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The two whole cups of sugar I poured into yesterday's buttermilk pie have had an effect.
I have all the ingredients for a cranberry-pecan pie ready to go. I love cranberry-pecan pie.
But last night I hit the wall. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't eat -- bless me, I couldn't even mix -- another dessert pie. I actually had to hide the simple syrup I keep on the counter for coffee.
Sugar and I: We are on a break. Five days into a Month of Pies, and I can't stand the sight of its sweet little face. I am pretty ready to punch sugar in the mouth.
So: Thank god for pot pie. Delectable, hearty, good-for-you, salty, dig-in-it's-dinner pot pie.
Stuffed with enough broccoli to feel healthy and enough cheese sauce to tap you on the shoulder and gently remind you that you are, after all, eating pie, this was my salvation today.
NB: When one is going about making a pie a day, one can't be bothered with recipe testing, so caveat eator. If using ramekins you'll probably have leftover pie dough; and if using the shallower pie pans you may have leftover cheese sauce.
What You Need for Broccoli-Cheddar Pot Pie
One pie's worth of dough -- prepurchased raw dough is ok but not premolded into a tin
4 5-inch pot pie pans, or shallow ramekins
Half a head of broccoli cut into small florets
1 1/2 T butter
1 1/2 T flour
Pinch of cayenne
1/4 t dry mustard
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 to 1 1/2 cups milk, hot
1/2 to 1 cups sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Finely diced ham; one egg, beaten with a little water, for egg wash
Cut your pie's worth of dough into 4 equal parts and roll them out. If you are using pot pie pans, roll the dough out to at least 7" round -- you're making a double-crust pie so you need a little extra. If you are using ramekins, just roll the dough to about 1/4'" thick and use a biscuit cutter (or the top of a drinking glass, or a knife) to cut rounds the size of the ramekin -- you're making top-crust-only pot pies. Return pie dough to fridge.
Mix flour, mustard and cayenne. Melt the butter in a saucepan. When foam subsides sprinkle in the flour mix well and whisk to combine into a paste. Cook for a couple of minutes. Slowly whisk in warm milk a little at a time. When you get to the consistency of about a nice breakfast gravy (after about a cup of milk), slowly whisk in about 1/4 cup more to thin it. Cook until it thickens back to gravy texture. Remove from heat and whisk in cheese and Worcestershire sauce plus salt and pepper to taste, adding extra hot milk as needed to get it to from pudding thickness back to gravy again.
Place broccoli florets and ham, if using, evenly in pans (atop dough) or in ramekins (no dough yet). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with about cup of cheese sauce.
If using pot pie pans, bring overhanging dough up over broccoli mixture to create a top crust. Twist or pinch to seal; if there's not enough dough, just leave the top partially uncovered and crimp the dough where it ends. If using ramekins, place the dough circles atop the broccoli mixture.
Brush lightly with egg wash, if using.
Bake for 40 minutes or until pie crust is golden and cheese is bubbly. Let cool completely on wire rack before eating -- if you can help yourself. It's so good … so … so … savory.
More Pot-Pie-Lovin' Bloggers
- Noob Cook has an even easier version using puff pastry
- Gluten Free Easily has a GF version.
- Leite's Culinaria has a luscious-looking, multi-step "labor of love."
- Sunday Baker potpieifies leftover roast chicken
- The Pioneer Woman has one for your day-after-Thanksgiving files: turkey pot pie.
I'm curious: How do you eat your pot pie? Do you flip it on a plate or eat it in the tin? Do you eat from the edges in or do you plunge right in?
Photo by Matt Mendoza via Flickr.
