Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

This past weekend the weather was gorgeous, perfect for outdoor events. We spent Friday night grilling several of our nearby neighbors, enjoying wine and a fire. Saturday we went to our friends Phil and Katy's house for German fare, including sausages from Vermer's in Mission, and most notably featuring Phil's excellent Oktoberfest Marzen. His version was clean and not too sweet, and he attributes that style to his omitting any crystal or caramal malt. Good call on his part, because it really turned out well. After dinner we enjoyed yet another bonfire. This was likely the last of many gatherings at their house, as they listed their home for sale just this week. I wish them the best of luck on a quick sale and hope that they find a wonderful home to replace it.

You might think that two late nights would have bought us a little extra time in the morning. You'd be wrong. Harper was up bright and early on both Saturday and Sunday. So by that second morning, after two nights of short sleep, Becky and I were fairly exhausted. Sunday was for housework and yardwork and by evening we both just wanted a nice hot meal. From the options that I threw out Becky chose Chicken Pot Pie. This was a bit surpsing as she always seemed a bit underwhelmed by past versions of this dish, mine and others'. This time she was blown away. Her reasoning was that the crust was better this time, and that overall the dish seemed more complete and balanced. I suspect it was also just plain comforting after a fun but exhausting weekend.

Crust:
1.5 c. flour
1/4 c. yogurt
1 stick cold butter cut into 1/4" cubes
 1/3 c. ice water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Filling:
Meat from one chicken, shredded or cubed, about 3 c.
2 c. chicken stock
3 carrots
3 ribs celery
1/2 large yellow onion
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. frozen pearl onions
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp sherry
1/2 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dry thyme
salt and pepper

Begin by making the dough for the crust:
Cut butter into flour with food processor or the tines of a fork
Add yogurt, salt and sprinkle water evenly across mixture, pulse process or mix until dough comes together
Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until needed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a dutch oven or large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, then saute fresh vegetables until slightly softened, about five minutes, then remove to a bowl
Reduce heat to medium low and immediately add the butter to the pan
Add the flour to the melted butter and stir constantly until the roux turns slightly brown
Whisk chicken stock into the roux, then bring mixture to a boil, raising heat back to medium
Continue to whisk while mixture thickens slightly, about three minutes
Add frozen and fresh vegetables, chicken, parsley, and thyme
Remove from heat
Salt and pepper to taste and add sherry, stirring to incorporate everything well
Pour mixture into 13x9 inch casserole or two standard pie pans

Remove dough and roll to the size of the pan or pans you are using
Cover mixture with rolled dough, tucking any excess into the edges of the mixture
Bake 30 minutes, until crust is golden brown and liquid is bubbling up from the edges
serve hot

Notes on chicken and chicken stock:
Whenever a recipe calls for shredded chicken, large amounts of chicken, or chicken stock, I use the opportunity to make extra stock. So when I make this recipe I first bring 15 c. of water to a boil then add one whole chicken cut up, skin removed, along with the neck and giblets if you have them, plus bay leaves, peppercorns, soy sauce, salt, celery, onion, and carrots. Lower heat to a very low boil and cook for 35 minutes, skimming as necessary, then remove chicken pieces to a plate to cool. Continue to boil stock for another 15 minutes on a low boil. Strain stock to remove all solids. Once the chicken is cooled pull all of the meat off of the bones and shred or chop to desired size. Remove the needed amount of stock and allow the rest to cool. Once cool pour the stock into appropriate containers and refrigerate short term or freeze for longer term storage. I freeze stock in 1-qt sports drink containers, and find that this amount is a commonly desired quantity of stock. I find that one can never have too much chicken stock on hand, and once you use it you will never go back to the canned product unless absolutely necessary.

