I was working at clearing out the freezer before vacation and, well, my eyes landed on that leftover Easter ham and last holidaze’s frozen puff pastry so, of course, my thoughts went to The Daniel Webster Inn on Cape Cod in Massachusetts and their most excellent chicken pot pie.
I remember it because it was so very good, and a bit different, served with only a puff pastry crust baked on top of the pie, which the waitstaff would cut into at the table and spoon the filling below on top.
It was also my first date with my now husband, so there may have been that that seared it into my memory.
INGREDIENTS
•1/4 cup butter
•1/4 cup all-purpose flour
•3-1/2 cups milk
•1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
•2 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce*
•2 tsp Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Pepper Sauce – or your fave hot sauce, to taste
•1/2 tsp dried thyme
•1/2 tsp dry mustard
•1/2 tsp black pepper
•1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
•2 cups diced cooked ham
•1 bag frozen sweet peas and carrots, thawed
•1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
•1 egg
•1 tbsp water
*No Sherry Peppers Sauce? No Problem! Simply add a bit of decent sherry (none of that “cooking” stuff) and a dash or three of your fave hot sauce, to taste.
Note: this is not the Daniel Webster Inn’s recipe, just an approximation I cobbled together from references I found om the interwebs. Still might fine, though.
Heat your oven to 400º and lightly butter an 11×7 baking dish.
In a large pan over medium high heat, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour, whisking constantly for at least one minute, until you have a thick, golden brown roux.
Slowly whisk in the milk until you have a nice, creamy base; then stir in the bouillon, Sherry Peppers and hot sauce, and the seasonings.
Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is thick and bubbly, then stir in the ham, peas, and carrots and cook until heated through, six or seven more minutes.
Transfer to your prepared casserole dish.
Unroll your thawed puff pastry sheet and arrange on top of the casserole, tucking the edges in on each side.
Using a fork, pierce the pastry evenly all over, I did three rows of eight piercings.
Whisk the egg together with the water until mixed and a bit frothy, then brush over the top of the pastry.
Place the casserole on a rimmed baking sheet, then bake for forty minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is nicely golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let rest for five minutes or so before serving.
Note: at The Daniel Webster, each pot pie is made in an individual casserole, which does make for a lovely presentation at the table; but I pictured this as a pretty simple family dinner, and think that even when spooned from a larger casserole, it still makes a nice presentation, and tastes every bit as good.
In my mebbe not-so-humble opinion.
Serve with a nice glass of wine and perhaps a salad, but, really, you already have it all right there on on your plate; meat, veggies, rich, creamy sauce, and tasty puff pastry.
I did add additional Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Pepper Sauce to my plate, because that is just how I roll, but you do you.
And, enjoy!