A feast in a single bite
IN a winter when Angelenos have seen such sights as a snow plow working the streets of Malibu, it’s no surprise that there’s a revival of interest in warm, rich, delicious pot pie.
It’s what diners tuck into on any given chilly evening at the 2-month-old Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen in Santa Monica, just 10 blocks from the beach. “We keep making more of them and every night they sell out,” says general manager and co-owner Josh Loeb. “We figured people would love the burger ... but it’s the pot pie” -- a modern, crowd-pleasing root-vegetable pot pie -- that has been a surprise hit.
Each baked-to-order pie, filled with bechamel-coated parsnips, carrots, baby turnips, pearl onions, fingerling potatoes and a bit of baby Swiss chard, is aromatic with thyme and a pinch of nutmeg. The whole thing -- enough for two -- is blanketed with a flaky crust.
Chef Samir Mohajer uses a cream cheese dough for his crust, made with equal parts butter and cream cheese. Butter gives it a melt-in-the-mouth quality, and the cream cheese makes it even more tender and flavorful. It’s a rolled-in dough (like a puff pastry, it’s folded into thirds before it’s rolled), which results in a fluffy, layered crust. “I wouldn’t think of using any other type of crust with this pot pie,” Mohajer says.
The brilliant touch is a wild herb salad that sits atop the pot pie, a tangle of spicy cress that Mohajer picks up from the Coleman Family Farms stand at the Santa Monica farmers market. Also known as upland cress or winter cress, the small, notch-leafed greens are delicate but with a peppery bite, although not quite as pungent as watercress. They’re dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice, a sprinkling of salt and pepper, and lend a freshness and even a sophistication to the pot pie, a rustic dish suddenly made polished, surprisingly exciting even.
Like the version at Rustic Canyon, pot pies can be thoroughly modern -- and still profoundly satisfying. Update the familiar chicken pot pie with attention-getting ingredients such as chorizo and saffron, crown it with a biscuity cornmeal crust flecked with thyme, and you’ll have a sensational dish still utterly recognizable as chicken pot pie.
As modest as the dish might be, pot pie has appeared on many a high-end menu over the last decade. Thomas Keller’s forest mushroom pot pie is packed with hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and served with matignon of root vegetables. Charlie Trotter has made a version filled with veal and mushrooms. One of Michael Mina’s signature dishes is lobster pot pie made with the meat from a whole lobster under a dome of pastry. And Rustic Canyon’s Loeb says his inspiration for putting a pot pie on the menu was at least partly from a Daniel Boulud recipe he had once come across.
What transforms pot pie into a luxury dish is an investment of some time (a great luxury, of course). A sumptuous duck pot pie with a crust that relies on duck fat doesn’t cut corners, and the result -- tender pieces of duck, turnips, carrots and kale in a delicious saucy stew -- is well worth the considerable effort. Approach making it the same way you might a cassoulet: You could do it all in one day or at a more leisurely pace over two. Roast the duck, render the duck fat (alternatively, you could buy duck fat) and make the stock the first day and then assemble the pie on the second. With duck stock in the sauce and a little duck fat in the roux, it’s something of a duck extravaganza. It’s great for a dinner party, brought to the table in a big casserole and served with a glass of Gigondas.
Perfect for a snowy day in Malibu, or when the temperature dips down into the mid-60s. Brrrrr!
donna.deane@latimes.com
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Winter root vegetable pot pie with spicy cress salad
Total time: About 2 hours
Servings: 4
Note: From executive chef Samir Mohajer at Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen. This recipe calls for casserole dishes that are about 5 inches in diameter with a 2-cup capacity; each will serve two. You may substitute curly cress, watercress or arugula for spicy cress.
Cream cheese dough
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
4 ounces cream cheese
Scant 1 cup flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Cut the butter and cream cheese into small cubes. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour and salt on low. Add the butter and cream cheese a few cubes at a time until all are added. Mix until well combined, about 3 minutes.
2. On a well-floured surface (the dough can get sticky), roll the dough out evenly into a rectangular shape. Then fold the dough into thirds as if you were folding a letter. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow it to rest.
