I first should say that I have been collecting Martha Stewart magazines for 19 years and though my husband would love to see my stacks and stacks recycled... (more room!) and has offered lovingly to use his computer brilliance to scan and store my favorite recipes or projects... I can't seem to part with them . Post-it filled, folded dog-eared pages, food stained and faded, they proudly sit everywhere in my house... (sorry honey)! ^_^
Today's recipe for pumpkin chicken pot pies comes from her 1992 fall issue. (10 post-its in it!) and though the recipe has no pictures (rare!) I think this came out beautifully with a little imagination on my part and by the way... absolutely delicious!
The recipe called for making a thyme infused pate brisee. (Pate brisee is the French version of classic pie or tart pastry.)
Delicious!
Chicken Pot Pie
INGREDIENTS:
6 sugar pumpkins or acorn squash (1 to 2 pounds each)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
6 tablespoon butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups canned chicken broth
8 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
(I did NOT USE that: instead i used 4 potatoes, 3 carrots cubed and some mushrooms.)
8 ounces frozen pearl onions or chopped onions
( I used regular onions 2... i do not like pearl onions)
4 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried leaf sage
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 refrigerated pie crust
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk for egg wash
PREPARATION:
1.Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice tops off pumpkins. Remove seeds and pulp. Sprinkle insides of pumpkins with salt and pepper. Place pumpkins cut side up on a baking sheet. Cover pumpkins tightly with foil. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or just until skin is easily pierced with knife. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
2. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly until well blended, about 1 minute. Add broth and stir constantly until mixture is thick and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add vegetables, onions, chicken and herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and divide mixture evenly among cooled pumpkin shells (approximately 1-1/2 cups per pumpkin).
(I actually did not follow part 2 exactly. I sauteed the onions with some olive oil and added the chicken (chicken thighs boneless) and browned both (about 5 minutes) I then added carrots, potatoes, and the mushrooms... I then added the chicken broth and then the flour and simmered)
3. Unwrap pie dough and place on lightly floured work surface. With a sharp paring knife, cut (12) 6-inch-long, 1/2-inch-wide strips, and roll dough to resemble tendrils. Cut small leaf shapes, and with back of knife, gently press lines into leaf to resemble veins.
4. Use egg wash as glue to attach dough strips, twisting gently to form coils. Attach leaves. Brush all decorations with egg wash. Return pumpkins to oven and bake about 30 minutes, or until pie dough is golden and filling is hot and bubbly.
Thyme Pate Brisee (pie dough)
INGREDIENTS
Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies.
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 Tb of fresh thyme leaves
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
DIRECTIONS
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. Add the thyme.
With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.
*(Pressing the dough into a disc rather than shaping it into a ball allows it to chill faster. This will also make the dough easier to roll out, and if you freeze it, it will thaw more quickly.)
Visit the Martha Stewart
website for more great recipes!!
