Recipe: Springtime Vegetable Potpie with Surefire Cream Cheese Crust

SPRINGTIME VEGETABLE POTPIE

FOR THE SAUCE:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable broth
FOR THE FILLING:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 pound new or red-skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 carrots, thinly sliced crosswise
2 ounces (a handful) green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (9-ounce) package thawed frozen artichoke hearts
2 cups thawed frozen green peas
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Surefire Cream Cheese Crust (recipe follows)

Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Have 8-cup-capacity baking dish at the ready.

TO MAKE THE SAUCE:
Melt butter over low heat in medium saucepan. Once melted, add flour and increase heat to medium. While stirring constantly, cook butter and flour until bubbling and turning golden, about 1 minute.

Slowly pour in vegetable broth while whisking constantly until sauce is smooth. Bring to gentle boil and cook 5 minutes. Sauce will thicken slightly to consistency of thick syrup. Set aside while you cook the onions.

TO MAKE FILLING:
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced and chopped onion and garlic and cook, while stirring often, until onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add onion mixture to pan with sauce. Stir in potatoes, carrots, green beans, artichoke hearts, peas, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley and dill.

Return saucepan to medium heat and cook about 10 minutes, adjusting heat to keep the liquid at a gentle boil until potatoes and carrots are soft; stir often. Remove saucepan from heat and add salt and pepper, to taste.

TO MAKE THE PIE:
Transfer filling to baking dish and let cool about 15 minutes while you roll the crust. Lightly flour rolling surface and rolling pin. Roll dough to shape that is 1 inch larger than top of baking dish. Roll crust around the rolling pin and unroll it over top of baking dish. Fold 1/2 inch of the edge of the crust under to form a smooth edge. Use thumb and forefinger to pinch edge into fluted or scalloped pattern around edge of dish while pressing it firmly onto the rim.

Brush top lightly with water and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut four 2-inch-long slits in top of crust to release steam while potpie bakes.

Bake 35 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned. Let rest for 5 minutes, and then use large spoon to cut through crust and scoop out servings of crust and filling.

SUREFIRE CREAM CHEESE CRUST
Makes 1 crust

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into 3 pieces

Sift flour and salt together in small bowl and set aside. In separate bowl, using electric mixer on low speed, beat butter and cream cheese until smoothly blended, about 45 seconds. Incorporate flour mixture until dough holds together and forms large clumps that pull away from sides of bowl, about 30 seconds.

Form dough into smooth ball, flatten into a 6-inch disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or as long as overnight. Dough should be room-temperature before rolling.

To freeze the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Dough will keep up to one month. Defrost and let come to room temperature before rolling.

Source: Potpies: Yumminess in a Dish by Elinor Klivans