CHICKEN POT PIE WITH BISCUITS

It was started when I met my high school friend who fortunately is living in US too. We were just like 2 teenagers who are so ecstatic to found each other in this far far away country :). Now, we exchanged email EVERYDAY!! :)). But, we were not talked about those memories only, but also, we exchanged recipes as well. And guess what, I got many ideas and new recipes after I saw her foods' photos. Gosh....it is really amazing to know that she is a good chef now, when I looked back our high school time, she just a different person now! :).

After I saw her chicken pie, then it made me want to make it too, since I never make any pies at all, I asked her the recipe, but unfortunately, she lost her pie crust notes that she got from her MIL. So, as usual, I asked Mr. Google for this recipe.

I found lots of chicken pies' recipes with different kind of toppings. So, I saw this chicken pot pie with biscuits' recipe which was a bit different than chicken pie. The fillings are same, the only different is I will use biscuit instead of crust *I'm still waiting for my friend's pie crust recipe*.

It was really good...of cos the taste little bit different than the crust. My hubby never taste chicken pie with biscuit before. He is complained,"It is not chicken pot pie". Then I explained to him that this is a different crust only. But, after few bites, he said,"It is good hun!", then he got his second pie :).

So, thank you Sel for the idea of this chicken pie, I can't wait to try the one with pie crust :). I got your MIL recipe already ;).

Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits

Source: Michael C.

Ingredients:

CREAMED CHICKEN:

4 tbsps of butter

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

2 cups of chicken broth

1-1/2 cups whole milk

3 pieces of chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (Belzy -- I baked the chicken with salt and blackpepper)

2 tbsps of sherry (Belzy -- I substituted it to shaoxing wine)

1 tsp of nutmeg

1/2 piece of lemon, squeeze the juice only

Blackpepper and salt to taste

CHICKEN POT PIE:

2 tbsps of butter

1 piece of medium onion, chopped

1-1/2 cups of carrots, chopped

4 stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 cup of frozen peas, defrost

2-1/2 quarts of creamed chicken (recipe follows)

Biscuit dough (recipe follows)

BISCUIT DOUGH:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tbsp of baking powder

1/4 tsp of salt

6 tbsps of cold butter

3/4 cups of milk

Methods:

FOR CREAMED CHICKEN:

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Pour flour in and toss. After flour and butter mixed thoroughly (about 1 minute), remove the pan from heat and add 2 cups of chicken broth. Whisk until smooth.

Add milk and toss over medium heat until simmering. Remove it from heat and scrape the sides of the saucepan with a heat-proof spatula. Whisk vigorously to break and chunks and return to medium heat for one more minute.

Turn off the heat and mix in chicken and sherry until evenly mixed. Add lemon juice, nutmeg, salt and blackpepper to taste.

FOR CHICKEN POT PIE:

Melt butter in nonstick skillet over medium heat. When butter is foaming, stir in onions, celery and carrots. Cook it until tender about five minutes. Remove from the heat.

Pour in the vegetables mixture (including parsley and peas) into creamed chicken, toss it well. Pour the creamed chicken mixture into 9x13-in. baking pan. Top it with biscuit dough.

After making biscuit dough, cut the dough into square form, and layout all the biscuit pieces to cover the pot pie.

Using a pastry brush, brush beaten egg over the surface of the pot pie biscuit. Then, baking it in the preheated 400`F oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until the biscuit is golden brown and the chicken mixture is bubbling. Serve it warm.

FOR BISCUIT DOUGH:

In a big bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Then, using a pastry cutter or you hands, cut the butter into the flour. Basically, cut the butter and mix with flour to coat and separate the pieces. Continue mixing until you get pea sized pieces of butter. (* see note below)

Pour the milk in and mix gently with a spatula. Do not knead it, just a gently mix. (** see note below)

Form the dough into a ball once the milk has been evenly distributed through the dough. (*** see note below)

Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper or clean surface and roll out into big square sheet into 1/4 inch thickness. Then cut it into little square form.

Note:

* it is important that the butter be cold for this process and not begin to melt. If it starts to get a little mushy, you can slip it into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm back up a bit before continuing.

** kneading will produce gluten which will make the biscuit bread like instead of light and flaky.

*** you might need to use a kneading action to make a dough ball, but do not knead too much.

TOFU NUGGET

It was really simple and easy to make, also, it is good for your snack-of-the-day :). My hubby liked it so much. At his first bite, he asked me what is that, then when I told him that is tofu, he is surprised, cos it didn't taste like tofu at all. And, his further comment is, "Oh man, it is so good!".

So, come on girls, lets make this for your home :)

Tofu Nugget

Ingredients:

100 gr chinese tofu

1 piece of bread, soak it in the water and squeeze it.

3 tbsps of ground beef

50 gr of spinach, boil, drain and chop it.

