Move Over Marie

Are you a Costco fan? I secretly yearn for our trips to the warehouse. I love the mundane routine of parking the car, and grabbing the mega-carts, showing our membership card, like a secret shopping club! Once you're in there, the enticement starts with the beautiful plasma tvs that line the first 2 aisles. My best finds at Costco are the great selection of books and delicious fruits. If you ask my family, it's the 12 pack of Marie C*llendar's chicken pot pie. Euw.

But I can't really complain given that I don't know how to make chicken pot pie, or a crust for that matter. That's why I'm friends with Jacqui, she's the crust/crumble/dough maker. I think all that will change since tonight, I've made a chicken pot pie!

There was an article on the September issue of Bon Appetit magazine of restaurants and their family meals prepared before service. It featured Tom Douglas' Dahlia Lounge and chicken pot pie.

The dough is easy to prepare with the food processor (is that cheating?) and the filling is not too bad if you prep the ingredients ahead of time. I used baby portabellas and shiitake mushrooms. Also, once all the vegetables have simmered in the pot for 5 minutes, I added a cup of diced peeled potatoes. I saved tons of time by not roasting my own chicken, but buying one of the juicy rotisserie chicken at my favorite place, the big C. I kept the chicken in big, torn pieces. Lastly, the recipe called for the finished dish in a 9x13, but I ended up putting it in two, an 8x8 and 7x10 glass dishes. It would have been ideal to place it in two 8x8s but where is my other pan? Do you have it? Please give it back.

I am pleased to report that my family loves this dish. Later, Marie.



Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted from Bon Appetit, Sept 2008 issue, by Tom Douglas
8 servings

Crust
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-in cubes
3 tablespoons (or more) ice water
1 egg yolk, whisked to blend with 1 tbsp water (for glaze)

Filling
7 tbsp butter, room temperature, divided
5 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp olive oil
8 oz. assorted fresh wild mushrooms (such as cremini,oyster, shiitake), sliced
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup 1/2- inch cube celery
1 cup 1/2-inch cube peeled carrots
1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
5 cups coarsely chopped or torn roast chicken, skin and bones removed (from 1 large chicken)
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Crust: Blend flour and salt in food processor. Add butter and blend, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 3 tbsp ice water, blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is too dry. Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a rectangle. Wrap in plastic, chill at least 1 hour or 1 day.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, Line baking sheet with parchment. Roll out crust on floured surface to 12x8-inch rectangle. Cut into 8 equal rectangles. Transfer to prepared sheet, spacing apart. Pierce crusts with fork, then brush with egg glaze. Bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Carefully run long sharp knife under crusts. Cool on sheet.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand uncovered at room temperature.

Filling: Mix 5 tbsp butter and flour in small bowl until smooth. Melt 2 tbsp butter wil oil in large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, celery, and carrots; saute until vegetables start to soften and brown, about 10 minutes. Add thyme and garlic, stir 3 minutes. Add wine, boil until almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth, bring to simmer. Add butter-flour mixture, 1 tbsp at a time, whisk until incorporated and mixture boils. Reduce heat. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, cream and parsley, bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then ocver and keep chilled. Rewarm before continuing, adding broth by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is very thick.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Transfer filling to 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Carefully place crust atop filling. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes.