Chicken Pot Pie

Don't you just love the week after Thanksgiving when you've got all those awesome turkey leftovers that seem to go into about half a dozen meals? So do I. We don't have any turkey leftovers, but we did roast a couple chickens for our cousin dinner last night. Happily we had almost a whole one leftover. So what did we decide to do with it tonight? Homemade chicken pot pie. Mmm was it good. I attempted to make a dessert pie a few weeks ago and it seemed like everything that could have gone wrong with it, did go wrong. Somehow it turned out okay, but I made sure not to make any of the same mistakes with my crust this time (like forgetting to turn on the oven, only to discover it sitting cold and pale half an hour later). Nope. This time it turned out perfectly flaky and delicious. Jared made up the gravy, which we mixed some cooked veggies and chicken into for the filling. But here's the recipe for the crust, along with some personal tips I've learned or discovered on my own.

Pastry             2 ½ C.  pastry flour          3/4 C. shortening

                        3/4 tsp. salt                    8 to 10 Tablespoons (1/2 c. plus 2 T.) ice cold water

1.         Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl.

2.         Gently cut in shortening with a pastry blender until pea sized. If you don't have a pastry cutter, use 2 butter knives, one in each fist, and slide them past each other, cutting the shortening into the flour.

3.         Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the cold water over flour mixture, tossing lightly with a fork or rubber scraper. Add the remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, and press to the side of the bowl until all is moistened. Use just enough water for the dough to hold together.

4.         Divide dough in half, and gently pat into 2 lightly flattened balls. (Don’t over-work your dough at this point. You should just gently gather the dough into two slightly flattened pieces, not two tightly compressed dough balls.) Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

5.         When you're ready to roll out the dough, spread a long sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper on the counter (about 2 feet long) and put one of the dough balls toward one end. Fold the plastic wrap in half over the dough, so it is over and under it. This will prevent it from sticking to the counter and the rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a large circle. To measure it, take your pie pan upside down and hold it over the dough. The dough needs to be at least 2 inches bigger all the way around. Now peel back the top layer of plastic from the dough, lift it up and flip it over onto the pie pan. Press it into the pan, making sure there are no air bubbles. It's okay if there's some dough hanging over the edge. Put your filling in the bottom crust and lay the top crust over the filling. Use a fork to press the edges together, and then use scissors to trim the overhanging dough. Also use the scissors to cut a slit in the top crust.

6. Cover the pie with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Then take the foil off and let it bake for another 10 minutes, or until the crust is nice and golden.