Quiche & Savory Pies and Tarts – Rants Raves and Recipes

March 11, 2017March 11, 2017

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie is one the great comfort foods of all time! With a little work and fresh vegetables it is a meal that will satisfy everyone. If you happen to be an accomplished baker by all means make your own pastry dough, adding a few savory spices to add to the mix. Again if you are comfortable rolling out dough and cutting it and have the right size oven proof bowls, make individual pies. This recipe goes for expedience over style using 2 store bought pie crusts and a 9″ pie dish.

Ingredients for Chicken Pot Pie

2 pie crusts
3 boned and skinned chicken breasts (poached)
3-4 cups chicken stock or water for poaching
2-3 Tbs Bell’s poultry seasoning
3-4 large carrots diced
3-4 celery stalks diced
1 medium onion diced
1½ cups frozen peas (thawed)
3 garlic cloves chopped
6 Tbs butter
6 Tbs all purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups milk
1 cup white wine
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions for Chicken Pot Pie

To poach the chicken:

Begin by placing the chicken into a pot large enough to cover with stock in a single layer, add 1 Tbs Bell’s poultry seasoning. Bring the chicken and stock up to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Once poached, remove the chicken and allow it to cool. Discard the stock. When the chicken is cooled enough to handle, with your hands or a fork shred the chicken into bite size pieces.

To prepare the filling:

Into a large sauté pan place the butter,carrots, celery and onion and on medium to medium high heat cook the vegetables until the onion is translucent and celery softened. Now add the garlic and cook a few minutes more. Add the white wine and cook, allowing the wine to reduce by half.

Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine until all raw flour is gone. Turn the heat up and add the stock and milk and continue to stir the mixture until it begins to boil and thicken. You should have a fairly thick sauce.

Into this mixture place the chicken, the peas 1-2 Tbs of the Bell’s seasoning and about 1 tsp each salt and pepper. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Place one of the pie crusts into a 9″ pie pan, spoon the mixture into the pan until it is full ( you may have a little of the mixture left over).

Cover the mixture with the second crust, crimp the edges to seal and cut a few slits into the crust to allow steam to escape. Place immediately into the center of a 425° oven (place a sheet pan on a rack below the pie to catch any filling that bubbles over) and bake for 45 – 60 minutes until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbly.

Once cooked remove from the oven and let the pie sit on a wire rack for 5- 10 minutes.

Cut wedges and scoop out, will make 4-6 servings.

Here are a few items to help make this recipe:
https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-622-36H-Classic-Nonstick-Hard-Anodized/dp/B0017QHWHA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1489251639&sr=8-5&keywords=large+saute+pan&linkCode=ll1&tag=rantsravesa06-20&linkId=639b4200e8430870c2c4eaafad3012a7
https://www.amazon.com/Belgique-Stainless-Steel-Soup-Pot/dp/B00B3LP672/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1489251741&sr=1-8&keywords=3qt+pot&linkCode=ll1&tag=rantsravesa06-20&linkId=40cef5f991df98635593d2beca114c6d

I’ll sing the praises of chicken all day long, a tasty sauce but quite a bother to have to eat around those little green things. But all in all a satisfactory recipe, so 5 paws.

If you enjoy our site and are thinking of purchasing anything from Amazon, please use the link to Amazon from our site. It doesn’t cost you anything and we profit from the ads and purchases .

Please help us keep our blog going by letting your friends know we’re here and by checking out the links on our front page.

August 7, 2016August 7, 2016

Spinach and Bacon Puff Pastry Quiche

Spinach and Bacon Puff Pastry Quiché

The other afternoon after a fairly hectic morning, I realized that I had not taken anything out for dinner. A quick inventory of what was on hand pointed to a Quiché. Fairly easy to make with only the spinach and puff pastry to defrost, I had intended to make my pie dough but found I was out of shortening. Certainly with a salad this is a filling meal.

As with all recipes that aren’t formulas, the option to use what ever you like is readily available. Portions and measurements and ingredients are up for discussion. As I’ve said many times the “Quiché Police” won’t come knocking on your door if you omit an ingredient or add one.

Recipes like this are a springboard for your creative juices to flow, cooking times and temps are the start you just need to fill in the rest of the blanks.

Ingredients for Spinach and Bacon Puff Pastry Quiché

6 Whole eggs
¼-½ cup whipped cream cheese(room temperature)
½ Large onion finely diced
½# Cheddar cheese cut into small dice
½# Bacon cut into ½” lardons
1½ cups Milk, ½&½ or heavy cream
10 oz package of spinach thawed and drained
1 sheet of puff pastry
salt & pepper

Directions for Spinach and Bacon Puff Pastry Quiché

Begin by defrosting the spinach and the puff pastry. Once the spinach is defrosted place it in a kitchen towel and wring out as much moisture as you can . Once dried chop fine.

Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and when softened roll out to a 11 or 12″ square. Then place into a 9′ glass pie pan.

While the pastry is defrosting diced the bacon and on medium heat, cook until crisp. Remove to a paper towel to drain and cool.

Drain off most of the bacon fat, add the onions and sauté until translucent. remove from the pan to cool.

Preheat oven to 425º.

Take the eggs, milk and whipped cream cheese and whisk briskly until all are combined and the cream cheese is in lumps the size of small peas.

Add the bacon, onion, spinach and cheddar cheese and about a teaspoon each of salt and pepper to the egg mixture and stir to combine.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pie pan. You can trim the pastry and crimp it around the edges of the pie plate or simply fold the four corners over the top of the egg mixture.

Bake in a 425º oven for about 25 minutes until the crust begins to brown and the egg mixture is set.

Remove from the oven and allow the Quiché to cool on a wire rack for about 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve. Serve with sour cream on the side.

Here are a few items to help make this recipe:
https://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-Glass-Bakeware-Pie-Plate/dp/B000EURKG8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1470605841&sr=8-4&keywords=glass+pie+dish&linkCode=ll1&tag=rantsravesa06-20&linkId=72e77d7f5a2350390008015d4db382b6
https://www.amazon.com/OXO-53081-SteeL-Pie-Server/dp/B00004OCMB/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1470605892&sr=8-4&keywords=pie+server&linkCode=ll1&tag=rantsravesa06-20&linkId=aabbd9253aff5e0f83ea2e1f1e5d22a7

Nice crust with a lovely bacon eggy mixture- I would have put in more bacon and less of the green stuff but it was puppy passable, so five paws.

Yum

Spinach and Bacon Puff Pastry Quiche

Ingredients

6 Whole eggs
¼-½ cup whipped cream cheese(room temperature)
½ Large onion finely diced
½# Cheddar cheese cut into small dice
½# Bacon cut into ½" lardons
1½ cups Milk, ½&½ or heavy cream
10 oz package of spinach thawed and drained
1 sheet of puff pastry
salt & pepper

Instructions

Begin by defrosting the spinach and the puff pastry. Once the spinach is defrosted place it in a kitchen towel and wring out as much moisture as you can . Once dried chop fine.
Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and when softened roll out to a 11 or 12" square. Then place into a 9' glass pie pan.
While the pastry is defrosting diced the bacon and on medium heat cook until crisp. Remove to a paper towel to drain and cool.
Drain off most of the bacon fat, add the onions and saute until translucent. remove from the pan to cool.
Preheat oven to 425º.
Take the eggs, milk and whipped cream cheese and whisk briskly until all are combined and the cream cheese is in lumps the size of small peas.
Add the bacon, onion, spinach and cheddar cheese and about a teaspoon each of salt and pepper to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pie pan. You can trim the pastry and crimp it around the edges of the pie plate or simply fold the four corners over the top of the egg mixture.
Bake in a 425º oven for about 25 minutes until the crust begins to brown and the egg mixture is set.
Remove from the oven and allow the quiché to cool on a wire rack for about 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve. Serve with sour cream on the side.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

https://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/spinach-and-bacon-puff-pastry-quiche/

If you enjoy our site and are thinking of purchasing anything from Amazon, please use the link to Amazon from our site. It doesn’t cost you anything and we profit from the ads and purchases .

Please help us keep our blog going by letting your friends know we’re here and by checking out the links on our front page.

May 18, 2015May 18, 2015

Deep Dish Pizza

During my last move I broke my baking stone, and so have not been able to make home-made pizza, or so I thought. My son has moved to Chicago and love’s it there ( a little too cold for me). This got me thinking, always a dangerous proposition, and I thought about “world-famous” Chicago deep dish pizza.

All I needed was a good sized cast iron pan and I was off to the races. This recipe isn’t so much about ingredients as it is techniques. You make up your pizza any way you want red, white, green a combination the choices of what to add to a pizza are astronomical. You can use a home-made dough if you have a good recipe or buy some at a pizza shop or in most grocery chains today.

Ingredients for Deep Dish Pizza

Easy Pizza Dough:

3 cup all purpose flour*
2 tsp or one ¼oz. package active yeast
2 tsp Kosher salt
2+ Tbs Olive oil
1+ cups warm water

*If you want a crispier crust use bread flour instead of all-purpose

For the deep Dish Pizza Topping:

What ever you want. Use a pizza sauce as a base and add toppings, or use a cheese base, or just Olive oil.

Add vegetables, different cheeses, an assortment of meats. The pizza police will not come knocking on your door to tell you you’re doing something wrong.