50 gr of carrot, diced

25 gr of grated cheddar cheese

1 tsp of ground garlic

1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp of ground coriander

1 tsp of ground cumin

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of sugar

1/2 tsp of ground blackpepper

Vegetable oil

For coating:

3 tbsps of plain flour

1 egg

75 gr of panko bread flour

Directions:

Wipe the tofu with paper towel, and mashed it with fork in a big bowl. Mix it with mashed bread, ground beef, spinach, carrot, egg, garlic, nutmeg, coriander, cumin, salt, sugar, pepper and cheese. Mix it well.

Grease an 8-inch square pan with oil, cover it with parchment paper (give 15 cm extras paper on the length). Arrange the tofu mixture into the pan, and steam it for 20 minutes. Set aside, let it cool before you cut it.

Cut the tofu into triangle form (or any other shape). Coat it with plain flour, then egg and the last, coat it with panko bread flour. Repeat it until all tofus are coated with panko bread flour.

Deep fry the tofu until golden brown. Serve it with chilli sauce. Enjoy!

CROISSANT

The most delicious yet long-way-to-make bread! But, I'm so happy cos I made it. When I heard Christine made croissant, I wondered how was it. She explained to me the steps and it made me lost my interest to make it.

Then, suddenly two days ago, I decided to challenge myself to make this bread. So, I did all the steps until the last step, it made me worry that my croissant would failed because the texture of the dough was kinda hard. But, I still give a try :).

And...........voila........my croissant was reallyyyyy good. The texture was flaky enough for the beginner like me :). I am extremely happy *lebay..lebay :)*. For me, it is really worth to try, it needs efforts and times to make it tho, but it must be healthier than you buy it from a bread shop :). But, I'm warning you that croissant never become healthy food, cos it is high cholesterol bread *it needs 3 sticks of butter for 1/2 recipe only*. Since, this is my first croissant, I didn't fill it with any filling, but I did plan to make croissant sandwich *mmm...it reminds me to croissant sandwich from Dunkin Donuts :)*

Now, let me share the recipe :). Enjoy!

Croissant

Source : Chef Pino (see this link for the steps)

Ingredients:

3/4 lb lukewarm milk

1 tsp dry yeast

1 lb (450 gr) all-purpose flour

2.5 oz (75 gr) sugar

1/2 tsp salt

10 oz (30o gr or 3 sticks) butter

Egg wash:

2 egg yolks

2 tbsps milk

Instructions:

First Step:

Combine warm milk with yeast, set aside.

Mix flour with salt and sugar.

Add milk and stir with a rubber spatula enough to combine, do not overwork.

Wrap tight dough in plastic (Belzy - make sure to wrap it with several layers plastic, cos the dough will be rising), and refrigerate for 8 hours.

Second Step:

Cut butter into 8 pieces, pound thin, refrigerate.

Roll the dough into a rectangle on a floured counter.

Incorporate half of the butter with one single turn and two double turns.

Wrap in plastic, refrigerate overnight (8 hours or more).

Repeat folding until 4 times and dusting with flour everytime you fold it

Third Step:

Roll half of each package to form a rectangle 3mm thick. Cut triangles for croissants.

Form the croissants, brush with eggwash, let proof until risen (1.5 to 2 hours), bake at preheated 375`F oven for 12 to 15 minutes (Belzy -- I set the oven at 375`F for the first 15 minutes, then I reduced it to 350`F for another 5 minutes).

BLACKFOREST CAKE

This is absolutely a yummy blackforest ever!! The cake was so moist and so chocolatey, also it used whipped cream instead of buttercream which is made the taste lighter and not as creamy as buttercream. I baked it as my surprise present for my birthday hubby :), and, no doubt he liked it so much!

I admitted, it needs extra time and efforts to bake this cake, but all are worthed :).

Many thanks to Dita for sharing this delicious recipe. This blackforest recipe is highly recommended! :).

For chocolate lover, I guarantee you will like it :).

Black Forest Cake

Source: Dita Wistarini

Ingredients:

For Cherries and Syrup:

2 cups jarred sour cherries in light syrup, drained with 1 cup syrup reserved

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar

1/2 cup kirsch or other cherry flavored liqueur (Belzy - I substituted it to 1 tbsp rum)

For Whipped Cream Frosting:

1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

3 cups heavy cream, chilled (Belzy - I used homemade heavy cream *recipe below*, but you can buy it at any supermarket)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For Devil's Food Layer Cake:

1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups boiling water

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (Belzy -- I substituted it to semi sweet chocolate)

1 tsp instant espresso or instant coffee (Belzy -- I substituted it to 1 tsp organic coffee)

10 tbsps ( 1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

Garnish:

7 ounces chocolate, shaved

8 - 12 black cherries (if possible use the fresh with stalk cherries, also you can use blackcherry in can)

Methods:

FOR THE CHERRIES AND SYRUP:

1. Reserve 8 of the prettiest cherries for garnish in a small bowl. Slice the remaining cherries in half and place in a medium bowl. Simmer the reserved cherry syrup and sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat until mixture is thickened and measure about 1/2 cup (8 to 10 minutes). Turn off the heat, stir in kirsch (or rum).

