Better Than The Worst Pie in London

Remember that episode of Just Shoot Me when David Cross played a Elliot's brother, Donnie who faked a head injury as a child to make his family wait on him hand in foot his whole life?
No?
Oh.  I forget. I may have been one of 9 people who watched that show.
Ahem.

Just Shoot Me was a sitcom that aired in the late 90's and I watched every episode then, even though I'm not sure all of it holds up anymore.  The cast is above, from right to left: the voice of Kristie Alley's baby in Look Who's Talking (I'm sure George Segal is MOST proud of that credit), the chick who played Kit DeLuca in Pretty Woman, the guy who played David Spade in everything, that lady who played Martin's girlfriend then wife on Frasier and that guy who played Mathesar in "Galaxy Quest" (and interestingly enough also Rene in the 2008 televised biopic about Celine Dion).
Anyway.
That little history lesson was just so I could justify using the following clip...

Yes. Chicken pot, chicken pot, chicken pot pie.  That was Donnie's favorite food and he manipulated his family into making it for him by singing that catchy tune.  Horrible. Politically incorrect.  But catchy.  I won't spoil the episode for you in case this causes you to binge watch Just Shoot Me episodes, but David Cross is hilarious in everything and does not disappoint.  Did you know he's married to Amber Tamblyn from Joan of Arcadia and Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants? And Russ Tamblyn?  

And now concludes this chapter of Emjoy Gavino watches too much television.

Recipe #51: Curry Chicken Pot Pie

Choice of libation: Water. In the form of ice. With some diet Coke.  And rum.

Choice of music: The New Basement Tapes. YOU GUYS. It's so good and such a cool idea. Basically, Bob Dylan gave a bunch of his manuscripts to T-Bone Burnett and he put together a collective of musicians and singers to set the words to music.  The whole dang album "Lost on the River" is amazing and features Riahnnon Giddens, Taylor Goldsmith, Jim James, Marcus Mumford and Elvis Costello.  This one is one of my favorites:

So good!

I was really nervous doing this one. I know, I had made a pie crust before.  But that was with Todd who is a brilliant baker and who did most of the work that time.  I mostly supervised and by supervised I mean drank coffee and cheered Todd on.  I used whole wheat flour because that's what we had in our cupboard, but it did make the dough a little tougher to handle.

Two hours later, I started on the filling -- the curry and cumin, garlic and onions scent filled my home and I wasn't complaining.  I maybe should have added ginger. Oh well, next time.

After adding the coconut milk, it seemed the right consistency but I think the instruction to add chicken stock after that was iffy -- it made it too thin and it never thickened up enough for me. Harumph. 

Here's where I got nervous again. Would the dough fall apart? 

Oh, there are no pictures of me beating the whole wheat dough into submission.  

Rolling is hard work.  

Also, I had had two rum and cokes at this point.

This actually looked like it might work! The filling didn't break the dough and it all smelled delicious.

I actually ended up with too much filling so saved the rest of it to make a chili with.

Who's the idiot who keeps forgetting to buy a pastry brush? This guy.

Who is the genius who used a paper towel to dab the egg wash on with? This guy

You can't tell but I am pointing to me.

Not literally.

I'm typing.

Now.  What to do while the pie bakes?  Certainly not worry about it being horrible. 

Oh I know! Let's cruise youtube for forty minutes!

Well, that didn't help.  Though it did curb my appetite a little.

DING! It did look like something edible.  And it must taste good.  

Even the pie itself is drooling.

It was actually quite tasty although in the end it didn't hang together very well. As you can see.  

I'm guessing it's because I may have rolled the dough a little thin. But I did get seconds. 

And half of a third. 

And then the other half later.

stolen and adapted from completelydelicious.com

For the crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1/2 cup cold coconut milk 

1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

For the filling:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 lb  chicken, cubed

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon curry powder

(I added 1 tablespoon cumin)

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 15-oz can unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup chicken stock

2 cups  cubed potatoes

1 cup carrots, sliced (I used apples instead)

1 cup peas, fresh or frozen

Additional salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (oops, I forgot this)

To make the crust:

In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt to combine. Add the cubed cold butter and pulse 3-4 times to break up into smaller chunks. With the food processor running, add the cold coconut milk or water and continue to process until mixture thickens and starts to come together but is still crumbly. This should take about 10 seconds.

Dump the dough out onto a clean surface and gather into a ball. Cut in half and shape each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours. Dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or double wrapped in the freezer for up to 2 months.

To make the filling:

Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to a large skillet placed over medium heat. Season the cubed chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in batches if needed. Cook until edges turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Place remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the tomato paste, curry powder, and flour. Add the coconut milk very gradually while whisking constantly. Add the chicken stock. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 7-10 minutes. (*I actually didn't think it needed all that chicken stock, I would eyeball it so the liquid doesn't get too thin)

Add the cooked chicken, potatoes, and carrots and cook until vegetables are slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the peas and cilantro, and add additional salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat to let cool slightly while you prepare the crust.

To assemble the pie:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a floured surface, roll out one of the disks to a rough 13-inch circle. Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie dish.

Roll out the second disk of dough into a large circle. Cut into strips for a lattice or keep intact. Pour the filling into the bottom crust and top with lattice or circle of crush. Trim edges of crust to 1 inch overhang, pinch together and tuck into pie dish.

Brush with egg wash and cut vents in the top crust if not using lattice. Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbly, 45-60 minutes. If crust browns too quickly, cover with foil for the remainder of baking time.

Let cool 15 minutes, then serve. If baking the pie ahead of time, reheat in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes: If using coconut milk in the crust, make sure it is well-shaken. It is also thicker than water, so you may need to add up to an additional 1/4 cup. Add 1 tablespoon at a time to avoid over moistening the dough.