3. Roll the dough out evenly about one-fourth inch thick. Cut the dough so that it will fit over the desired casserole dishes, allowing a half-inch margin all the way around. Keep refrigerated until ready to assemble.
Root vegetables
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 baby turnips, peeled and quartered
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 fingerling potatoes cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
6 pearl onions, peeled and cut in half
Sprig of thyme
1/4 cup best-quality olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 bunch baby Swiss chard, cut roughly into 2-inch strips
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the carrots, parsnips, turnips, garlic, potatoes and onions with the thyme, oil and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Spread the vegetables out on a sheet pan and roast in the oven until almost cooked through, about 40 minutes. Discard the thyme sprig and set the vegetables aside.
3. Rinse and dry the chard. In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat, then add the shallots and chard. Lightly saute just until the color turns bright, about 30 seconds to a minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
Bechamel, spicy cress salad and assembly
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Scant 1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons white wine
1 1/4 cups milk
Salt and pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
1 egg
2 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) spicy cress
1/2 tablespoon chopped
shallots
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon best-quality olive oil
Sea salt
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and saute the onions with the thyme until the onions are translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Add the flour and mix well with a whisk, stirring until the mixture incorporates and forms a pale roux, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the white wine and stir to blend.
3. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, carefully bring the milk to a boil. Carefully add the hot milk to the sauce and bring it to a boil to allow to thicken. Remove from the heat and season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the root vegetables, the chard and enough bechamel to coat the vegetables. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
5. Fill the casserole dishes with the bechamel-coated vegetables. Place the cut dough over the casserole dishes and push the center of the dough down to touch the vegetables. Using your fingers or a fork, crimp the edges of the dough all the way around the casserole dish. Using a paring knife, cut a half-inch slit in the center of the dough.
6. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and use a pastry brush to brush egg wash over the dough thoroughly. Bake the pot pies for about 45 minutes, or until dough is golden brown.
7. Toss the spicy cress and shallots in a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and olive oil to cover the greens. Toss and season with sea salt. Serve the pot pie hot out of the oven with a bunch of spicy cress salad on top.
Each serving: 855 calories; 13 grams protein; 61 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams fiber; 64 grams fat; 32 grams saturated fat; 162 mg. cholesterol; 432 mg. sodium.
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Roasted duck pot pie
Total time: About 5 1/2 hours, including roasting and baking time
Servings: 10
Note: From test kitchen director Donna Deane. Duck fat (if you would rather buy it than render it from the duck) is available at Bristol Farms stores, Surfas in Culver City and Monsieur Marcel in Los Angeles. This recipe calls for a 2-quart, 4-inch deep casserole.
1 (5-pound) duck
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt to taste
2 carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
2 sprigs thyme
4 to 5 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups torn kale (torn in bite-size pieces)
4 small carrots, peeled and sliced ( 1/4 inch on the
diagonal)
4 turnips peeled and cut in 3/4 -inch cubes
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup duck fat
1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the cavity of the duck well under cold running water until the water runs clear. Set aside all giblets but the liver (discard the liver) for making stock. Pat the duck dry and rub about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on the outside of the duck. Season with salt.
2. In a roasting pan, toss the carrots, onion, celery and thyme with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place the duck on top of the vegetables; roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to roast an additional 1 hour to 1 hour, 20 minutes until a thermometer inserted in the thigh reaches 145 degrees. (The meat will be pink.) Remove the duck from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle.
3. For the duck fat, strain the roasting juices from the pan and skim the fat from the juices (you should have two-thirds cup fat for the crust). Place it in the freezer until the fat completely solidifies, about 2 hours. Once the roasted duck has cooled, remove skin and fat. Tear the skin into pieces and place it in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat to render the fat, about 1 1/2 hours. Strain fat and set aside. You’ll need about a one-fourth cup fat for the roux for the filling. If you’re short of fat, you can add butter.
4. Meanwhile, remove the duck meat from the carcass; set aside the carcass for stock. Shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Cover and set aside.
5. For the stock, scrape the roasted vegetables along with any drippings into a saucepot. Add the reserved giblets along with the duck carcass from roasting the duck. Add 10 cups water, black peppercorns and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer about 1 1/2 hours. Skim off the excess fat as the stock cooks. Remove from the heat and strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer. Rinse the saucepot and pour the strained broth back into the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce until the stock measures about 4 cups.