2. Toss 1 tbsp of the syrup with the cherries reserved for garnish. Toss 3 tbsps more syrup with the halved cherries. Poke the top of the cake layers thoroughly with a wooden skewer and brush it with the remaining syrup.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM:

1. Whisk the sugar and the cornstarch together in a small saucepan and slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickened (2 to 3 minutes). Let the mixture cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).

2. In a large bowl, whip the remaining 2 1/2 cups cream and the vanilla together with an electric mixer on low speed until frothy (30 seconds). Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue to whip the mixture until it begins to thickened (30 minutes). Slowly add the cooled cornstarch mixture and continue to whip until the mixture forms soft peak (1 to 3 minutes).

3. Line the edges of a cake platter with strip of parchment paper to keep the platter clean while you assemble the cake. Place one of the cake layers on the platter. Spread 1/2 cup of the whipped cream over the top, right to the edge of the cake, then cover with half of the sliced cherries. Repeat with another cake layer, 1/2 cup more whipped cream, and the remaining sliced cherries. Place the remaining cake layer on top and press lightly to adhere. Frost the cake with the remaining whipped cream.

4. Refrigerate the cake until it absorbs the soaking syrup, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Before serving, let the cake sit at room temperature (30 to 60 minutes), then gently press the chocolate shavings into the sides of the cake. Evenly space 8 (or 12) small pile of chocolate shavings around the top of the cake and top each with a cherry. Remove the parchment strip from the platter before serving.

FOR DEVIL'S FOOD LAYER CAKE:

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350`F (180`C). Grease three 9-inch round cake pan (belzy -- I used two 8-inch square pan), then dust with cocoa powder and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the boiling water, chcolate, 1/2 cup of the cocoa powder and instant coffee together until smooth.

2. In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy (3-10 minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined (about 30 seconds). Beat in the sour cream and vanilla until incorporated.

3. Reduced the speed to low and beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the chocolate mixture. Repeat with half of the remaining flour mixture and the remaining chocolate mixture. Beat in the remaining flour mixture until just incorporated.

4. Give the batter the final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is thoroughly combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, smooth the tops and gently tap the pans on the counter to settle the batter. Bake the cakes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached (15 to 20 minutes), rotating and switching the pans halfway thorough baking.

5. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Runs a small knife around the edge of the cakes, then flip them out onto the wire racks. Peel off parchment paper, flip the cakes side up, let cool completely before frosting (about 2 hours).

Note: Be sure to buy jarred or canned cherries packed in syrup, not water. Letting the cake to sit at least 2 hours before serving allows the soaking syrup to sink in and the flavors to meld; however in a pinch, you could serve it right away.

Heavy Cream Recipe:

3/4 cup of whole milk

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

Direction: heat together over low heat until butter is melted into milk. Do not boil! Pour into blender jar and blend at highest speed for 3 minutes. Do not use a food processor as it does not beat in enough air. Refrigerate for 24 hours or longer. Whip it as you would cream.

DADAR GULUNG PISANG COKELAT (MILKY BANANA CHOCOLATE CREPES)

It was delicious, easy and simple dessert. My hubby loved it so much :). But, since I tried to made it from 2 kind of flours (bread flour and all-purpose flour) the result was a bit different.

Using bread flour, the crepes were crispier than if you use all-purpose flour. Also, by using bread flour, it gave you the better result for crepes. The crepe will not teared off easily. Both were good taste tho :).

Dadar Gulung Pisang Cokelat (Milky Banana Chocolate Crepes)

Ingredients:

Crepes:

150 gr flour (Belzy -- all-purpose or bread flour are ok)

1/4 tsp vanilla powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

450 ml fresh milk

1 egg, whisk

Butter for greasing the pan (Belzy -- I used olive oil instead of butter)

Filling:

Ripe bananas (Belzy -- del monte or sunripe)

Baked peanuts (Belzy -- I used minced walnut and panbroil it)

Cheddar cheese (Belzy -- I skipped it)

Semi sweet chocolate, melted

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine flour, vanilla powder, salt, sugar and baking powder. Pour gradually milk and egg, whisk until incorporated and smooth.

2. Grease pan with olive oil (or butter), and pour in a big spoonful batter. Cook it until it forms crepe.

3. Lay 1 crepe on a wooden board (or any flat plate), spread 1 teaspoon of chocolate, place banana in the middle of the crepe and drizzled with minced nut. Then, roll it.

4. Serve it while it warms. Enjoy!