Mini Chicken Pies

Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: "Empadas de Galinha"

1 recipe “Basic Pie Dough”

½ chicken cut in pieces

2 onions (1+1)

1 clove garlic

1 bay leaf

2 carrots

½ cup peas

¼ cup white wine

2 tbsp butter

1 ½ tbsp. flour

½ cup milk + enough to brush pies

2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp olive oil

Prepare the “Basic Pie Dough” as indicated (click on link or search blog files), and let it rest in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
Place the chicken, 1 onion cut in quarters, garlic, bay leaf, wine, carrots and peas in a pot and cover with water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place on high heat and when it starts to boil lower the heat and let it cook for about 15 minutes or until chicken and vegetables are cooked through. Remove chicken to one side and carrots and peas to another and let cool. Measure ½ cup of the stock to use in the béchamel. Save remaining stock in the refrigerator to use as a base for soup.

When chicken is cold enough to handle, remove from bones and cut meat in small pieces. Discard bones and skin. Dice carrots. Prepare the béchamel: Place butter and olive oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 diced onion and parsley and stir fry until onion becomes transparent. Stir in flour. It will thicken quickly so keep stirring. Add milk and ½ cup of stock where chicken was cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring constantly until thick and creamy.

Add chicken, carrots and peas and mix well. Remove from heat and set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 210ºC.

Roll out dough and cut in circles so they fit the muffin tins. Cut smaller ones for lids. Line muffin tins with larger circles.

Place spoonfuls of chicken filling in lined tins, top with lids and seal tightly so filling doesn’t escape during baking. The edges can be decorated in many ways. Here are some suggestions:

flatten with a fork to create dents

with a spoon create waves

with index finger and thumb from one hand and index finger of the other pinch edges to create a crimped edge

or just leave it simple

Brush tops with milk and with the tip of a knife or using a fork make a few holes in the lid so the steam can escape during baking. Place in the oven for about 25 minutes until golden. 

Great! If you’ve made it up to here then you deserve to rest. Relax in your favourite chair with a couple mini-pies and a glass of “Lemonade” or better yet, because  you really deserve it, a glass of "Sangria with Sparkling Wine and Berries"! Enjoy!

Bacon and Spinach Quiche

Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: “Quiche de Bacon e Espinafres”

1 recipe “Basic Pie Dough" (click on link or check blog archive) with changes indicated below

2 garlic cloves, minced

Olive oil

100g bacon

150g mushrooms, sliced

3 handfuls spinach leaves

100g mascarpone cheese

4 eggs

200ml heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp dried oregano (divided 1+1)

Pre-heat oven to 180ºC.

Prepare “Basic Pie Dough" without adding sugar. Instead, add ¼ tsp pepper and 1 tbsp oregano. Prepare as described, roll out the dough and place in a springform pan. Poke a few holes with a fork, place a sheet of parchment paper and fill with weights or beans (refer to “Biscuit Pastry” where I give a more detailed description of this procedure called blind baking). Place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.

In a small pan drizzle some olive oil and add the garlic. As soon as it starts to sizzle add bacon and stir-fry until golden. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, cover and let them sweat for about 5 minutes. Add the spinach, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Place the cheese in a bowl and beat until fluffy. Gradually beat in the heavy cream. Add eggs, season with salt, pepper and oregano and mix well. Spread the mushroom mixture onto the cooked crust and then pour the egg and cream mixture. Place in the oven for 30 minutes until golden.

Chicken and Vegetable Pie

 Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: “Bolo de Frango com Vegetais”

Dough:

2 cups milk

2 cups flour

2 tsp cornstarch

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp tarragon

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Filling:

1 chicken breast, cooked and diced

½ cup/50g peas, cooked

¼ cup/25g corn, cooked

¼ cup/25g carrots, cooked and diced

200g ricotta cheese, broken into small pieces

½ cup/50g olives, pitted

Place all the ingredients for the dough in the thermomix bowl and set 15sec/speed 4. Set aside.

In another bowl mix all the ingredients for the filling.

Pour half of the dough in a rectangular greased pan. Spread the filling over the dough and then pour the remaining dough over the vegetable filling. Place in a pre-heated oven at 180ºC for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.

Lemon Pie

 Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: “Tarte de Limão”

Crust:

1 recipe “Biscuit Pastry” (click on link or check blog archive)

Filling:

150ml/¾ cup lemon juice, about 3 lemons

300g/1 ⅓ cups sugar

250ml/1 ¼ cups heavy cream

8 eggs (separate 1 egg white to brush crust)

Crust:

Prepare “Biscuit Pastry” as indicated. After removing the beans, brush the crust with the egg white. It will create a protective seal to keep the crust crispy when the filling is added. Place it back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove, and lower the heat to 130ºC.

Filling:

Place all the ingredients into a pan on low heat mixing constantly just until it heats without boiling. Pour the filling onto the crust through a sieve and place in the oven for 35 minutes. Cool completely before removing from pan.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: “Tarte de Limão e Merengue”

Crust:

One “Biscuit Pastry” recipe (click on link or check blog archive)

Filling:

1 ¼ cups/250g sugar

8 tbsp/60g cornstarch

½ tsp salt

2 cups/430g water

4 egg yolks

1 tbsp lemon zest

½ cup/110g lemon juice

3 tbsp/45g butter

Meringue:

4 egg whites

¼ cup/50g sugar

Pre-heat oven to 180ºC.

