The day i made 3 course dinner...

Well well well...about 2 weeks ago i don't know what came in to me to make a 3 course dinner for my family. OMG, just as i was writing that now i remember...haha, it was because my cousin had come down from Penang for his birthday and my dad has been bugging me to make pie and so my mum told me to cook. Yes yes..that is why. The initial plan was to make broccoli soup, some sort of beef or lamb filling for the pie and panna cotta for dessert. But i ended up with a creamy chicken filling because there were loads of chicken meat at home and a last minute change of dessert to something simpler like fruit jellies.


check out my soup design...(semangat :P)

BROCCOLI SOUP

2 cup vegetable stock
approx 200g broccoli
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat up stock in a pot then add broccoli and potatoes. Cook until vegetables are soft.
2. Let in cool abit then blend until smooth.
3. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper.
4. Gently reheat without boiling and serve warm.

easy peasy lemon squeezy....taste good too!


close up on the chicken + mushroom filling oozing out of the pie

INDIVIDUAL CREAMY CHICKEN PIE (makes 6)

SHORTCRUST PASTRY

3 cups plain flour
pinch of salt
3oz vegetable shortening, cut into cubes
3oz butter, cut into cubes
approx 6 tbsp cold water

1. Sift flour and salt together into a bowl. Add the shortening and butter.
2. Using both hands, rub the fat into the flour between finger and thumb tips. After few minutes there should be no lumps and mixture will look like bread crumbs.
3. Add water, stirring with fork until the mixture starts to stick togther. Collect it together and knead lightly to give a firm smooth dough.
4. Allow to rest in the fridge for about 15-30 minutes.
5. Sprinkle flour on a surface and roll out dough evenly. Cut out 6 circles to fit the base of pie containers and another 6 for the pie tops. Any leftover dough can be used as decoration like my cookie cut out star shapes :)

CREAMY CHICKEN FILLING

6 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed into bite sizes
1 can of mushrooms
1 cup sweet corn
1 small onion, chopped
40g butter
2 tbsp plain flour
3/4 milk
3/4 chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in pan. Add onions and mushrooms and cook till fragrant. Set aside into a large bowl together with chicken and corn.
2. In a pot, melt the butter. Add flour and stir till combined. Add the milk and stock gradually while stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
3.Remove from heat and add to the bowl of chicken and vegetables. Stir till combined.

Finally, place a piece of the circle dough in the bottom of the pie tin then add the chicken filling. Cover the top with another piece of circle dough and place any cut out shapes for decoration on top. Lastly brush with egg wash. Bake the pies for apporx 25-30 minutes at 190ºC or until pastry is golden brown.

Serve while still hot.



fruit jelly, last minute creation by yours truly

FRUIT JELLIES (makes 8 small individual servings)

You can use basically any fruit to your liking, i just so happen had the following fruits at hand.
approx 3-4 plums
2 apples
1 pear
honeydew melon, which has been melon-ballered (approx 2 balls per serving, hehee)
150ml water
50g caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon
25g gelatine, soaked in 6 tbsp cold water
150 white grape juice
if desired, pouring cream for serving

1. Cut fruits into same size cubes and place equal amounts into the prepared bowls.
2. Put the water, sugar in a pan and heat gently yo dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the gelatine. Stir until dissolved.
3. Leave to cool then add the lemon juice and grape juice. Strain into a jug.
4. Pour into the prepared bowls and chill until set.
5. Decorate with the cream to serve or serve the cream separately.

Tadaaaaaa....habis!!! I'm so tired from typing, just can't comment further..must stop here.

Enjoy!