Brendas Pot Pie Food

BRENDA'S POT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees 10 min before pies are to go in. Grease 8 individual casseroles. Put the chicken on to cook in a large saucepan with sufficient water to cover. Add in 2 ribs of celery, minced and the onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, and cook till the chicken is done. Remove the fat and strain the stock. Throw away the skin and bones and cut the chicken into large pcs. Heat the butter and stir in the flour. Cook 5 min, stirring constantly. Add in sufficient chicken stock, stirring constantly, to achieve the consistency of the sauce desired. Simmer 5 min, stirring constantly. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Divide the chicken and cooked vegetables equally into 8 individual casseroles. Add in the amount of sauce desired, gently lifting the chicken and vegetables so which the sauce will flow down and around. Mix the egg and lowfat milk together to make an egg wash. Cover each casserole with pastry, brush with the egg wash and puncture the pastry with a fork in several places to allow the steam to escape. Bake at 375 degrees till the crust is golden. Serve piping warm.

BEEF POT PIES

Steps:

• Melt the butter with the olive oil in a heavy pot. Sear the meat over medium-high heat in batches until brown, 4 to 5 minutes; remove to a plate.
• Add the carrots, celery and shallots and saute until the vegetables start to wilt, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the mustard, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the flour and saute for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the wine, beef broth and 1 cup water. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir. Bring to a boil. Return the browned meat to the pot and reduce the heat to low. Add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs, then cover and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons flour with a little water and pour into the stew. Cook and thicken for 10 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry sheets one by one to get rid of the creases. Set a 6- to 8-inch ovensafe skillet upside down on a pastry sheet and cut a circle around it, making it 1/2 inch larger than the dish. Repeat with the remaining 5 skillets using all of the pastry sheets; discard the scraps.
• Put the 6 skillets onto 2 baking sheets and fill the skillets with the cooled beef mixture. Sprinkle over some chopped bacon and 1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley on each.
• Top each skillet with a pastry circle, pressing along the edges to seal. Mix together the egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush each pastry lid with the egg wash. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

BRENDA'S COLORADO POT PIE

Steps:

• On stove top - combine corn, green beans, garlic, onion, potatoes and meat. Bring to a boil until meat is cooked. Add gravy mix and broth. Simmer until mixture thickens for about 30 minutes
• Place one pie crust in a deep dish round pie pan. Add chicken mixture. Cover with second pie crust and fold the edges up over the top.
• Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve warm.