Crust:

Prepare crust as indicated in the "Biscuit Pastry" recipe.

Filling:

Place all ingredients for filling into thermomix bowl and set 10min/90º/speed 4. Let cool covered with plastic film.

Meringue:

Beat egg whites. When foamy, add sugar and continue beating until thick but not hard.

Pour filling onto crust and spread meringue. Begin at the edges and work your way to the center spreading meringue evenly. Be sure to seal meringue against crust. This way it will hold its place and not shrink. With the back of a spoon create small peaks in the merengue. Place in the oven for about 6 minutes until meringue is golden.

Apple Pie with Pecan Crumble

 Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: “Tarte de Maçã com Crumble de Nozes Pecan”

This recipe is enough for two crusts, but only one is used for the pie. Freeze the other until you need it, then thaw for about 30 minutes before using.

Spicy Pie Crust:

3 ⅔ cups/550g flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
½ tsp nutmeg
¾ cup/180g butter, cut into pieces
¾ cup/160g lard
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsp cold water

Pie Filling:
6 to 7 cups apples, peeled and sliced (about 8 apples)
juice of ½ lemon
½ cup/110g sugar
¼ cup/40g flour
¼ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

Crumble Topping:
½ cup/120g butter
½ cup/80g flour
1 cup packed/200g brown sugar
½ cup/60g oats
¼ tsp salt
½ cup pecans, chopped

Pie crust: 

Mix the flour, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the butter and lard. Work the butter and lard into the flour using a pastry cutter or rub it between your fingertips until the mixture resembles thick breadcrumbs. Add the white vinegar, egg and water and stir until just combined. Form 2 equal-sized balls. Place each in a large plastic bag and slightly flatten them. After flattening, seal the bag tightly. Place in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to chill.

Preheat oven to 180ºC.

Remove 1 bag of dough from the freezer (save the other for another day), remove the dough from the bag and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough starting at the center and working outward. Be gentle and patient; it'll take a little time to get the dough completely rolled out. If you think the bottom is really sticking to the surface below while rolling, use a metal spatula to loosen it. When fully rolled out, loosen again with a spatula and lift the pie crust into a 9-inch/23-centimeters diameter pie pan. Gently press the dough against the sides of the pan and tear off any excess dough. Crimp the edges.

Pie filling:

In a bowl, mix the apples, lemon juice, sugar, flour and salt. Set aside.

Crumble topping:

Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, or rub it between your fingertips, then add in brown sugar, oats and salt.

Place the apples in pie shell and top with crumble. 

Bake for 40 minutes, sprinkle the chopped pecans over the pie, then bake for a further 15 minutes.

Hidden Steak in Puff Pastry

Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: “Bife Escondido em Massa Folhada”

300g sirloin steak

1 sheet puff pastry

Mustard

200g fresh mushrooms, sliced

A drizzle olive oil

1 tbsp butter

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 tbsp port/madeira wine or sherry

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg

Season steaks with salt and pepper. Into a hot frying pan drizzle the olive oil and place the steaks. Seal for no more than 2 minutes on each side and remove from pan. They should have a nice brown colour. Spread mustard over steaks and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 180ºC. In the same frying pan where steak was sealed, place butter and garlic. When butter has melted add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes and add wine. Cook for a further 3 minutes and remove from heat. 

Spread the puff pastry and in the middle place strained mushrooms. Lay the steak on top and fold pastry into a parcel being sure to seal all ends and to leave the seams on the bottom. Make a few diagonal marks with the back of the knife and brush with beaten egg. Make sure not to cut into pastry when making the marks. Place in the oven for 20 minutes until pastry is golden coloured.

Mushroom and Ham Quiche

Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: “Quiche com Cogumelos e Fiambre”

1 batch of “Basic Pie Dough” (click here or check the blog archive for recipe) with a few changes – see below

150g mushrooms, sliced

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

1/4 cup “Porto” or “Madeira” Wine or Sherry

100g ham cut up in small pieces

100g grated cheese

1/4 red pepper, chopped

4 eggs

200ml heavy cream

Parsley, chopped

Olive oil, a drizzle

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp dried oregano

Pre-heat oven to 180ºC.

Prepare “Basic Pie Dough” recipe omitting sugar and adding ¼ tsp pepper and 1 tbsp dried oregano. Prepare the dough, roll it out and place in a loose-bottomed fluted pie pan. Blind-bake the shell: prick base lightly with a fork, line with parchment paper and place dried beans on top (refer to “Biscuit Pastry” where this procedure is explained in more detail). Bake for 15 minutes, remove the beans and parchment paper and set aside to cool. 

In a small pan drizzle a little olive oil and add the garlic. As soon as it starts to sizzle, add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, cover and let cook for 5 minutes. Add the wine, stir and cook uncovered for a further 5 minutes. In a small bowl place the eggs and cream, season with salt and pepper and mix well. 

Strain the mushrooms and spread over the pre-cooked crust. Add the ham, pepper, cheese and parsley. Pour in the egg and cream mixture and bake for 25 minutes or until firm and golden.