Piece of pie

Pies and pies. I decided to make a chicken pie and then as dessert I'd decided that I wanted to make a recipe I saw a couple of weeks ago. Ok, so it meant pie followed by pie but actually, if you ask yourself, what is wrong with having pie then pie? After all, one is savoury, the other sweet and in my defence they both had different pastries.

So the savoury pie was chicken, tarragon and mushroom with (shocker) shop bought puff pastry. I've still to make puff pastry, even rough puff. But this wasn't the time (aka cba).

I made a chicken and tarragon pie twice last year but can't remember which recipe I used so I decided to make Jamie's 30 minute chicken pie and add tarragon.

I used to detest tarragon until about two years ago. It's an odd flavour and probably one a lot of people don't like, but this pie can easily be made with another herb or non at all. So here goes with my slightly adapted recipe:

One pack puff pastry

Four chicken breasts

One onion, chopped

One pack chestnut mushrooms, chopped 

1 tbsp flour

2 tbsp creme fraiche

2 tsp English mustard

250 ml chicken stock

Half pack of fresh tarragon

Egg for glazing

Preheat the oven to 200/180 fan

Chop the chicken into chunks and fry with the onions for a few minutes until sealed. Add the mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the flour then the creme fraiche, mustard and chicken stock. Finally add the tarragon.

Roll out the pastry to cover the dish you're using. I used a rectangular dish approx 30 x 15. Pour in the pie mix, top with the pastry crimping the edges and brush with egg wash. Cook for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

I did get some leakage into my oven from the pie so best to put the dish on a tray.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos. But it did look yummy, take my word!

So the second pie was a flaky pastry toffee apple pie (links are at the bottom) 

The pastry recipe is in the link and made a lovely buttery flaky pastry, a pastry I've never made before. For the pie, a really easy pie, you just need to make a toffee, add some sliced apples, cover and bake.

150g butter

75g light muscovado sugar 

475g apples (I used bramley)

1 egg to glaze

I didn't have any light muscovado sugar in so used half Demerara and half dark brown soft sugar. 

Melt the butter and sugar together gently until it makes a thick toffee then leave to cool while you slice the apples.

Decore, peel and slice the apples.

Roll out half of your pastry and line the tin/dish. I used a ceramic pie dish which I thinks about 25cm diameter. Scatter in the apples, they don't need to be in a pattern. Pour over the toffee. Roll out the second half of your pastry and cover the top, crimping the edges and glaze with egg wash. Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown. Serve with custard (yuck) or cream (heaven)

http://www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk/2013/10/flaky-pastry-toffee-apple-pie.html

 http://www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk/2013/10/flaky-pastry.html