Saturday dinner was a promising menu.
- Chicken Potpie
- Celeriac Mash
- Strawberry Panacotta
How did it turn out? The panacotta was rubbery, like milk Jell-O. Celeriac root mash is no substitute for mashed potatoes. The chicken pot pie, although had a delicious filling, could improve with a higher filling to pie ratio.
Panacotta! After reading numerous claims that it was the easiest dessert to make- boil milk and cream, add unflavored gelatin and that you would have a fool proof Italian dessert – I wanted to try my hand at it. I had some fresh strawberries, which I bought from the farmer’s market in the morning, thinking that this might be a great vehicle to highlight the berries. In my quest, I trudged to the supermarket looking for unflavored gelatin where I searched high and low until I saw little sachets of Knox unflavored gelatin winking at me from the corner of the Jell-O rack. After I got back at home, I boiled 2 cups of milk and cream, added ¼ cup of sugar, heated it all, and finally added the vanilla essence. It was supposed to be simple- add the gelatin, pour in little ramekins, refrigerate for a few hours, and then unmold perfect lovely mounds of creaminess accentuated by macerated strawberries. It all seemed great; I could unmold the panacotta very easily, almost pulling it out with my fingers that seemed eerily easy to me. When I dug my fork eagerly in anticipation, I was so disappointed. The texture of the panacotta was rubbery, almost like a milk Jell-O and even the fresh beautiful strawberries could not rescue the mess. It was time to Google and check proportions. Hah! I had used 2 and half sachets of gelatin for 2 cups of milk and cream; that is actually accurate for 4 cups. I should have used half the amount of gelatin!
Next, celeriac mash. I saw celeriac mash at the farmer’s market. I boiled celeriac mash and potatoes, pepped it with buttermilk and butter. It just did not taste good! I guess, I did not care for the flavor. Nevertheless, I am staying true to my promise to work with seasonal vegetables- if I do not like some; it is not because I did not try.
Chicken pot pie actually turned out well. I recued it from blandness by roasting the chicken and the vegetables, adding mustard, garlic and paprika to the sauce, and using thicken thighs. I do not use chicken stock, which you could instead of water. I just find the flavor of stock too overpowering.
So here goes the recipe.
5-6 chicken thigh pieces boneless
1 cup of mixed vegetables (corn, beans, carrots) – You may increase the proportion
4 tbsp. flour
1 ½ tspn mustard
2 tspn paprika
1 medium white or yellow onion – finely chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
2 cups water
Salt and black pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic finely minced
2 pie crusts ( store bought dough)
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the chicken with kosher salt. Roast chicken and vegetables for around 20 minutes.
2. Tear the chicken to bite size pieces when cool. Mix with vegetables and keep aside.
3. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add garlic.
4. Add flour and sauté for a few minutes.
5. Add paprika and sauté to get a more intense flavor.
6. Add milk bit by bit. Add mustard. Keep sautéing.
7. Add the cream. Add water bit by bit. You can add more liquid if you want to.
8. Add some salt and black pepper. Taste seasoning but wait for final seasoning until you add vegetables and chicken.
9. Keep simmering on low heat until mixture is thick and bubbly. Add chicken and vegetables. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
10. Take a 9” pie dish. Spread a layer of the pie dough on the pan. Add the filling while trying to heap it in the center. Cover with second layer of the dough and crimp the edges. Make some vents on the top for air to escape.
11. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is golden. Cover the sides with aluminum foil after 20 minutes of baking so it does not overcook.
12. Let the pie rest for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.
- Chicken Potpie
- Celeriac Mash
- Strawberry Panacotta
How did it turn out? The panacotta was rubbery, like milk Jell-O. Celeriac root mash is no substitute for mashed potatoes. The chicken pot pie, although had a delicious filling, could improve with a higher filling to pie ratio.
Panacotta! After reading numerous claims that it was the easiest dessert to make- boil milk and cream, add unflavored gelatin and that you would have a fool proof Italian dessert – I wanted to try my hand at it. I had some fresh strawberries, which I bought from the farmer’s market in the morning, thinking that this might be a great vehicle to highlight the berries. In my quest, I trudged to the supermarket looking for unflavored gelatin where I searched high and low until I saw little sachets of Knox unflavored gelatin winking at me from the corner of the Jell-O rack. After I got back at home, I boiled 2 cups of milk and cream, added ¼ cup of sugar, heated it all, and finally added the vanilla essence. It was supposed to be simple- add the gelatin, pour in little ramekins, refrigerate for a few hours, and then unmold perfect lovely mounds of creaminess accentuated by macerated strawberries. It all seemed great; I could unmold the panacotta very easily, almost pulling it out with my fingers that seemed eerily easy to me. When I dug my fork eagerly in anticipation, I was so disappointed. The texture of the panacotta was rubbery, almost like a milk Jell-O and even the fresh beautiful strawberries could not rescue the mess. It was time to Google and check proportions. Hah! I had used 2 and half sachets of gelatin for 2 cups of milk and cream; that is actually accurate for 4 cups. I should have used half the amount of gelatin!
Next, celeriac mash. I saw celeriac mash at the farmer’s market. I boiled celeriac mash and potatoes, pepped it with buttermilk and butter. It just did not taste good! I guess, I did not care for the flavor. Nevertheless, I am staying true to my promise to work with seasonal vegetables- if I do not like some; it is not because I did not try.
Chicken pot pie actually turned out well. I recued it from blandness by roasting the chicken and the vegetables, adding mustard, garlic and paprika to the sauce, and using thicken thighs. I do not use chicken stock, which you could instead of water. I just find the flavor of stock too overpowering.
So here goes the recipe.
5-6 chicken thigh pieces boneless
1 cup of mixed vegetables (corn, beans, carrots) – You may increase the proportion
4 tbsp. flour
1 ½ tspn mustard
2 tspn paprika
1 medium white or yellow onion – finely chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
2 cups water
Salt and black pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic finely minced
2 pie crusts ( store bought dough)
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the chicken with kosher salt. Roast chicken and vegetables for around 20 minutes.
2. Tear the chicken to bite size pieces when cool. Mix with vegetables and keep aside.
3. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add garlic.
4. Add flour and sauté for a few minutes.
5. Add paprika and sauté to get a more intense flavor.
6. Add milk bit by bit. Add mustard. Keep sautéing.
7. Add the cream. Add water bit by bit. You can add more liquid if you want to.
8. Add some salt and black pepper. Taste seasoning but wait for final seasoning until you add vegetables and chicken.
9. Keep simmering on low heat until mixture is thick and bubbly. Add chicken and vegetables. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
10. Take a 9” pie dish. Spread a layer of the pie dough on the pan. Add the filling while trying to heap it in the center. Cover with second layer of the dough and crimp the edges. Make some vents on the top for air to escape.
11. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is golden. Cover the sides with aluminum foil after 20 minutes of baking so it does not overcook.
12. Let the pie rest for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.
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