Chef Johns Face Pie Food

CHEF JOHN'S PECAN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll pie dough in a 9 1/2-inch glass pie dish and crimp the edges. Cover dough in parchment paper and press paper down to line the dough; pour pie weights on top of the parchment paper and spread evenly over the bottom.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove parchment paper and pie weights to a bowl. Bake crust until lightly golden and set, about 10 minutes more.
• Spread pecans out on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven until lightly toasted, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Stir brown sugar, butter, white sugar, corn syrup, flour, milk, bourbon, vanilla extract, and salt together in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Slowly drizzle sugar mixture into eggs, whisking constantly.
• Spread pecans out in the bottom of the crust. Pour sugar mixture over nuts and gently stir with a spatula to coat all of the nuts.
• Bake pie in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown and pie is set, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely.

CHEF JOHN'S FISHERMAN'S PIE

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of salted water and to a boil; add russet potatoes to boiling water and cook until very tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well. Mash in 3 tablespoons butter until thoroughly combined. Season with nutmeg, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Mash 1/2 cup milk into potato mixture until smooth.
• Drizzle olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add spinach, and season with a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach has wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl lined with paper towels to wick away excess moisture.
• Heat 3 tablespoons butter and flour in a saucepan over medium heat; whisk mixture to a smooth paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture has a nutty smell and is slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add chopped garlic; whisk until fragrant, 10 to 20 seconds.
• Whisk 1 cup cold milk into flour mixture; cook until thickened. Whisk in remaining 1 cup milk and lemon zest. Bring white sauce to a gentle simmer, whisking constantly; season with salt. Turn heat to very low and keep sauce warm.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease an 8x12-inch casserole dish with 1 tablespoon butter.
• Season buttered pan with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Lay boneless cod fillets into the pan in a single layer. Season tops of fillets with more salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Spread spinach evenly over fish and drizzle with lemon juice. Spoon white sauce over spinach; give casserole dish several taps and shakes to eliminate bubbles.
• Drop mashed potatoes by heaping spoonfuls over the casserole and spread smoothly to cover. Place dish onto a rimmed baking sheet to catch spills.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, about 40 minutes. Turn on oven's broiler and broil until potato crust has a golden brown top, about 2 minutes. Fish should flake easily. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with a sprinkle of chives.

CHICKEN PAN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and salt. Cook, stirring, until onions start to soften, and the edges begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken, and cook, stirring, until the chicken loses its pink color, and starts to brown in spots, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour over top, then cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Pour in the broth and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula. Stir in carrots, celery, black pepper, and cayenne.
• Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it's as thick as you want, 5 to 10 minutes. For a thick, sticky filling once baked, reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. For a saucier filling, don't reduce the mixture at all.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the peas and thyme. Taste for seasoning and reserve until needed.
• Roll out pie or pastry dough to form a circle about 14 inches in diameter.
• Fold over 1/2 inch of dough all the way around, and then crimp the edge to make a decorative scalloped design. Cut or punch out a 1-inch hole in the center of the dough.
• Place the pan on top of a sheet pan in case filling bubbles over in the oven. Carefully place the dough over the filling, and adjust until it's centered. Press the crust lightly into the filling. Brush the top with an egg wash if desired.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is browned and filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB CUSTARD PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place rolled-out pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate and set on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Combine rhubarb and strawberries in a bowl; transfer to the pie crust, distributing evenly.
• Whisk eggs, sugar, milk, flour, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Slowly pour filling over rhubarb mixture until it just reaches the top edge of the crust. Scatter diced butter evenly over the top of the filling. Lightly tap and shake the baking sheet to remove any air bubbles.
• Transfer pie to the preheated oven and bake, turning halfway through, until rhubarb is tender and custard is set, about 1 hour.
• Mix strawberry jam and water in a small bowl; heat in the microwave until warm, about 15 seconds. Glaze the top of the pie with the jam mixture and let cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

CHEF JOHN'S FACE PIE

Steps:

• Place flour, salt, and frozen butter slices in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off until butter is about the size of peas, about 30 seconds. Stir vinegar into water; drizzle over the flour mixture. Pulse on and off until mixture is crumbly and holds together when you pinch a piece off, about 10 seconds. Drizzle in another teaspoon of water if dough can't be pressed together.
• Transfer mixture to a work surface. Press it together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
• Mix salt, pepper, thyme, sage, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mustard, cloves, and cayenne together in a small bowl.
• Place potato quarters in a saucepan; cover with cold water. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat. Simmer until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Scoop out potatoes and transfer to a bowl; save cooking liquid. Mash potatoes with a potato masher while still hot.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook and stir until onions turn golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in spice blend, garlic, and celery. Stir until evenly coated with the spices, about 30 seconds. Add beef and pork. Ladle about 3/4 cup of the reserved potato cooking liquid into the skillet.
• Cook and stir until meat is browned and has a very fine, paste-like texture. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 45 minutes. Stir in mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a pie plate upside-down onto the parchment. Trace the rim to make the circular area for the face.
• Divide chilled dough into 2 pieces, one slightly larger than the other.
• Keep the smaller piece of dough chilled while working with the large piece. Tear off dough to make the brow ridge and roll it into a thick log slightly shorter than the diameter of the circle. Place it near the top of the circle, below the forehead region. Form a pyramid with a triangular base and place it about 1 1/2 inches below the brow bone.
• Roll 2 smaller pieces of dough into strips for the lips. Roll 2 more for the cheekbones. Form lumps for the eyes and place them above the cheekbones. Shape a small lump into the cleft above the lip. Refrigerate the rest of the dough and freeze facial features until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Shape remaining dough into a disc and roll out until 1/8 inch thick. Center the skin over the facial features. Use fingertips to carefully contour the skin to the facial features and smooth out the edges. Dip fingers in water as needed. Refrigerate for a few minutes whenever the dough gets too warm.
• Poke nostrils into the base of the nose using a chopstick. Carve out a pupil-sized amount of dough from one eye. Draw 2 horizontal slits across the center of the other eye. Freeze face until firm enough to slide off the parchment, about 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Roll the smaller piece of dough into a circle large enough to line a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with a slight overhang. Fill crust with the meat mixture; smooth out the surface.
• Remove face from the freezer and place on top of the pie. Let thaw until edges are flexible enough to shape, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk egg and water together to make egg wash.
• Press top crust lightly around the edges to seal, tucking in the edges as needed. Trim excess dough from the crust. Part lips slightly. Stick grape half into the open eye. Use trimmings to make the eyelid and socket and stick them around the grape. Cut some shallow lines into the lips. Make additional tweaks to the facial features if desired.
• Brush entire pie with egg wash. Mix remaining egg wash with a drop of food coloring for a slightly pink hue; lightly dab over the eye sockets and cheeks. Add one big drop of food coloring to the egg wash to color the eyes, nose, and lips a deeper shade of red. Crimp the edges of the pie with a fork. Place pie dish on a baking sheet and loosely tent with aluminum foil.
• Place in the preheated oven. Bake until well browned, about 1 hour. Place on a rack and cool to almost room temperature before serving.