Chicken pot pie will make it feel like Autumn-right/

Ina's Chicken Pot Pie will make it feel like September-right? 

Well it's worth a try--anything to make me believe it's September at this point of 78 days of over 100° days and 90° nights. Mr. Weatherman promises a cool front is coming through this weekend--only getting up to the upper 90's. The hottest summer on record prior to 2011 was the summer of 1925 when my grandmother was seven months pregnant with my mother.

No air conditioning then and she most likely she had to endure outdoor plumbing. This makes me smile and I would like to think that both Vivian and Helen are looking down on us laughing at how spoiled we Texans have become.

Still, we are all weary of this continued heat wave and dangerous lack of rain. But it's September and I can't help but dream of stews, chili, and pot pie--a girl can dream about fall even when it's 107°.

Ina Garten to the rescue with her recipe for Chicken Pot Pie. 

A beautiful melange of chicken and fresh vegetables fill the flaky crust.

Not to be deterred by Austin's sizzling weather, I printed out Ina Garten's (aka Barefoot Contessa) recipe for Chicken Pot Pie. In a pantry and freezer filling mood earlier this summer (it's always freezing cold in the grocery stores), I had stocked up on organic bone-in chicken breasts. In late summer early morning freezer clean-out mood (again it's coolest in the kitchen with the fridge door open), I unearthed my little chickies and decided that today was the day. It was September 1st and we were going to have CPP! Up crazy early with new puppy, I could either drink more coffee--too hot, go into the backyard and play Frisbee with Newt--again too hot--or cook--too hot also, but kitchen had ac and had to pick one. Easy decision--make pot pie.

Puppy has definitely grown a bit hasn't he? He hates the heat too.

So while puppy Newt took a much needed nap, I made pie dough, roasted chicken breast and chopped veggies. The only problem with my September pot pie baking plan was that I'm the only one in our house who will eat CPP--hard to believe I know. Someone in my circle of friends would just have to take these pies off my hands. 

Didn't have to look far for happy friends who would welcome these little dinner treats. I was beginning to feel like Ina on her cooking show--cooking for friends and delivering a nice meal to their house, always in exchange for some little favor like flowers, table setting--you get the picture. This trading food for decorating could definitely work to my advantage (big happy smile).

Ina's crust is so easy to make and roll out. 

So back to roasting chicken, making the sauce, chilling the crust. I think Ina's recipe is just about perfect. I tweaked it with just a few extra ingredients--red potato cubes, fresh thyme and marjoram. 

This meal always takes me back to my childhood, when my mother would treat the four of us to Swanson's Chicken Pot Pies in little aluminum tins. We all thought frozen food was just the coolest thing! TV dinners were a treat then. My mother was a very good cook of good ole Texas comfort food. Fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, chili mac, pinto beans and cornbread, stuffed green peppers fresh from our garden, Wolf Brand Chili covered cheese and onion enchiladas. Very little in my early childhood came from the freezer section of the grocery store when we were kids.  After we left she couldn't wait to fill her freezer with frozen food! Guess she was tired of cooking.

We had those cool TV trays, and occasionally, if she let us opt out of Sunday evening church services, we would get to watch the Sunday night Disney movie and have a pot pie or TV dinner.  I thought they were pure magic with their flaky top and bottom crusts. My mother must have been laughing in the kitchen as she relaxed instead of washing dishes! For the price, you still can't beat one of those little pot pies. It's hard to find someone my age who still doesn't like those little pies, even if they won't admit it.  

Maybe next time I'll make a beef pot pie instead. Tenderloin cubes, flaky crust topped with coarse sea salt and cracked pepper, tiny pearl onions, peas and Yukon Gold potatoes--now how could anyone turn that combination down?

Here is a step by step look at how easy this recipe is to put together. 

Roast chicken breasts.

Ina uses frozen pearl onions--good call.
I bought fresh and blanched to remove the skins. Time consuming and not necessary.

Frozen peas and fresh potatoes.

Blanched the carrots too. Again, you can use frozen if you want.

Saute the onions in that wonderful butter.

I had chicken stock in the freezer made from Ina's recipe--darn that woman can cook! 
Use good quality store bought if you want.

Ina's adds chicken bouillon to enhance the flavor.
This surprised me because her stock is so rich. But I must do as Ina's says!

Flour is added to those soft onions to thicken the sauce.

Stir in the flour until it gets clumpy and dry and pulls away from the bottom of the pan. 

All the butter is absorbed into the flour and the mixture is ready for the liquid.

Add your chicken stock and stir.

Ina's recipe calls for heavy cream in the sauce. Don't be tempted to use anything else.

Mix all those delicious ingredients together with the sauce.

Chicken and vegetables added to that silky smooth white sauce.

I made both small and large pot pies in ovenproof dishes.

Use egg wash to seal against sides-add coarse salt and pepper to crust.  

Cut 3 slits in each so steam can escape--keeps your dough flaky.

In they go at 350°F for an hour.  
Tops will be golden and that wonderful sauce will be oozing out 
of the slits you made in the top of the dough. 

And the result: drum roll please.........

Golden crust, amazing smell and simply gorgeous.
And yes--it's as good as it looks.
Thanks Ina!

Ina's crust is very easy to make and extremely easy to roll. I urge you to give it a try. But if you are uncomfortable making dough, or just short on time, use store-bought pie dough or even better--store bought puff pastry! And don't fuss making your dough edges pretty--this is a rustic pie and the more crust on the side they better as far as my friends and I are concerned. And Ina seems to agree--compare her pot pie photo on her Food Network recipe site. Lots of crust. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-pot-pie

Wondering what to do with the snippets of leftover dough? Don't throw them out! Make these savory bread sticks--so easy and great with a glass of wine while you're waiting for your CCP to cook.

Cook's Treat--leftover dough makes great bread sticks.

All you need:

Good quality Parmesan cheese
Coarse sea salt
Coarse pepper
Cayenne pepper (use sparingly unless you really like them hot)
Egg wash that you used for the pot pie (1 egg+1 tablespoon water)

Cut remaining dough into strips as much as possible. For a fancier look, pull out your pastry edger and make wavy edges. Brush lightly with egg wash. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, cayenne and Parmesan cheese. Bake on a parchment or Silpat lined sheet pan in a 350° oven until crisp--about 18-20 minutes depending on your oven. Cool and enjoy.

Baked until golden-about 20 minutes, these are definitely a treat.

Enjoy and thanks Ina!