RECIPE: CHICKEN POT PIE

So if you live in New York you know that winter has most definetly arrived! It's a frosty 20 degrees outside and all I want to do is curl up under a blanket and veg out on the couch with a big ole' bowl of something warm and filling. That's where homey, delicious, Chicken Pot Pie comes in. It's relatively quick and easy to make and it just makes you feel warm and fuzzy all over as soon as you bite into it.

I got the following recipe from:
"THE NEWLYWED KITCHEN - DELICIOUS MEALS FOR COUPLES COOKING TOGETHER"
I made a couple of substitutions...

Here you go:
FOR THE FILLING:
3 strips bacon, diced ( I didn't have any bacon, I know tragic!, so I used some ham that I had in the fridge)
3/4 cup diced onions
1 tbsp vegetable or extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup diced carrots ( I also didn't have any only frozen peas and carrots, but they're good none the less)
3/4 cup diced cremini mushrooms (I used button mushrooms)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsps dried marjoram( didn't have on hand, so I skipped it)
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 tsp. paprika
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. flour
1/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup low-sodium chicken stock( if you can find Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock, use it! It's by far the best Chicken stock I've ever used!)
1 1/2 cups diced, cooked chicken( I used chicken breast, it's easy to make and it cooks very quickly, if you're pinched for time you could always buy one of those roasted chickens at the supermarket and use it for the filling and a bunch of other things for the rest of the week, i.e. chicken fajitas, chicken noodle soup, chicken salad sandwich, etc etc.)
1/2 cup frozen peas (DO NOT DEFROST)

FOR THE CRUST:
1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted ( you can find these in the frozen aisle at the supermarket)
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp whole milk (I used heavy cream...I didn't say this meal was low cal!)
1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F

2. To make the filling, in a large skillet, cook the bacon  ham over medium-high heat until soft and slightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Add the onions and oil to the skillet with the ham, and cook the onions for 8-10 minutes or until the onions are a golden brown color. Add the carrots and mushrooms, and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, marjoram, rosemary and paprika. Add the butter. When the butter melts, stir in the flour. Add the cream and chicken stock, and let the liquids simmer for a few minutes, ust until it looks like its bubbling a little bit and the liquids have reduced and you have a creamy looking sauce. Add the chicken and the frozen peas, and turn off the heat.

3. Transfer the filling into a small casserole dish or 2 large ramekins.

4. To make the crust, unfold the puff pastry sheet, place it over the casserole dish or ramekin, and trim any overhang.

5. In a small bowl, add the egg yolk and milk heavy cream and whisk to combine.

6. Lightly brush the top of the potpie with a bit of the beaten egg yolk mixture. With a knife, cut a few vents in the puff pastry to let the steam out.

7. In another small bowl, mix the cheddar, pepper, and thyme. Distribute the cheddar mixtures over the top of the potpie. Place the dish on a baking sheet.

8. Bake the potpie for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling.

Let the potpie rest for a few minutes after you take it out of the oven, you don't want to burn your tongue! Slice into it and enjoy!

HEAVEN!!!!

Bar Boulud

Big Apple Bites Review: *** out of *****

*all photos courtesy of Bar Boulud website

I finally got around to trying Bar Boulud, one of famed chef Daniel Boulud's restaurants. I've heard many great things about it and I was looking forward to the experience. Sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations (insert sad face here) and I left disappointed and a little hungry. But, let's get on with the review shall we?
Many times I can predict how good a meal will be based on the bread and butter served. You can tell a lot about a restaurant based on how they treat their bread. In fact many times I can predict how good a meal will be based solely on the bread and butter served. I knew as soon as I took my first bite of the bread that I was in for some dissapointment. It was a bland sourdough bread, nothing spectacular or tasty about it, it's perhaps only redeeming quality was that it was fluffy, but it lacked any real flavor. At this point I was hoping I was wrong about the bread indicating how good the meal would be...really I did, so I trudged on!

We started out with soup and salad: (The hubs was with me, it was date night!)

Mushroom Soup
velouté de champignons
mushroom velouté, porcini confit
chive crème fraîche

The mushroom soup was by far the most memorable part of the meal. I could have eaten a whole pot of this, it was just THAT GOOD! It had the perfect amount of mushroomness (I make up words, so get used to it!) and it was velvety smooth and creamy. No little bits of mushroom or anything!  Then I had a little of my husbands'

Frisee Salad
frisée lyonnaise
chicory, chicken liver, poached egg
lardons, sourdough croutons

The poached egg really meshed all of the flavors together, the gooey yolk running over the frisee and coating everything was simply perfection! Why use salad dressing when a creamy yolk would suffice! I know many people would be put off by the chicken liver but honestly once you get over the fact that it's chicken liver you really can't even tell its chicken liver, only little bites of perfectly seasoned chicken. The saltiness of the lardons (a small strip or cube of pork fat, mmm pork fat..) and the richness of the yolk created a wonderful medley of flavors and the sourdough croutons give it just the right amount of crunch to make the salad feel hearty and substantial enough as a light main dish.

After we'd had the soup and salad things were looking up. I figured I had been wrong in judging them too harshly based on the bland bread, so I was looking forward to my:

Scallops
coquilles saint-jacques meunière
dayboat scallops, brussels sprouts
serrano ham, concord grapes

The scallops were placed atop a bed of shredded brussel sprouts and drizzled with saint-jacques meunière, basically a sauce of paprika, milk, flour, butter, and lemon juice. A sprinkling of serrano ham on top of the scallops and two dollops of concord grape jelly reduction. While all the flavors complemented each other I found the scallops a little lacking in flavor, the brussel sprouts too mushy and the concord grape jelly almost an afterthought. I'd figured with such a rich sauce I'd get a flavorful, filling, meal. Unfortunately, it was none of the above. It fell flat...very flat, not even the serrano ham was enough to make me happy, and I believe anything that has ham or bacon is good in my book!

Needless to say I left Bar Boulud disappointed. While some items were a hit others left much to be desired. I wouldn't write the restaurant off and I'm sure there are other stand outs on the menu but I guess I'll have to go back and see what else they have to offer. I'd rate it a solid 3 out of 5 stars, so if you're in NY I would suggest trying it out. Let me know what you had and maybe you can convince me to  make a return trip!