When "Easy as Pie" Makes Sense

        Sometimes I wonder who coined the phrase, "easy as pie." I've mulled those three words over in my mind countless times when working with pastry. Pastry, like pie crust for example, isn't too hard once you get the hang of it, but it's far from easy when you're just starting out. At least, it was for me. It took a long time before I knew what I was doing, but I loved homemade pie crust too much to simply purchase it store-bought.
        Then came puff pastry. Making your own puff pastry is supposed to be very time-consuming -- it can take over five hours of prep-time. There are some days when I'm perfectly willing to spend that amount of time in the kitchen. There are other days when I want to pop into the kitchen for only a few minutes, throw a few ingredients together and into the oven, be on my way, and pop back in half an hour later to find… magic. I love to find a meal that seems to defy logic -- so little time and effort is needed to produce it, yet the meal itself manages to be incredibly delicious.

Chicken Pie with Puff Pastry

        I was overjoyed to receive a cookbook for Christmas from my Zia Nadia -- Donna Hay's Fast, Fresh, Simple. The book focuses on every day recipes that are exactly as the title says, none of the recipes are intimidating or require hours and hours on end, and all of them look amazing. Thank you, Zia!
        I can't stress enough how easy it was to make this chicken pie, and how delicious it turned out. Magic, I tell you. My mother and brother raved about the pie and believed I had spent hours making it. Of course, you can spend those extra hours making the puff pastry yourself if you truly want to, but in this case the extra work isn't necessary at all. Another plus -- no fuss with a pie tin.

        Trust me...
        It's easy as pie.

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Chicken Pie with Puff Pastry
(adapted from Fast, Fresh, Simple)
Print this Recipe
Yield: 6 servings


Ingredients
2 cups (320g) coarsely chopped cooked chicken
3/4 cup (180g) sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 x 200g sheets store-bought butter puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 340 degrees F (180 degrees C). In a medium bowl, combine chicken, sour cream, basil, lemon rind, mustard, salt and pepper. Roll out the first sheet of puff pastry and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
2. Spoon the chicken filling into the centre of the pastry. Brush just the inside edge of the pastry with some of the beaten egg. Roll out the second pastry and place over the filling. Gently press the edges together to seal. Use the remaining egg to brush over the top of the pie. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden.