Recipe by Le Creuset
The ultimate make-ahead pie. Prep the filling the night before, reheat and top with a pastry lid just before heading out to your picnic.
Difficulty Average
Prep Time Over 2hrs
Cook Time Under 2hrs
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
375ml white wine
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, large slices
1 celery stick, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
A small bunch of thyme
2 bay leaves
1 whole free-range shredded rotisserie chickens
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
100g pancetta lardons
5 baby potatoes, halved and par-boiled
200g baby leeks, sliced lengthways and cut into thirds
1 shallot, halved and peeled and sliced thickly
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
200g portabellini mushrooms, cut in half
50g butter
250ml chicken stock
2 tsp whole-grain mustard
2tsp corn flour
Parsley, chopped
For the pie lid
400g store-bought puff pastry
1 egg, whisked with a splash of milk for egg wash
Method
Place a Le Creuset 24cm Signature Round Casserole over a medium heat and add the wine, vegetables, and herbs. Simmer to infuse and reduce by half. Remove from the heat, strain and cool.
Heat the cleaned casserole and add a good drizzle of olive oil. Fry off the pancetta lardons until golden and crispy. Remove and keep aside (use a slotted spoon to remove the lardons so that all the oil fat and flavour remains in the casserole).
Using the same casserole, add a splash more olive oil and fry off the mushrooms in batches. Season each batch with a little salt. Remove from the casserole using the slotted spoon and place them in a sieve over a large bowl. Fry off the leeks until golden and wilted, remove and place in the same sieve with the mushrooms. Fry the shallots and garlic, remove. Lastly fry off the carrots. Place the lid of the casserole on and allow the carrots to cook for 10 minutes or until just cooked and golden in colour.
Meanwhile, shred the chicken into a large bowl. Roughly chop a big handful of parsley and mix through the chicken. Add the vegetables to the chicken and mix well.
For the sauce: Pour the reduced wine and stock into the casserole and bring to the boil. Make a paste with the corn flour and a splash of cold water, mixing until free of lumps. Stir through the sauce to thicken. Add the mustard and butter, stirring to combine, then season to taste. Add the sauce to the caramelised vegetables, potatoes, pancetta, and shredded chicken. Mix well to coat all the filling with sauce. Place it back into the casserole.
For the pastry lid: Roll out onto a clean work surface and cut in half vertically. Join the two pieces together. Using the casserole lid, cut a circle, make the circle just bigger than the lid to have enough space to cover the top of the pie and score the pastry lid as you desire. Place back in the fridge for 20 minutes. Remove from the fridge and brush with the egg wash using a pastry brush. Place on top of the pie and pinch the edges closed. Bake at 180°C for 40 minutes until puffed up, crispy and golden.
