heirloom recipes

The key to my chicken pot pie recipe is having crust on the top and bottom—and getting that bottom crust browned and crisp before it gets soaked with sauce.

Chicken Pot Pie (without Soggy Crust on the Bottom!)

sugar

table salt

water

(2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice

all-purpose flour,

Flaky butter crust (from above)

canola or other neutral oil

yellow onions, diced

carrots,

celery ribs,

thyme

sage leaves

rosemary

bay leaves

salt and black pepper

chicken stock broth

chickens,

unsalted butter

all-purpose flour

heavy cream

baby peas (2 cups)

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar and salt in the water. Refrigerate until very cold, about 30 minutes. During that time, refrigerate your butter, flour, mixer bowl, and paddle, too.

Make sure your butter’s cut into 1/2-inch dice. Bigger pieces will make your dough puffy. In the chilled bowl, combine the cold butter and flour. With your hands, toss the butter in the flour until each cube is lightly coated.

With the chilled paddle, beat the flour-butter mixture on low speed to just break up the butter, about 30 seconds. Add the water mixture all at once and raise the speed to medium-low. Beat just until the dough comes together in big chunks, then immediately turn off the mixer.

Divide the chunks of dough in half and very gently pat each group into a round 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour, before rolling. You can refrigerate the disks for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 3 months.

For the flaky butter crust: 

To make the pie crust: Divide each disc of dough into 4 pieces (so that you have 8 total), flatten each piece into a disk, and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes.

Place one oven rack near the top of the oven and one near the bottom. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Roll each disk into 1/8-inch-thick round (they don't have to be perfect circles). Transfer to parchment paper–lined half sheet pans. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the water. Brush the egg wash over all the dough rounds. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes, switching the positions of the pans halfway through baking. Transfer the pans to wire racks and let cool completely.

To make the filling: In an extra large Dutch oven or a stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, thyme, sage, rosemary, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Add all the chicken pieces, return to a boil, then lower to heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cover and cook until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes. Begin checking the chicken after 15 minutes; pull pieces out and transfer to a large platter as they’re finished. Smaller pieces, like the wings, will be done first.

Strain the stock through a sieve, reserving the vegetables and stock separately, but removing and discarding the herbs. Keep the broth hot.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin and bones and pull the meat into bite-size pieces.

In a very large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Whisk in the hot stock and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Continue cooking until the sauce has the consistency of heavy cream, then stir in the heavy cream. Bring to a boil again, then stir in the chicken pieces and vegetables until well coated. When the filling is hot, stir in the peas. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Break each pastry round to form two half-moons and place one in the bottom of each serving dish. Divide the chicken filling among the dishes and top with the other half of pastry. Serve immediately.

For the pot pies: 

This cranberry horseradish relish recipe&#39;s infamy might come from the strange ingredients—raw onion, cranberries, and sour cream, frozen and partially-thawed.

Mama Stamberg&#39;s Cranberry Relish

whole raw cranberries, washed

onion

sour cream

horseradish

Grind the raw berries and onion together. ("I use an old-fashioned meat grinder," says Stamberg. "I'm sure there's a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind—not a purée.")

Add the ground berries and onions to a bowl; then add everything else and mix. 

Put the mixture in a plastic container and freeze. 

Early Thanksgiving morning, move it from the freezer to refrigerator compartment to thaw. ("It should still have some icy slivers left.")

The relish will be thick, creamy, and shockingly pink. ("OK, Pepto Bismol pink. It has a tangy taste that cuts through and perks up the turkey and gravy. It's also good on next-day turkey sandwiches, or with roast beef.")

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/mCeFb2zg.mp4

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