For the example we made, I used left over spaghetti sauce thinly spread over the oiled dough, then layered carmelized onions, thin slices of sweet sausage, thin slices of tomato sprinkled with a little Olive oil and a dash of dried Oregano and salt, and finished with a sprinkling of grated Asiago and Parmesan cheeses.

Directions for Deep Dish Pizza

For the Pizza Dough:

In this recipe I used a 12″ cast iron skillet with a 10″ diameter bottom.

If you want a crisper pie crust substitute bread flour in the same amounts.

In a large bowl place the flour yeast and salt and stir to combine.

Make a well in the center of the flour and add 1 cup of warm water and the 2 Tbs. of Olive oil. Either by hand or with a large spoon mix the ingredients until a dough forms and most of the raw flour is nor visible. If the dough is too dry continue to add water a tablespoon at a time. You should end up with a not too sticky dough. place the dough on to a lightly floured surface a knead until you have a smooth ball of dough.

Place the dough in a bowl with a little Olive oil and turn to coat the dough, place a towel over the bowl and let the dough rest and rise for 1-2 hours until about doubled in size.

The dough once risen is ready for use, or you can refrigerate in an oiled plastic bag to use another day, just allow to come to room temperature before proceeding.

Take your finished dough and work or roll it out to about a 14″ circle that will be about ¼” thick.

Here’s the important part take your cast iron skillet and generously oil the bottom and sides. Place the dough in the pan and evenly up all the sides and oil the top of the dough. If you want a thicker crust allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes to an hour before assembly, other wise begin to build your pizza.

Preheat you oven to 500º.

Bake your assembled pizza for about 20 minutes until the top of the crust is golden brown and the ingredients are bubbling.

Remove from the oven and allow the pie to sit for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

For an alternative you could also use a good foccicia recipe and make a pie with a slightly thicker crust: http://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/focaccia/. For one pie use abour 1/3 of the recipe.

Here are a few items to help make this recipe:
Lodge L10SK3 Pre-Seasoned Skillet, 12-Inch
Zyliss Classic Rotary Cheese Grater

Couldn’t have the toppings because of the onions, but the crust was a true treat for this S.A.P.P.. Five paws!

Yum

Deep Dish Pizza

Ingredients

Easy Pizza Dough:
3 cup all purpose flour*
2 tsp or one ¼oz. package active yeast
2 tsp Kosher salt
2+ Tbs Olive oil
1+ cups warm water
*If you want a crispier crust use bread flour instead of all-purpose
For the deep Dish Pizza Topping:
What ever you want. Use a pizza sauce as a base and add toppings, or use a cheese base, or just Olive oil.
Add vegetables, different cheeses, an assortment of meats. The pizza police will not come knocking on your door to tell you you're doing something wrong.
For the example we made, I used left over spaghetti sauce thinly spread over the oiled dough, then layered carmelized onions, thin slices of sweet sausage, thin slices of tomato sprinkled with a little Olive oil and a dash of dried Oregano and salt, and finished with a sprinkling of grated Asiago and Parmesan cheeses.

Instructions

For the Pizza Dough:
In this recipe I used a 12" cast iron skillet with a 10" diameter bottom.
If you want a crisper pie crust substitute bread flour in the same amounts.
In a large bowl place the flour yeast and salt and stir to combine.
Make a well in the center of the flour and add 1 cup of warm water and the Olive oil. Either by hand or with a large spoon mix the ingredients until a dough forms and most of the raw flour is nor visible. If the dough is too dry continue to add water a tablespoon at a time. You should end up with a not too sticky dough. place the dough on to a lightly floured surface a knead until you have a smooth ball of dough.
Place the dough in a bowl with a little Olive oil and turn to coat the dough, place a towel over the bowl and let the dough rest and rise for 1-2 hours until about doubled in size.
The dough once risen is ready for use, or you can refrigerate in an oiled plastic bag to use another day, just allow to come to room temperature before proceeding.
Take your finished dough and work or roll it out to about a 14" circle that will be about ¼" thick.
Take your cast iron skillet and generously oil the bottom and sides. Place the dough in the pan and evenly up all the sides. Oil the top of the dough. If you want a thicker crust allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes to an hour other wise begin to assemble your pizza.
Preheat you oven to 500º.
Bake your assembled pizza for about 20 minutes until the top of the crust is golden brown and the ingredients are bubbling.
Remove from the oven and allow the pie to sit for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
For an alternative you could also use a good foccicia recipe and make a pie with a slightly thicker crust: http://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/focaccia/. For one pie use abour 1/3 of the recipe.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

https://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/deep-dish-pizza/

If you enjoy our site and are thinking of purchasing anything from Amazon, please use the link to Amazon from our site. It doesn’t cost you anything and we profit from the ads and purchases .

Please help us keep our blog going by letting your friends know we’re here and by checking out the links on our front page.