Chicken Curry Soup

Continuing on the theme of what to eat in September, this is a recipe for chicken curry soup. In the past my efforts with curry soup have struggled to find the right balance of creaminess without becoming too heavy. I think this one nailed it. The easier way to do this is to start with stock and cooked chicken, but I made it from scratch and decided to write it this way

One whole chicken cut into pieces, skin removed

one celery rib, one large carrot, and 1/2 onion for stock

bay leaves and peppercorns for stock

14 cups water

1+ lb small, waxy potatoes, diced

1, one inch piece of ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large carrots, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 rib celery, diced

olive oil
Madras curry powder (mine is Penzey's, labeled as hot)
One can cocunut juice (Jugo de coco, found this at the mexican market actually)
soy sauce
salt
pepper
1 and 1/2 cups uncooked basmati rice
cilantro, basil (thair or, and mint, all thinly sliced
bean sprouts
1 lime cut into eigths
sriracha or other chili sauce if desired

creme fraiche*

*optional, can substitute 1/2 cup of heavy cream, but the recipe for creme fraiche is below

Equipment: two large pots and a blender (traditional or stick/immersion)

I start with a fresh chicken and cut it into pieces, then remove the skin, then add them to the water in a large stockpot
Bring this to a boil, adding the carrot, celery, onion, about 5-10 peppercorns, 2 tbsp soy sauce, and 3 bay leaves
Once at a rolling boil reduce heat to the point of a low boil
Cook at low boil for about 35 minutes
While the chicken and stock are going, make your rice; set aside
Remove chicken to a plate to cool, strain stock discarding everything else
Stock should now be at about 10 cups, if not continue to reduce until it is about 10 cups; if you have reduced too far you can add water, but you can also just use what you have;
In a separate soup pot or large dutch oven, heat about 1.5 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat
Saute one carrot, onion, celery and garlic for about 5 minutes over medium heat, adding garlic for last minute
Add ginger, and sprinkle mixture with a large scoop, about 1.5 tbsp of curry powder
Stir and cook to integrate curry powder with the oil and vegetable mix, about 1-2 minutes
Add the entire can of coconut juice, 2 cups stock, and 1/3 of cooked rice, then blend until completely smooth with immersion blender, or, if using traditional blender, remove from heat and allow to cool before blending
(Note, if you blend this while still warm in a traditional blender be SURE to cover the top with a thick kitchen towel and hold the lid down, as blending hot liquids can cause dangerous blowouts! Seriously, I've had this happen and it is not good!)
Once blended, return to heat and mix in stock, bring mixture back to simmer
Add potatoes and remaining carrot and boil for 20 minutes, or until vegetables reach desired consistency
While vegetables cook, shred your chicken to desired size (i.e. nickel to quarter size) discarding bones
Once vegetables are done, taste mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper
Serve scoops of the remaining rice, and garnish with fresh sliced herbs, bean sprouts, and a wedge of lime, and hot sauce on side

We thought this was great. I did have to dilute mine down a bit more than desired because the original batch was too hot for Harper, who is 1. You may want to tweak the sauce to your own spice level by adding more or less stock to the blended mixture, or by adjusting your use of curry powder and/or sriracha

A word on creme fraiche. I was always very frustrated to see recipes call for this ingredient when it is not widely available here in the US. Well, it is available, but it is costly and somewhat hard to find, though I've recently seen it at one of my local grocery store chains. It's a shame, because it is a really good ingredient and somewhat difficult to substitute for in recipes. It mixes into hot recipes better than its more acidic relative sour cream, and it has more zing and flavor nuance than heavy cream. Here is an easy way to make it:

Heavy Cream - you can just buy any size container of heavy whipping cream at the store, I used a pint. It is advised to avoid those labeled as "ultra-pasteurized" if possible
2 tbsp yogurt or buttermilk - buttermilk is said to be superior for this, but I always have yogurt on hand so I use that instead

Add buttermilk or yogurt to cream in a sufficiently large sealable container like a mason jar or tupperware
Partly cover, but do not seal, and set on countertop or other surface at room temperature
Allow to sit for 16-24 hours at room temperature; I seal it after about 6-8 though just for peace of mind
Refrigerate.

That's it, simple as that. It's actually pretty amazing how easy it is to make a lot of dairy products once you get down to actually doing it

PS - this stuff is probably at its best on fresh fruit like berries with a dust of powder sugar and maybe a drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Enjoy!

PPS - sorry for the poor image, macs have spoiled me for image editing and I've forgotten how to work on the PC

September, September, what to make for dinner...?

