Switching gears, the cabbage family. Big and diverse and super healthy, I decided to start off this week with a swiss chard, part of the cabbage family, taking center stage. This slab-style pie makes a great light lunch, a snack or even an appetizer. I personally also think it would be a great thing to bring to a picnic or a potluck as it can be enjoyed hot or at room temperature.
Dinner tonight night was this absolutely delicious Tourtes Poulet et Champignons (French Chicken and Mushroom Pie). It was seriously delicious. Flavorful and juicy chicken thighs (so dark meat, though you could also use chicken breast in this recipe) and mushrooms, in a creamy white wine thyme sauce, in a lovely puff pastry (both bottom and top crusts). The trick is to not have the bottom crust sog out, so the sauce has to be just perfect and not too much of it. Very, very rich. This recipe is for a full sized one but I made one a little smaller and even that will be dinner again tomorrow!
Tonight is Burns Supper Night. I of course, did not remember this until this morning and the chances of procuring haggis at this late time (in the US, where finding it even with some advanced planning is a bit of a pain in the neck) so I had to go with making a Steak Pie. Not ideal of course, but better than nothing. Full up on multiple bottles of whisky though.
Now, what’s your favorite Robert Burns poem?
In between everything else that is going on, I am trying to actually eat healthy and was inspired by some pot pie recipes that I had seen lately that weren’t chicken, so this one is a Mushroom Pot Pie, with a whole lot of mushrooms — like 4 pounds worth! I know that mushrooms aren’t exactly the favorite of everyone, but you could also make this as other vegetarian like mixed autumn veg of cauliflower and broccoli. The decoration isn’t mandatory, of course, but I had some pastry left over from the crust. Remember to let it sit for a few minutes because it is blazing hot out of the oven!
I am a big fan of plums — all kinds really, but if I can find Mirabelle plums (the little yellow, or pinkish one, not much larger than a cherry), I am in plum heavy. I found some of them the other day, organic ones no less, so I made this Mirabelle Plum Crumble Tart, with a Pâte Sucrée. What’s a Pâte Sucrée? It’s a pie crust that is more like shortbread, one that you don’t have to roll out, you just “pat” it into the pan. Lovely cake, just tart enough to make your mouth tingle a bit and just sweet enough to make you smile.