Chicken Potpie

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 Calvados

I had this bottle of calvados sitting on my kitchen counter forever. I use it in my apple bread pudding, which I have made multiple times. http://indianfoodathome.blogspot.com/2011/01/apple-bread-pudding.html


What else could I do with calvados? My dad had a few shots of it, when he was around. Apart from that, there did not seem to be much else. I turned to Dr. Google and discovered Chicken Calvados. A French dish from Normandy, characterized by cooked apples, further reinforced by the apple brandy, and cream. You may use mushrooms. I used bacon, which is not part of the recipe to make it more familiar for the person this was meant to please.

I made the dish on a Saturday, slicing, chopping, sautéing as I sip on my wine. I sautéed the chicken breasts, crisped the bacon and kept it aside. I made the sauce and put the whole dish together just 30 minutes before dinner. I tasted the sauce – it was good. He tasted the sauce – he loved it. It looked decadent: the chicken in the pan, covered by a golden brown creamy sauce and it smelt like bacon, brandy, butter, and creamy.

Just before dinner, I tuned on the burner to warm the dish, and then I went to gather the laundry. I was back in 3 minutes. By then, a catastrophe was awaiting me. The white cream had disappeared; it just evaporated away. The apples were burnt to a cinder. The chicken still looked edible if overly grilled. However, these were chicken breasts, which I am sure would have meant very tough overcooked meat. I was mortified. That was work, ingredients, planning all brought to a naught by minutes of distraction. Lesson learned – stand, watch, do not let chicken calvados out of your sight.



2 chicken beasts - season with salt and pepper
1 granny smith apple peeled, cored and cubed
1 cup of cream
1 clove of garlic- minced
1 strip of bacon (optional)
½  onion
Salt
Black Pepper
¼ cup calvados
1 tbsp. butter

1. Take some oil on a heavy pan and brown the seasoned chicken breasts. I like a darker color because the drippings in the pan will flavor the sauce. Remove the chicken. I like to make gashes in the chicken for the sauce to stick.
2. At this stage crisp the bacon, if you are using any, and set aside.
3. Add the onions, saute till brown and  add the apple. Add the garlic.
4. Sauté until apples are slightly golden.
5. Add the calvados. I cook this down till thick and this should take around 4 minutes.
6. Add cream and seasoning. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
7. Add chicken. Cover and simmer gently for a few minutes.
8. Garnish with parsley and add bacon.

Jamaican jerk chicken with Pineapple salsa

Mix the following together and refrigerate overnight for the flavors to meld.

½ cup of pineapple finely diced
Salt
Mint leaves
Coriander leaves

I bought jerk seasoning from Jamaica, which was in the form of a marinade. I took two chicken breasts, made deep incisions all over them, and marinated them overnight. The next day, I heated my grill to medium, and grilled the breasts after salting them until I got a brown crust on both sides. I served the chicken with the salsa to cool the fiery flavors of the jerk seasoning.

Buttermilk Roasted Chicken

This was my first attempt at roasting chicken. I looked at this recipe which looked fairly foolproof.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2012/01/buttermilk-roast-chicken/

Marinade

Marinate 6 chicken drumsticks for at least 24 hours in the following marinade. Throw the chicken together with the marinade in a Ziploc bag.
2 cups buttermilk
5 cloves of garlic
2 Tspn salt
Loads of black pepper
1 Tspn cayenne pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Throw the chicken in a baking dish and bake for 30 almost minutes when the chicken starts browning.

Mix some salt and pepper in some olive oil.

Crank up the heat to broiler. Now line a baking sheet with foil and put the chicken pieces on top after basting with oil and salt mixture. Watch the chicken closely. When you get the desired crispiness take it out. I turn it over a few times.