Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping

I've made chicken pot pie a few times, so I thought this time I would try it with biscuit on top, instead of dough. I used my same trusty filling recipe (because I think it's really good). I liked it with biscuits, but honestly, no better (or worse) than dough. So my final call is extremely wishy washy...either way is good. Just don't put biscuit on both the top and bottom (it soaks up way too much of the filling).

CHICKEN POT PIE

Yield: 1 9-inch pie (or approx. 5 individual size pies)

Biscuits:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading the dough

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Filling:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed

2 potatoes, diced

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup frozen green peas

1/2 cup sliced celery

10 ½ tablespoons butter

2/3 cup chopped onion

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

3 1/2 cups chicken broth + more for cooking the chicken/vegetables

1 1/3 cups milk

Procedure

1.      Biscuits:  Preheat oven to 450º F.

2.      Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in cream with a wooden spoon until a dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather into a ball. Knead dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds.

3.      Pat the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick circle. Cut the biscuits into rounds using a biscuit cutter (or ramekin of choice, if making personal size pot pies).

4.      Place the biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.  Reduce oven temperature to 375º F.

5.      Filling: In a saucepan, combine chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas, and celery. Add broth to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

6.      In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat (stirring frequently) until thick, about 10 minutes. Combine with chicken and vegetables; stir until well blended.

7.      Pour chicken filling into either a 9-inch pie plate or individual size ramekins. Bake until filling is hot and bubbly, about 20-25 minutes.

8.      Crumble the biscuits over the top (or if making individual servings, cut biscuits in half and place one half, cut side down, on top of the filling). Bake for 2-3 more minutes (just long enough to warm the biscuit topping).

biscuits from Cook’s Illustrated; pot pie filling from Robbie Rice

making the biscuit dough

cutting the biscuit dough

dough before baking ...just bake the scraps
and use to crumble on top (or snack on)

baked/sliced biscuits

chicken and vegetables

mixing the roux (butter, onions, flour & spices)

thickened sauce

filling all combined

before baking

after baking

topped with a biscuit beanie

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Scallops Wrapped in Kataifi

Well, here we are, the last day of Greek week! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did (it seems like we just got started and it's already over...sniff, sniff). Oh well, moving on.

Making this was very exciting for me because I've always wanted to try kataifi (pronounced kah-tah-EE-fee according to about.com). What is kataifi? Just shredded filo dough (that resembles a bird's nest when baked). In fact, I've seen people cook little nests of it in muffin tins and then fill them with goodies (a great presentation for candy easter eggs). It's easy to work with (and fun)! 

I thought this dish was scrumptious. The sweet scallops were great with the crunchy kataifi, fresh herbs, buttery/wine sauce and the reduced balsamic. Definitely a nice special occasion recipe for scallop lovers.

SCALLOPS WRAPPED IN KATAIFI

Makes 6 appetizers (1 per person)

1 cup balsamic vinegar

6 extra large sea scallops

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 lb. kataifi (shredded filo dough)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 plum tomato, diced

1/4 cup diced scallions

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

butter sauce:

1 medium shallot, sliced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 cup white wine

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small bits and chilled

1.      In a small saucepan over medium heat, simmer the vinegar until syrupy, about 20-30 minutes (don’t over reduce, it will thicken as it cools).

2.      Preheat oven to 450° F. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Wrap each scallop in some of the kataifi filo. Arrange the scallops on a baking sheet and drizzle with the melted butter.

3.      Make the butter sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the shallot, thyme, and wine. Simmer until completely reduced and there is no liquid remaining. Over low heat and whisking constantly, add the butter, a few pieces at a time. Allow the butter to become creamy before adding the next few pieces. Do not boil or the butter will melt and the sauce will become oily. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm.

4.      Bake the scallops until just done, about 15 minutes.

5.      To serve, cut each wrapped scallop in half and place in the center of the plate. Spoon the butter sauce over the scallops. Drizzle with some of the reduced balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle the tomatoes, scallions and dill around the scallop.

adapted from Gregory Zapantis

scallops

fun!

wrapped
(you can't really go wrong because it's kind of a mess anyway)

before baking

after baking

cut in half, up close

Opa! I looked up the meaning of opa online and according to urbandictionary.com, opa is a word that Greek people use with no meaning at all. So I'm using it now to say "thanks for tuning in to Greek week!" Earlier I used it to say "you've got some kataifi in your teeth!"

i

Spiced Orange and Honey Sorbet

In case you've lost count, we're already on day six of Greek week. You didn't think I'd go the whole week without making a dessert did you? I was going to make baklava (but wouldn't you know it, I posted that already). Then I learned that baklava might not even be Greek (gasp!). Depending on your source, it could be Turkish, Armenian or Lebanese. Luckily it doesn't matter because I made sorbet.

I liked this, it was very light and refreshing. But I should warn you that it's probably more of an adult taste with the spices added. I never thought I'd see my daughter turn her nose up at anything resembling ice cream, but she did (I could see right up her tiny little nostrils).

SPICED ORANGE & HONEY SORBET

Makes about 4 cups

3 cups water

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup clover honey

2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest

2 teaspoons chopped, peeled fresh ginger

1 whole star anise or cardamom pod

1 whole clove

1 small bay leaf, preferably fresh

2 cups chilled fresh orange juice

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1.      Combine water, sugar, honey, orange zest, ginger, anise, cloves and bay leaf in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until syrup is thick and mixture is reduced to 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf; cool syrup.

2.      Strain syrup into medium bowl. Add orange juice and lemon juice. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3.      Pour mixture into ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer sorbet to container, cover, and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours and up to 3 days.

adapted from Michael Psilakis

sliced oranges

juicing

adding the honey

adding the orange zest

cooled liquid sorbet mixture
(I added one blood orange, just to liven up the color a little)

before churning

after churning

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