Pre-Ramble: I am going to depart from the insightful and intellectual fare usually found in my blog, to venture into a slightly less rigorous, but no less valuable realm. Today, I would like to share my special chicken pot pie recipe. (I can already hear the wild laughter of family and friends.) While not known for my domestic prowess, I have been known to make an occassional dish that merits a repeat attempt. Actually, at first I was concerned that addressing more home-spun matters like cooking or gardening would diminish the quasi-professional tone I would like to set for my blog. Frankly, once you’ve featured your dog as a guest blogger, there really is no further standard to be violated. What’s more, as Daisy will tell you, a good chicken pot pie is nothing to sniff at.

There are few things in life more welcoming on a cold winter day, than a piping hot, homemade chicken pot pie. Far from the frozen, Banquet, pie-in-a-box variety (first ingredient listed there is glue), this tasty, authentic, and visually appealing dish can be made in twenty minutes from things found in a regular grocery store. You will need the following:

• one fully pre-cooked rotisserie chicken (no scoffing – these are tender, flavorful, and beyond convenient)
• a combination of your favorite fresh veggies - could include broccoli florets, carrots, green beans or snap peas, corn (one small can); dice up a potato and throw it in, if so inclined…
• chicken broth (one 14 oz. can, pop-top preferred)
• butter (@1/2 stick)
• flour (3 heaping tablespoons)
• puff pastry shells (Pepperidge Farm, in the freezer section. Sure, you could make these from scratch, but why would anybody do that?)

Before dishing out prep directions for the pot pie, I need to tell you about a cooking-related incident which occurred in one of the first/only cooking classes I have ever been a party to. We were living in a small town outside Cleveland and my unsuspecting neighbor encouraged me to join her for the “Festive Holiday Favorites” class offered by a local upscale cookware shop. The finale was a complicated, high-brow dessert called croquembouche (best pronounced with a French accent, ”crow come boosh”), a combination of the French words “croque en bouche,” meaning, “crunch in mouth.”  (After the Festive Holiday demonstration, I think the translation for this should be, “pain in ass.”)

The traditional croquembouche (shown above left) is made by lining the inside of a special aluminum funnel with small, cream-filled puffs lacquered together with a powerful carmel coating and surrounded with what looks like mosquito netting, but is actually finely spun sugar flung from a loaded pastry brush. (For a video demonstration of the incredibly tedious croquembouche preparation process, I will set up a link in the very near future.)

Long story short – As the class gathered around to watch the unveiling of the completed masterpiece, the instructor and I ended up in a tug-of-war, failing after several attempts to dislodge the mass of  petrified puffs fused to the inside of the funnel. Fingernails were involved. The golden tower of puffs was reduced to rubble in a matter of minutes. Unruffled, the instructor garnished the tasting platter with a few sprigs of mint and passed the sorry heap of sticky shards around the room. Yum.

Back to the pie: In contrast to the putsy croquembouche, making this chicken pot pie is a piece of cake. Here’s a breakdown of quick and easy steps:

• blanch or steam your cast of veggies; set aside;
• place puff pastry on cookie sheet and slide into preheated oven for 10-15 minutes;
• in small sauce pan, melt butter and stir in flour until you get a mixture the consistency of grits;
• stirring constantly, pour chicken broth into “grits” a little bit at a time, until blended. Stop adding broth when mixture reaches the consistency of gravy; season with fresh ground pepper and a pinch of coarse kosher salt;
• remove white meat from chicken; rip into bite-size pieces and toss into gravy;
• stage cooked pastry shells in individual bowls and artfully arrange a nice selection of veggies in and around shell;
• spoon some chicken/sauce mixture over the veggie-filled shell;
• As a final touch, garnish with something green and leafy;
• Poof! – ready to serve!

The Take-Away: Homemade “comfort food” is just the ticket in times of transition and change. As we weather these winter months, and even chillier economic times, it’s the perfect opportunity to fire up the hearth and prepare a feast for our hungry, stressed-out loved ones. (Ok, maybe feast is over-selling it, but at least this effort doesn’t require obscure ingredients, scads of discretionary time, or some fancy-schmansy funnel.) Pair the dish with a side of field greens and a nice Shiraz and you’ve got a fine little meal!

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