Chicken Pie

3 1/4 pound chicken
Leek tops
Extra carrots, celery, and onions, cut into a few pieces
Peppercorns and herbs

3 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of sea salt
3/4 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 medium carrots, cut into large dice
2 celery stalks, cut into large dice
2 leeks, white part sliced into discs (use tops when poaching chickens)
2 medium onions, peeled and cut into large dice
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole milk, heated
2/3 cup chicken stock from boiling chicken, reduced in half by boiling
2/3 cup heavy cream
Sprigs of tarragon and flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
Beaten egg for glaze

Put the chicken in a tight-fitting pot with some leek tops, carrot, celery, onion, a few peppercorns, and bouquet of fresh herbs.  Just cover with water, bring to a boil slowly, and skim.  Cover the pan and poach the chicken for 45 to 60 minutes, turning it over at half the time.  Remove the chicken from the pan; reserve the stock.

Make the pie dough: Sift the flour into a large bowl with the salt.  Add the butter pieces and, working as quickly as you can, rub the butter into the flour using the tips of your fingers.  Add 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons of very cold water, or more as necessary, a tablespoon at a time.  (The more water is added, the more the dough will shrink - alternatively, some cream or egg yolk can be used in place of some water.)  The moment the dough has cohered into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for a half hour.

Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan fitted with a streamer rack.  Steam the vegetables, adding first the carrots, then the celery, and then the onion and leeks for the last 5 minutes.  Heat the oven to 350° F and place a baking sheet in the middle of the oven to heat up.

When the bird has cooled down sufficiently to handle, remove all the flesh you can from the bones.  Tear the flesh along the grain, pulling it into long, bite-sized pieces.

Put 2/3 cup chicken stock in a saucepan, and reduce by half by boiling.

Make a roux with the butter and flour, then add the milk and chicken stock, both hot, alternately, until you have a satin-thick sauce.  Stirring constantly, cook the sauce long enough to get rid of the flouriness, then stir in the cream.  Remove from the heat and add the chopped fresh herbs, a couple of tablespoons of each.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the chicken and vegetables and let cool.

Butter a pie dish.  Roll out two-thirds of the dough, and line the dish with it.  Scrape in the filling, and spread it out evenly over the bottom of the pie dough.  Roll out the remaining third of the dough and cover the pie with it.  Crimp the edges together with the tines of a fork dipped in cold water.  Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg.  Cut a cross in the middle of the pie; if the pie is deep, a china bird placed in the middle of the pie between the crossed slashes is a good idea.

Bake for about an hour, then check.  If the pastry is beautifully bronzed, cover the top with a sheet of wax paper and cook for about another 15 minutes, or until it smells done.  Don't cut into the pie for at least 10 minutes after taking it out of the oven.

Serves 6.


From Tarts with Tops On, or How to Make the Perfect Pie by Tamasin Day-Lewis