6. Prepare the vegetables. In a clean pot, blanch the kale in boiling salted water about 1 minute, drain well and set aside. In a saute or frying pan, cook sliced carrots and turnips in 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat until just tender, 7 to 8 minutes.
7. For the roux, heat one-fourth cup duck fat in a small saucepan until hot. Stir or whisk in one-third cup flour and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, then stir the roux into the hot stock. Heat and stir until the sauce is smooth. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Season to taste with salt. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
8. Stir the shredded duck along with sauteed vegetables and the kale into the sauce. Cover and keep warm.
Crust and assembly
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup cold duck fat, packed
4 tablespoons ice water
Milk for brushing on pastry
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Stir together the flour, salt and black pepper. Quickly cut in the cold duck fat with a pastry cutter or by hand until the fat forms pieces the size of small peas. Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until the dough is moistened and it forms a ball. Shape the dough into a flat disc. The dough will be soft and easy to roll out on a heavily floured surface. Flour the rolling pin as well. (The dough should not be chilled. It will become crumbly and difficult to roll if chilled.)
2. Lightly roll out the dough on a well-floured surface into an 11-inch circle. (The dough is easy to patch if necessary.) Using a 1-inch round cutter, cut a hole in the center of the dough.
3. Spoon the hot duck filling into a casserole. Roll the rolled dough partly around a rolling pin and gently lift it onto the top of the dish. Use a fork to seal the crust to the rim of the dish and trim any excess. Brush the pastry with milk. Put the casserole on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake about 45 minutes until it is golden brown.
Each serving: 432 calories; 17 grams protein; 27 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 28 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 78 mg. cholesterol; 549 mg. sodium.
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Chicken pot pie espanola
Total time: About 2 hours
Servings: 6
Note: From Donna Deane. Spanish chorizo is available at Whole Foods stores, Surfas in Culver City, Spain Restaurant in Silver Lake and La Espanola in Harbor City. This recipe calls for six (8-ounce) ramekins or casserole dishes.
3 chicken breast halves
4 chicken thighs
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
1/2 small carrot, peeled
1 small bay leaf
4 black peppercorns
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion ( 1/4 -inch dice)
1 cup diced carrot ( 1/4 -inch dice)
1/2 cup thinly sliced Spanish chorizo
1/3 cup butter
1 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, divided
Salt
1/4 teaspoon saffron, soaked in 1 teaspoon warm water
6 tablespoons coarse cornmeal
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons cold butter
3/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
3/4 cup milk
1. Into a large pot, put the chicken breasts, chicken thighs, onion, one-half carrot, bay leaf and black peppercorns. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until chicken is tender, but not quite done, about 15 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken from the broth. Let stand until cool enough to handle, then remove the skin and bones and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside. Strain the broth and skim off excess fat. You should have about 4 cups.
3. Rinse and dry the pot from cooking the chicken. Add olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the diced onion and carrots and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced chorizo and saute 2 to 3 minutes.
4. While the chorizo is cooking, in a separate small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir or whisk in one-third cup of the flour and cook, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, then stir the roux into the vegetables with the chorizo. Stir in the 4 cups chicken broth.
5. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and stir until smooth. Season to taste with salt. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the saffron and chicken, cover and keep warm.
6. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, the cornmeal, baking powder and three-fourths teaspoon salt. Cut up the cold butter and add it to the flour and work it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or by hand until the fat is evenly incorporated into the flour mixture. Stir in the minced thyme.
7. Make a well in the center. Stir in the milk and quickly mix into the dough, being careful not to overmix. Set aside.
8. Cover the bottom of a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Put six ramekins on the baking sheet and divide the hot chicken filling into the ramekins. Top each of the pot pies with an equal amount of cornmeal topping. Gently spread the topping to within one inch of the edge. Do not smooth the topping but try to leave it lumpy for some texture. Bake until the cornmeal topping is browned and the dough tests done in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot.
Each serving: 676 calories; 43 grams protein; 36 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 39 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 166 mg. cholesterol; 1,285 mg. sodium.
