Chapter Six: Ingredients Make the Pie

This week I hadn't planned on a particular recipe, but I've been baking up a storm! On Friday I made a "chicken pot pie" for family dinner and on Sunday, Asian Banana Rolls for a get together on Monday. I had planned on the banana rolls to be my highlight recipe, but due to issues in the construction, I had to rethink that!

In light of having a double pie experience week, I'd like to stay a word about ingredients. On the whole, this experiment is meant for me to try new techniques and recipies and discover new ingredients. I prefer making everything from scratch, but sometimes I opt to shop for pre-made items. I do this for a number of reasons....



When I made the caramel banana pie, I decided to opt for using dulce de leche instead of making the caramel myself. I could have, but sugar is a tricky thing to work with at temperatures for caramel-ing and the option that's hot on Pinterest of boiling a can of condensed milk to make a caramel takes a lot longer than I was willing to give. That boils down to using the pre-made ingredient for safety and speed.

This week when I made the chicken pot pie, I used cream of chicken soup. Again, this is an ingredient that I could make, but for the sake of the easy, throw together recipe of chicken pot pie, I reached for a can of Campbell's for convenience.

For both of my pies topped with whipped cream, you'll note that I actually whipped cream for both those pies rather than an easy, store-bought alternative. In my opinion, the "whipped topping" sold in tubs has a greasy feel and an overly sweet flavor. Gross. I think that the aerosol whipped cream is decent, but it has its place, like on top of hot cocoa or to use in a popular game. In terms of "weeping" and deflating on desserts, the aerosol cream is a prime offender! As difficult as whipping ingredients might sound, it's really not too bad (last week, for example, I whipped by hand successfully. My arm was a touch sore, but it was worth it.)

I will always make my crusts from scratch. Since crusts are the foundation of a pie, I don't think that I should take the easy way out. Crusts will be the foundation of my adventure!

I really don't believe there is any stigma in making semi-homemade versus homemade. I figure that whatever way a pie gets made, there is work in assembly and planning as much as in the making. But because I didn't plan my pie this week and things just went "organic," I don't have a concrete recipe to share. I've listed the chicken pot pie, but I only used a top crust for ease. Because of that, it doesn't really fit into the pie definition. Likewise, the ratio was way off for the banana rolls and also doesn't fit the description. Besides, they really weren't that great because the filling ratio was so low. They tasted like pie crust and not much else.

Chicken Pot Pie

4 carrots, peeled and diced
2 handfuls frozen peas (because I have no time for shelling!)
5 mushrooms, diced
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
Chicken... breasts, thighs - it doesn't matter. Use what you have  and make sure its cut into biteable sizes.
Lemon pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
Some sour cream (a "spatula-ful" should do it)
Cheese of choice (Ive used cheddar and I've used parmesan. The latter was better.)
Pie crust

Cook the carrots and peas in a cast iron pan until almost soft. Add the mushrooms and butter so everything gets well acquainted. Set the cooked veggies aside and lightly brown the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add the veggies back to the pan. Season lightly with lemon pepper... its easy to go overboard, so watch it. While that mingles, stir together the soup and sour cream in a bowl and add it in the pan. Mix it up well and make sure the "gravy" gets thinner. Top with cheese of choice. Roll out the pie crust and tuck it around the filling... don't forget to slit vents in the top. Bake in the same pan in a 375º preheated oven for 35 minutes or until the crust is brown. Let the finished product rest for 5 minutes before serving.

The beauty of this is simplicity and you only use one pan! Oh, and it's delicious. At least husband and I think so.