I suspect that many of you, like myself, eagerly await fall weather like a kid waiting for Christmas. Of courses we are, most of us anyway, no longer children, and fall isn't Christmas. We don't go to sleep in late summer and wake up to autumn. Instead we must wait out the interminable period of changeover from one to the other. In and of itself this time would seem to be quite nice. The days temps are in the 80s and the nights are cool. But for those of us who are sitting around with a six pack of stout and a pile of chili ingredients it feels like clock-watching. And so I find myself asking (myself) what does one properly cook, and drink, during this in-between period? What should I make that is satisfying enough for the cool evening but not so heavy that you feel disgusting in tomorrow's heat? And then what do I serve to drink with it?

The answer to the second question is probably easier. In terms of beer I have been leaning towards a rotation of oktoberfest and pumpkin beer. As you're probably aware, true Oktoberfest in Munich begins in late September and runs 16 days, only ending on the first weekend of October. That festival is probably best known for its massive beer consumption, and that has lead to just about every brewer in the United States attempting to cash in with their own themed offering. The beers of the true Munich festival are brewed by only six official Munich breweries and are Marzen lagers that must adhere to strict regulations. Here in the US the styles tend to vary a bit more. In my experience they range from awful to quite good, but my favorite so far this year is from Schlafly in St. Louis. Being a St. Louis native I should always champion this hometown micro staple, but that isn't always the case. While I tend to love their draft offerings, particularly at their downtown St. Louis Tap Room bar and restaurant, I don't always love the bottled beers. This is a pleasant exception. It is a fairly heavy style for an Oktoberfest, and it is billed as a Marzen, but this means that it will weather the transition into crisper autumn temperatures well, and that is a plus.

As for the pumpkin beer, I can't decide if it is a guilty pleasure or actually good, but I do like it. The Schlafly version is an imperial and is rather high gravity. Its flavor profile is also fairly heavy or strong. I liked it but found it best in small doses. O'Fallon Brewery makes a somewhat easier drinking style of pumpkin ale. The alcohol is a bit less and the overall effect is a bit more crisp, making it easier to drink two or three. Having tried each I preferred this one, but I thought both were pretty good. I've seen a variety of others on the market but many seem too cartoonish and I'm afraid they'll taste like something you'd find served on a train to Hogwarts.

The still-warm temperatures seem to make beer a better choice, particular for day-drinking. However one thing that excites with the coming of fall is red wine weather. Well, it excites me anyway. In fact, these in-between periods are well-suited for some of my favorite styles of red wine. I'm thinking Pinot Noir, particularly from Burgundy; Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley, and Gamay from Beaujolais. I'll hold off on the Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah for the time being. Or I won't, but for the purposes of a thematic discussion I'll leave them for the cooler weather to come.

Food can be a bit more problematic. I fought off my impulse to make a large pot of chili this weekend, and I'm glad that I did. I'll enjoy it more once the weather is really chili-appropriate. In the meantime we went with a large pot of tuscan bean soup. I started by rehydrating dried red and black beans with a bit of ham and some herbs. Then I added those beans to a jar of roasted tomatoes, two quarts of chicken stock, a can of Cannelini beans, a bit of olive oil, fresh herbs, salt and pepper. All of this was put on a low heat to simmer for a few hours. For the last hour, kale and collard greens from our garden were added. It was an excellent soup and is hearty enough to make well into the winter without being overwhelming now. Top with grated parmesan.

Meal planning remains a challenge at this point. When thinking to the weeks ahead there is some real head-scratching involved. This week calls for rainy days too, making the grill a questionable option. It appears that this is the time to improvise. Summer recipes will make one last appearance before being retired for the season. That last ripe tomato will be put to use in BLTs one more time, and herbs will be gathered for a light thai salad. On cooler days I will roast the squash that are now standing by, or make middle weight pastas.

Before we know it true fall will be upon us, and with it the opportunity to break out the soups and braises and stews, and all of the other wonderful things that home cooks wait so patiently to start making. So, what are you all having to eat and drink on these in-between days and nights?

Introducing... High Standard

I've set out to write a blog, dedicated to the idea that there is a right way to do a thing. Here's a blog to represent the perfectionist, the particular, anyone who as ever been challenged for wanting to have things a certain way; for all of those who don't want to 'go with the flow', for anyone who has ever thought it is maybe better to be called a snob than to just live with it, and ultimately, especially, particularly, for those who have always felt that when there is an easy way to do a thing, and a right way to do a thing, that you should always do it the right way, I give you "High Standard" my blog about the right way to do things. Mostly food, but also probably everything else too.