Chicken Pot Pie

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
2 cups cooked cubed chicken
1 10 ounce package frozen peas and carrots
1 medium potato, cooked and cubed, about 1 1/2 cups
cheddar pie Crust or other unbaked pie crust

Melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth. Stir in broth, whipping cream and bouillon. Heat to a boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken, peas and carrots and potato. Heat oven to 425F. Pour chicken mixture into pastry lined pie plate. Top with other pie crust and trim. Seal and flute. Cut a few small slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake 35 minutes, or until light golden brown. Allow pie to sit for 15 minutes before cutting into. 4 to 6 servings.

Cheddar Pie Crust

1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening, chilled
1/4 cup butter, chilled
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon vinegar mixed with 1/3 cup cold water

Combine flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut shortening and butter into small pieces and add to flour. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until crumbs begin to form. Add cheese and cut in to mix. Pour in water mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time and mix until dough forms a ball. Do not add too much water. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Specks of butter and cheese will be visible in dough. Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours. Divide dough into 2 pieces and roll into 11 inch circles. Use in pot pie recipe above. Makes 1 double crust pie dough.

BISCUIT CRUST CHICKEN PIE

3-4 cups chicken broth 3 large potatoes, quartered 3 carrots, sliced 2 stalks celery. sliced 3 cups cooked chicken, cubed 1 3-4 lb chicken 1 sweet onion, chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil 3/4 stick sweet unsalted butter 1/3 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon thyme 1/4 teaspoon sage or bell seasoning 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves 5 cloves fresh garlic, chopped BISCUIT DOUGH FOR THE CRUST: 1 1/3 cup flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/3 cup buttermilk 1/2 teaspoon salt 5 tablespoon butter, sliced thin 1/3 cup sharp cheddar, grated 1 egg In saucepan melt butter, add olive oil and chopped onion. Fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add herbs, vegetables and garlic and fry 2 more minutes then remove from heat. Stir in flour and blend with fork. Return to heat and slowly add broth, mixing with wire whisk until smooth. Simmer on low heat until vegetables are nearly tender but not mushy. For the crust, stir baking powder, soda and salt into flour and mix well. Cut cold butter (you can freeze it for best results) into flour mixture until only chunks the size of walnuts remain. Add cheese. (A nice addition is to add some chopped fresh rosemary to the crust but this is optional). Beat the egg with the buttermilk and stir into the dough. Gather the dough into a ball, place in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for 10-15 minutes to rest. This prevents gluten from developing. It's important not to overwork the dough or you will cause it to become tough. Roll dough out on board to 1/2 inch thick. Cut out rounds of dough with a 2-3 inch biscuit cutter. Put cooled chicken mixture in deep dish casserole. Place rounds of biscuit dough until chicken mixture is covered. Brush top with milk or cream. Bake at 425 degrees F for approximately 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Optional: Use Pillsbury flaky biscuits (from a tube) as a substitute when in a hurry.