Procedure

1) Prepare the flaky pastry. Tip the flour and the salt into a food processor, then add the cubed cold butter. If working with a food processor, pulse the butter through the flour a few times, until you get a crumble like mixture. (If you’re not using a food processor, tip the flour and the salt into a bowl, add the cubed butter and using a palette knife, incorporate the butter into the flour until you get a crumble like mixture.) Add the water and bring everything together to a dough. Don’t overwork the dough as this will cause the gluten to develop and you’ll end up with a chewy pastry. You want the pastry to be short and flaky.

2) Tip the dough onto a clean lightly floured surface and roll it out into a longer rectangle, e.g. 30cm x 15cm. Fold the top third down to the centre, then bring the bottom third up and over. Give the dough a quarter turn, either side; then repeat the rolling and folding process. Wrap the dough in cling film and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Repeat the process two more times. After the second roll and fold, wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least an hour before using. We recommend that you chill the pastry overnight for the best results.

3) Chicken & mushroom filling. Dice an onion and slice the bacon rashers. Gently fry these in a little bit of olive oil until nicely browned. Add the diced chicken thighs, and fry these for about 5 minutes whilst stirring from time to time. Next add the mushrooms, and let these cook for a few minutes. Mushrooms will release some water and this will then help you to judge how much stock you’d want to add.

4) Add the bay leaves and thyme, a heaped tablespoon of crème fraîche, a tablespoon of flour, and mix well. Next, add the chicken stock. We used just enough stock to cover the chicken, but please adjust this according to how much sauce you’d like. Season with some ground black pepper and salt. We recommend that you taste the filling just before it’s done and then you season with the salt.  This is because the bacon rashers and the chicken stock would add some salt to the dish and you don’t want to make it too salty.

5) Spoon the chicken & mushroom filling into a pie dish, we used 20 x 30cm one, but you can use smaller ones to make individual portions.

6) Remove the pastry from the fridge, roll it out to about 3-4cm thick, or as thick or thin as you like. Lightly brush the inner edges of the pie dish with some beaten egg. You can fix a long thin strip of the pastry to the inside of the pie dish, all around; for the pastry to stick better. Lift the pastry over the pie with a help of the rolling pin. Gently press the edges and trim with a knife. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and dock it with a fork.

7) Bake in the preheated oven at 200C / 180C fan for about 35 – 40 minutes, or until the pastry is risen and golden brown.

8) Spoon some pie onto a plate and serve. Enjoy!

This recipe has been prepared by flavouЯRythm