Recipe: Individual Sugar Snap Pea and Chicken Pot Pies (using puff pastry dough)

INDIVIDUAL SUGAR SNAP PEA AND CHICKEN POT PIES

"Untraditional but delicious, these shortcut chicken pot pies look spectacular with their puff pastry bonnets. They are a great way to use up leftover roast chicken."

FOR THE VEGETABLES:
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/2-inch thick
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely diced
4 ounces (about 1 cup) sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved lengthwise
FOR THE GRAVY:
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
FOR THE PIES:
8 ounces cooked chicken breast meat, cut into 1x3-inch strips
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

TO PRPARE THE VEGETABLES:
In a large heavy saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil over high heat. Add the potato, carrots, onions, rosemary, Tabasco sauce, and salt. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Add the pepper and peas and boil for 30 seconds, just until the peas turn bright green. Drain the vegetables in a colander set over a bowl to catch the chicken broth. Set aside.

TO MAKE THE GRAVY:
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour in 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, until thickened and bubbly, stirring frequently.

TO MAKE THE PIES:
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Put the chicken strips in the bottoms of four lightly buttered ramekins or souffle dishes. Top the chicken with the vegetables. Spoon the sauce equally into the ramekins.

On a floured surface, cut the pastry into 4 rectangles. Brush the outside of the ramekin rims with some of the egg mixture. Place a pastry rectangle over each ramekin and press firmly around the edges to seal. Trim the dough to make a neat edge, and brush the tops with the egg mixture.

Put the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and well browned. Serve at once.

Makes 4 servings
Source: The Tabasco Cookbook by Paul McIlhenny with Barbara Hunter, 2004