Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie
You simply cannot beat the comfort of a good creamy chicken pie. This rendition uses ham, leeks and, perhaps controversially, capers for a flavour-packed soul-soothing dinner.
This recipe is adapted from Diana Henry's A Bird in the Hand and it's brilliant - the sauce is satisfying thick with notes of mustard, lemon and crème fraîche for punch. You can make this in advance up to the end of step four - just let the filling cool completely then chill in the fridge for up to three days.
Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie
Serves 6-8
60g unsalted butter, plus an extra knob
60g plain flour, plus more to dust
500ml milk (I used almond)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tsp Dijon mustard, plus more to taste
juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
3 tbsp capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
3 tbsp low fat crème fraîche
3 medium leeks, bases removed, cut into rings and washed
450g cooked chicken, torn or cut into pieces
300g puff pastry
2 egg yolks, beaten with 2 tsp milk
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Heat the 60g butter in a saucepan until foaming then add the flour. Stir this over a medium-low heat for a minute. Remove from the heat and start adding the milk a little at a time. Mix well with a wooden spoon to ensure there are no lumps; the mixture must be smooth. Keep adding and stirring until all the milk has been added. Season well with salt and pepper.
Return the pan to the heat and, stirring continuously, bring to the boil. The mixture will thicken considerably. Once it has come to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about three minutes. Stir in the mustard, lemon juice, capers and crème fraîche and taste for seasoning.
Melt the rest of the butter in a frying pan and gently sauté the leeks until soft and starting to colour. If there are lots of juices, increase the heat to reduce them. Add the chicken to the sauce, then bring to the boil, reduce the heat and heat the chicken through. Gently stir in the leeks and taste. You may want to add more lemon juice or mustard at this stage.
Put the mixture into a 25 x 20cm (10 x 8in) pie dish. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out to the thickness of a 50 pence coin. Cut off a strip the same width as the lip of the pie dish. Wet the lip and press this strip on to it. Brush the strip with water and lay the rest of the pastry on top. Press the pastry lid on to the pastry strip, then cut off the excess. Crimp the edges and make three small slits in the pastry (near the middle) to let the steam escape. Brush the top with the egg mixture and put into the oven for 30–40 minutes, or until the pastry is a deep golden colour and puffed up. Serve immediately with veg of your choice.
This recipe is adapted from Diana Henry's A Bird in the Hand and it's brilliant - the sauce is satisfying thick with notes of mustard, lemon and crème fraîche for punch. You can make this in advance up to the end of step four - just let the filling cool completely then chill in the fridge for up to three days.
Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie
Serves 6-860g unsalted butter, plus an extra knob
60g plain flour, plus more to dust
500ml milk (I used almond)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tsp Dijon mustard, plus more to taste
juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
3 tbsp capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
3 tbsp low fat crème fraîche
3 medium leeks, bases removed, cut into rings and washed
450g cooked chicken, torn or cut into pieces
300g puff pastry
2 egg yolks, beaten with 2 tsp milk
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Heat the 60g butter in a saucepan until foaming then add the flour. Stir this over a medium-low heat for a minute. Remove from the heat and start adding the milk a little at a time. Mix well with a wooden spoon to ensure there are no lumps; the mixture must be smooth. Keep adding and stirring until all the milk has been added. Season well with salt and pepper.
Return the pan to the heat and, stirring continuously, bring to the boil. The mixture will thicken considerably. Once it has come to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about three minutes. Stir in the mustard, lemon juice, capers and crème fraîche and taste for seasoning.
Melt the rest of the butter in a frying pan and gently sauté the leeks until soft and starting to colour. If there are lots of juices, increase the heat to reduce them. Add the chicken to the sauce, then bring to the boil, reduce the heat and heat the chicken through. Gently stir in the leeks and taste. You may want to add more lemon juice or mustard at this stage.
Put the mixture into a 25 x 20cm (10 x 8in) pie dish. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out to the thickness of a 50 pence coin. Cut off a strip the same width as the lip of the pie dish. Wet the lip and press this strip on to it. Brush the strip with water and lay the rest of the pastry on top. Press the pastry lid on to the pastry strip, then cut off the excess. Crimp the edges and make three small slits in the pastry (near the middle) to let the steam escape. Brush the top with the egg mixture and put into the oven for 30–40 minutes, or until the pastry is a deep golden colour and puffed up. Serve immediately with veg of your choice.
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