooth.

For fruit filling, use jam. I used raspberry jam. 

Boston Cream Pie Donuts

I have a confession to make: I've never actually had Boston Cream Pie. Am I the only one? Where could one even get a Boston Cream Pie? Maybe it's a Northerner thing. Being from Texas, I'm more used to seeing Bluebell and peach cobbler at restaurants.

Does anyone remember the show Arthur? The animated one with the aardvark (A-A-R-D-V-A-R-K)? I remember there was one episode where there was this delicious looking Boston Cream Pie, and ever since then, I've wanted to try it.

Last year, I made Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes. This morning, I decided I wanted Boston Cream Pie, but in donut form.

These are no ordinary donuts. These will leave you wanting another... and another... until you've eaten the whole batch. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Boston Cream Pie Donuts

Yields: 12 donuts (I made 10 + about 12 donut holes)

For the Pastry Cream
1 cup half & half
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla

For the Donuts 
2 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp yeast
3/4 cup warm whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3 tbsp butter, softened
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
Vegetable oil (for frying)

For the Glaze
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp butter

Pastry Cream
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the half & half until simmering. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, salt, and flour.

2. Add about 1/4 cup of the simmering milk to the egg yolk mixture and whisk until it's smooth. Then, while stirring constantly, add the egg mixture to the milk on the stove. Cook until it begins to thicken, then turn heat down to low for about 1 minute. Cook until desired consistency is reached (I wanted mine to me about like yogurt).

3. Pour pastry cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (actually touch the plastic wrap to the top of the pastry cream to prevent it from drying out).

Donuts
4. Mix together the warm water and yeast. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until activated.

5. Pour yeast mixture in the bottom of a stand mixer. Add milk, sugar, salt, egg, butter, and 1 cup of the flour. Mix with a regular paddle attachment for about 2 minutes.

6. Switch to the dough hook and add the remainder of the flour. It should come clean off the sides of the bowl when you've added enough flour.

7. Grease a bowl and put the dough in. Cover with a damp towel. Let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour. (I let mine rise in my oven after turning it on for 3 minutes to warm it up a bit).

8. Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, until it's about 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut into 3" circles. Put on a floured cookie sheet, cover with a damp towel again, and let rise until doubled (about 30 minutes).

9. Heat up your oil until it's 350 degrees fahrenheit. Use a spatula to put 2 donuts at a time in the oil. They take about 45 secs-1 minute on each side. Put on a plate covered with paper towels.

Glaze
10. Combine cream, sugar, and butter and microwave for about 30 seconds. Pour over chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Add more chocolate, sugar, or cream to your taste or desired consistency.

Assembly
Use a chopstick to poke a hole in the side of the donut. Pipe the pastry cream using a piping bag and an open circle tip. Dip the tops in the ganache glaze.