Creamy Chicken and Leek Pie

Introduction

This can really be put together in a ridiculously short amount of time. A roast chicken – shredded, saute the leeks and really any other vegetable you might fancy, allowing the leeks to soften and enhance the sauce with their incredible sweet silkiness.

This is a basic recipe to which I wholeheartedly encourage you to play with…add some boiled baby carrots/peas/baby spinach/boiled eggs….whatever you might enjoy….but my only suggestion would be to have the additional ingredients, cooked and seasoned so they don’t dilute the flavour of the pie. I usually say 1 chicken between four hungry individuals, however, I usually buy 2/3 chickens to have this on standby ….either for you to order through our

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or for my constantly STAaaaRVING children.

Yes, they need to wait for it to bake, which from frozen takes around 1 hour, but hey, every so often, I astound myself and think ahead, take it out the freezer in the morning and then bake it (around 30mins) while I make the salad.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbls butter
  • 1 Tbls olive oil
  • 200 g leeks, sliced into rounds
  • 125 ml dry white wine (optional) you could use vegetable or chicken stock
  • 250 ml cream
  • 1 large free-range rotisserie chicken
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • dill/parsley/basil ….any soft herbs if you have
  • 500 g good-quality puff pastry – they are now sold in sheets, making them even easier
  • 1 free-range egg, beaten

Cooking Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Heat half the canola oil in a pan over a high heat and sauté the mushrooms in two batches, using the remaining canola oil for the second batch. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat the butter in the same pan. Sauté the leeks until soft, return the mushrooms to the pan and add the white wine. Reduce the wine by half, then add the cream and stir to combine.

Tear large pieces of the rotisserie chicken into the cream sauce. Season to taste and stir gently, taking care not to break the chicken into smaller pieces.

Transfer the filling to a large pie or ovenproof dish and cover with the puff pastry. You can freeze it at this stage….or brush with the beaten egg and to bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry has risen and is golden.

Cook’s note:

Store bought puff is perfectly fabulous if it’s all butter, it will certainly make a difference.

Also, don’t roll it too thin…try and keep it the thickness it is…this way you should get a lovely puff!

Fudge, Glorious Fudge

Introduction

I’ve never ‘ lurved’ the more traditional fudge.

I’ve always found it too sweet and have not been crazy about the grainy texture. The glorious addition of chocolate was a revelation!

I worked with the wonderful Carol Brough at @Baker&Spice in London many moons ago. She had received all her training in Patisserie @Claridges and came with a full bag of tricks and incredible recipes. Adding the chocolate to the fudge, transforms the texture and flavor completely, throwing in flavors can be all sorts of fun…think rum soaked raisins, pistachios, dried figs, sour cherry and almond slivers…..any number of options and variations, you are limited but by your mind!

The chocolate can be interchanged depending on your taste. We’ve also made a delightful, coffee, walnut and vanilla fudge- adding espresso powder to the cooking sugar syrup, allowing the flavours to develop beautifully. I’ve gone into detail here regarding the laymans method to tempering, it is worth it and does make a beautiful difference to the finished product.

As for most confectionary …..the sugar thermometer is your friend to make it all much easier, so well worth adding to your collection.

Ingredients

  • 600g broccoli
  • 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes – sliced ( the redder the better) or semi dried tomatoes ( Ina Paarmans are delicious)
  • 2 Tbls lovely olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove crushed, to a mushy paste
  • Salt and pepper
  • 80g feta, I prefer the creaminess of Danish, but either works

Method

Trim off the leaves from the sprouting broccoli. If you are using regular broccoli the stems are thick, cut them into two or four length-ways, so you are left with long, thin stems that are similar in proportion to the french beans if using
Bring a medium pot of unsalted water to a boil. Blanch the beans for 3 mins, until just tender but still crunchy. Use a slotted spoon to lift out the beans, run them under plenty of cold water to refresh, then dry in a tea towel. Once all the vegetables are cooked and dry, mix them in a bowl with the oil.

Toss the tomatoes together with the beans, season with the mushed garlic, salt and pepper

serve at room temperature ….enjoy !

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Best Custard Slice Ever

The Recipe

This custard recipe is known as a Creme Patisserie or Creme pat. The gorgeous texture and flavour enable it to be used as a base for a Chantilly cream ( just add whipped cream and whisk till lump free) or piped and baked in a Portuguese tart kinda way, or as I adore, as a filling for the best ever custard slice.

My sisters and mother helped me perfect the custard slice, adding the apricot jam ( sister) and the berries ( mother ), but it really is something you can have fun with and put together – provided you bake the pastry and make the custard the day before – in a matter of 20 mins.

There are, as with most delicious recipes a few points to bear in mind to ensure a result that might make you squeal with delight if you’ve previously suffered with a dissapointing result

It is important to make it the day before, allowing enough time to have the whole mixture cool down.

It is also very important that the paste you make with the egg yolks, corn flour, flour and sugar is made quickly not allowing the sugar to make contact with the yolks for too long. This ‘burns’ the eggs and will result in tiny annoying ‘bits’.

Please let me know if you have any questions on this or any other baking/cooking matter.

I would also love to know if this recipe was of any use to you.