28 June 2010

Maggie Beer's Country Chicken and Mushroom Pie

Today is the first birthday of Penguin says Feed Me and we're celebrating with a new banner and PIE! It really does not feel like it's been a year since I started this humble blog of my eating adventures, and I still remember starting up this blog and writing up the very first post thinking that no one was going to read it anyway. I never in my dreams thought that anyone would even read my blog, let alone meeting new people through it, but probably one of the best parts about blogging is meeting and forging friendships with the other awesome Sydney food bloggers (I love you guys!).


I'd like to think that I've come a long way since that first post. Reading other blogs and marvelling at their photographs or cooking prowess has inspired me to improve my own photography and challenged me to further my cooking and baking skills. I've gone from simple apple crumbles to rainbow layered buttercakes, and although there's been a few disasters along the way, I think this blog is what gets me to push the limit of my abilities. Hopefully one day I will master the art of baking as I keep trying new things (why oh why did I choose to take on macarons?!)


One new thing that I've learnt to do is make pastry from scratch. When I first started this blog, making pastry from scratch seemed like the most daunting task - I mean, isn't pastry something you buy from the freezer aisle in the supermarket? But once you get the hang of it, it's not difficult at all, and it is truly satisfying when you can proudly present a pie or a tart and say that you made it all by yourself (or in this case, with the help of Sir D).


Since seeing Maggie Beer's pheasant pie on Masterchef, I've been wanting to make her sour cream pastry and it is so easy to work with and very forgiving. I didn't know where to get a pheasant from so I used another of Maggie Beer's recipes and made her Country Chicken and Mushroom pies with the same flaky and buttery pastry. It was so nice to be able to take a beautiful golden pie out of the oven and very satisfying to eat it, knowing that I had made it from scratch. This is what keeps me cooking and blogging :)

EDIT: Just realised this is also my 100th post!


Country Chicken and Mushroom Pie
Adapted from this recipe by Maggie Beer

25g unsalted butter, softened
6 chicken marylands
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
450ml chicken stock
7 large mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup (35g) plain flour
200ml cream
2 tbsp oregano, thyme, flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 egg
¼ cup (60ml) milk

For the pastry:
200g chilled unsalted butter
250g plain flour
125ml sour cream


1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Season the chicken marylands with salt and pepper and place in a buttered baking dish. Roast for 20-25 minutes, and rest for 15 minutes. The meat should still be slightly pink. Discard the skin, remove the meat from the bones and shred.

2. Heat the chicken stock and reduce by one third. Meanwhile, in large saucepan, fry the mushrooms in butter, sprinkling flour over them and stirring to coat evenly. Gradually stir in the hot stock and cream and simmer gently until thickened. Remove from the heat, fold chicken meat and herbs through mushroom mixture and season. Refrigerate until chilled.

3. Increase the oven temperature to 220°C. To make the pastry, pulse butter and flour in a food processor until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sour cream and continue to pulse until the dough starts to incorporate into a ball. Divide the pastry into two portions, with one twice as large as the other. Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

4. Make the egg wash by mixing the egg and milk together with a good pinch of salt. Take the larger portion of pastry and roll to 3mm thick. Cut to line the base of the pie dish, leaving a ‘lip’ over the edge. Brush the 'lip' with egg wash and fill the pie with chicken mixture. Take the remaining pastry and roll out to 3mm thick, and cut a circle for the lid. Place on top of the chicken mixture, fold over the bottom pastry 'lip' and crimp the edges to seal, trimming off any excess pastry. Score the top of the pie and brush with egg wash. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

5. Remove pie from the fridge and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the pastry is turning a light golden colour. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and bake for a further 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden and cooked through. Cover the top of the pie with foil if your pie is browning too quickly. For an even colouring of the lid, turn the pie halfway through cooking if desired.

