Challenge Book #13 - Chicken Leek Pie

I cannot resist puff pastry. It's just so good. It's all golden, crispy and buttery. Wrap it around an old sock and I would still try to eat it.

So it was a foregone conclusion that I would like this chicken leek pie.



Fortunately, the filling is worthy of praise in its own right. But really, how can you go wrong with chicken, leeks, bacon, cream and a lash of seasoning. I was always going to like that as well.



And it's dead easy to pull together. And it looks nice. So really, it's an all around foolproof winner.




And here I am at Challenge Book #13. Woohoo, I am motoring along. This one is Classic Essential Pies from the Family Circle collection. Yet another one of those little books that sit so invitingly at supermarket checkouts. While I've owned this book for many, many years, I've only ever made one other recipe from it. So it's about time I made some use of it.


Chicken Leek Pie
(adapted from Family Circle Classic Essential Pies)

30gm butter
2 small leeks, whites only
3 rashers bacon
3 chicken breast fillets
1/2 cup cream
2 egg yolks
salt and pepper
2 sheets of puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Thinly slice the leeks, dice the bacon and cut the chicken breasts into thin strips.

Melt the butter in a fry pan, and saute the leeks over a low-medium heat for about 10minutes. They should be very soft and golden. Spoon from the pan and set aside.

Fry the bacon until brown. Spoon from the pan and set aside.

Add the chicken and cook until lightly brown. Remove from the pan.

Wipe the pan clean. Return the bacon, chicken and leeks. Add the combined cream and eggs. Cook gently for about two minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.

Cut thin strips from around the edge of one pastry sheet. Place the sheet on a lightly greased oven tray. Spoon on the chicken mix, leaving a border (about 2cm) all around the edge.

Brush the edge of pastry sheet with water and then lay the second pastry sheet over the top. Brush the edges with water and then roll them back over toward the middle of the pie and tightly seal. You can decorate with the cut strips of pastry.

Prick the pastry with a fork and brush with the beaten egg.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown in a 210C oven.