Chicken Potpie

I was paging through the Williams-Sonoma cookbook Comfort Food, and I have to say that the recipes took me back about 50 years.  When I was a kid, we had Swanson's frozen chicken potpies, and I fed my kids Marie Callender's.  Since I was never a fan of peas, I'd pick them out.  So when I decided to try this recipe, I substituted diced sugar snap peas for the peas, and I omitted the leeks.  Otherwise, it was a very familiar tasting recipe.  We all loved the crust (always the best part), breaking it up and mixing it in with the filling.  But our palates have changed, and these just seemed sort of ho-hum.  I think I'll do some experimenting with something more flavorful and I'll get back to you later to show you how it turns out.

CHICKEN POTPIE

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/2 lb baby bella mushrooms
1/2 cup finely diced carrots
1/2 cup diced sugar snap peas
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon All-purpose flour
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon dried tarragon or 2 teaspoons fresh tarragon
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken (you can use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Double-crust flaky pastry dough (recipe below)
1 large egg

To make the sauce and vegetables, in a large frying pan, melt 1 Tablespoon of the butter over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 6 minutes.

Stir in the carrots and snap peas, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peas are tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the chicken to it.

In a large saucepan, melt the remaining 5 Tablespoons butter over medium-low heat.  Whisk in the flour and let bubble gently for 1 minute (to get rid of the raw taste of the flour).

Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and wine and then the tarragon.

Bring to a boil, whisking frequently.

Pour it over the chicken and vegetables and season with salt and pepper.

Let cool until lukewarm, about 1 hour.

DOUBLE-CRUST FLAKY PASTRY DOUGH

2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in slices and chilled
3 Tablespoons vegetable shortening, in pieces and chilled
1/4 cup ice water
1/4 cup cold vodka

In a Cuisinart, mix together the flour and salt for about 5 seconds.  Add the butter and shortening pieces and process 5 seconds.  Pour the ice water and vodka over it and process another 8 seconds.  It should look like moist clumps.  Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a disk (some flat flakes of butter should be visible), wrap in the plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Spoon the chicken mixture into six 1 1/2-cup ovenproof soup crocks or ramekins.  [Note:  we found this a very generous serving, and next time I plan to use 1-cup containers.]

Place the unwrapped dough on a lightly floured work surface and dust the top with flour.  (If the dough is chilled hard, let it stand at room temperature for a few minutes until it begins to soften before rolling it out.)  Roll it out into a rectangle about 20 by 13 inches and 1/8 inch thick.  Using a 6-inch saucer as a template, use a knife to cut out 6 rounds.  [You will notice that I cut them into squares and draped the corners over the edge of the ramekin...why waste good pie crust?]

Beat the egg with a pinch of salt.  Lightly brush each round with the egg.  Place 1 round, egg side down, over each ramekin, keeping the pastry taut and pressing it around the edges to adhere.  Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.  Lightly brush the tops with the egg.  Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Transfer each ramekin to a dinner plate and serve.