21 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your 100th post! Your pie looks amazing. I love how Maggie always waxes lyrical about her sour cream pastry. I agree the blogging world is awesome. So many lovely people with kind souls and big hearts :)

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  2. Congrats on this milestone. May there be more delicious years to come. That pie looks AMAZING! Perfect for this cold weather

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  3. Happy bloggaversary! Oh my that pie looks amazing with the flakey puff pastry! I admire whoever make their own pastries.
    The new banner is so cool! minh's penguin is awesome!!!

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  4. Happy 1st blog birthday! I do like the new title banner featuring a cute, little crocheted penguin. Happy 100 posts as well and congratulations on keeping us entertained for a year =)

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  5. woohoo happy blogiversary jacq! a year has absolutely flown by and im glad to have gotten to know you both online and in real life!

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  6. Congratulations on a successful year! The pie is just the thing for celebrating - but where's the candle?

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  7. Ah, nostalgia

    I think we love you too

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  8. Awww congrats on your 100th post and happy bloggiversary! Love the new banner, keep up the great work! We <3 you! xx
    p.s. Pie looks fantastic, now I'm going to be craving pie ....

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  9. Weird... I thought I already posted my comment. But ah well, again...

    HAPPY ANNIVERSARY AND HAPPY 100TH Jacq!! And woot, go Maggie Beer and pie! Ummm pie...

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  10. Congratulations Jacq! And well done, this pie looks delicious!

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  11. Happy blogiversary!
    Your pie looks perfect Jacq!

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  12. Congratulations on all those milestones! Love the new banner & cute little knitted fella too.

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  13. Hehe that banner looks familiar! Congrats on your anniversary and 100th post!!

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  14. Congratulations on your 100th post! Love your little knitted fella, the pie looks so good too!

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  15. Your pie looks awesome Jacq! So perfect for winter. Happy bloggiversary! New banner is so freakin cute :D

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  16. The pie looks utterly gorgeous!

    Congrats on the milestones (plural) :)

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  17. Happy 1st birthday!! Looking forward to many more delicious posts!!

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  18. Hi Helen - Thank you! Maggie Beer's sour cream pastry is definitely one of a kind so she has a right to wax lyrical about it :) And thank you for being one of those people with the kind souls and big hearts!

    Hi Phuoc'n Delicious - Thanks Phuoc. Pies are perfect comfort food for me and even better when they're fresh out of the oven on these cold cold nights :)

    Hi billy - Hopefully the pie will turn out just as well in a few weeks time and you will get to eat it! I heart minh's penguin :)

    Hi mademoiselle délicieuse - Thanks! Haha I'm glad you think my blog is entertaining ;)

    Hi chocolatesuze - Thanks Suze! It has been awesome meeting you too =D

    Hi OohlookBel - Oh now why didn't I think of putting a candle in the pie? Birthday pie sounds awesome hehe

    Hi The Ninja - Wow Ninja love, you don't see that too often ;)

    Hi Betty - Thank you! Sending lots of <3 your way too!

    Hi Karen - Thanks! I wish Maggie Beer was my grandma and that she made me pies every week lol

    Hi Maria - Thank you so mcuh :)

    Hi Kristy - Thanks! I think I need to make the pie a couple more times to get it perfect but thank you anyway :)

    Hi Forager - Thanks! The cute little penguin is courtesy of Minh :)

    Hi Minh - Hehe thank you for providing a little cuteness to my blog! If only I could knit/sew like you!

    Hi YaYa - Thank you!

    Hi Stephcookie - Well it is Maggie Beer's pie so it has to be good right? Thanks Steph!

    Hi Richard - Hehe my blog thanks you for the birthday wishes ;)

    Hi Simon - Thank you!

    Hi Ellie - Thanks so much Ellie! Hopefully there will be another year's worth of deliciousness to come!

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  19. LOOKS DELICIOUS I WANT TO TRY IT.

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  20. Hi Dolly - Thanks! You should have a go at making it - it's not too difficult and it's definitely worth it for that awesome flaky pastry =D

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