Chicken Pot Pie

1.

Preheat the oven to 375 ?F (190 ?C).

2.

In a large saucepot, melt the butter over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms, sautéing until almost all the juices cook away, about 6 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and carrot and sauté 5 minutes more.  Add the flour and stir constantly for about 2 minutes until the flour just begins to stick at the bottom.  Add about ½ cup (125 mL) of the stock and stir (this will thicken quickly, but without lumps).  Add another cup (250 mL) of the stock and stir, bringing to a full simmer before adding the remaining 1 cup (250 mL) of stock as well as the thyme and bay leaves.  Bring this up to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover, simmering until the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.  Remove the bay leaves, add the diced chicken and the peas and heat until warmed through, season to taste and then cool to room temperature or chill to assemble later on.

3.

To assemble, roll one of the discs of dough on a lightly floured surface to just under ¼ inch (6 mm) thick and into the shape of the baking dish you wish to use (it should hold about 2L, but can be any shape provided it’s more than 1 ½-inches (45 mm) tall).  Dust the bottom of the baking dish with flour and line the dish with the dough, trimming away any excess.

4.

Make the Cheddar topping by breaking up the other disc of pie dough into pieces in a bowl and add the additional flour and baking powder.  Use a pastry cuter, or your hands, to break it down further and cut in the Cheddar cheese.  Whisk the egg and milk together and add this to the cheese crumble, stirring until blended (it will look lumpy). 

5.

Spoon the cooled (or chilled) chicken filling into the lined baking dish and spoon the Cheddar crust onto top.  Bake this for 30 minutes at 375 ?F (190 ?C) and then reduce the temperature to 350 ?F (180 ?C) and bake for another 30 minutes (adding 15 minutes more if the filling was chilled).  Let the pie sit for 15 minutes before scooping to serve.

6.

The chicken pot pie can be made up to 2 days in advance and reheated in a 325 °F (160 ?C) oven.

1.

Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (food processor not recommended.)  Add the butter and mix with electric beaters (or on medium-low speed) until the butter is fully incorporated into the flour – it will have a sandy texture (the opposite of a conventional North American pie crust technique).

2.

Whisk the water and eggs together and add this all at once to the flour.  Mix ONLY until the dough takes on a rough, shaggy texture but does not come together.  Do not shape or handle the dough but place it in a smaller bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours to set the butter.

3.

Turn the shaggy dough out onto a clean work surface and bring it together with your hands by flattening and folding the crumbs and crumbles in as you do.  Divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape into discs.

4.

At this point, the dough can be rolled and used as recipes specify, or wrapped and chilled or frozen for later use.