Amy & Rachel's Couples Night- Pot Pies

Pie dough recipe for tops (just OMIT the sugar for savory pot pies):
https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/pie-crust-102-all-butter-really-flaky-pie-dough/
The dough recipe makes 16 golf ball sized balls, which roll out to cover 16 ramekins (it could easily cover 17 or 18 if needed).  Dough can be made a few days in advance and kept in the fridge or frozen (just thaw in fridge before rolling out).  Keep dough cold in fridge until you roll out & place on ramekins - then cook immediately or put ramekins back in fridge or freezer.
If you freeze the ramekins, just thaw all day on your countertop before baking.  Egg wash, salt, and pepper the tops just before baking on a foil lined baking sheet (375 for 40 min, then let cool for 30 min)

I bought the disposable tin ramekins on amazon (50 pack for $16)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XCXY3DJ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
***These ramekins make it easy to freeze and cook individual pies, very easy clean up, and great for taking to neighbors too!

Potato, Bacon, Spinach Pot Pie (makes 12 ramekins)

7 potatoes, cut into a fry shape using a mandolin then dice so you get small cubes.  Place in a large bowl

Cook and crumble 1 pound bacon (I like Smith's thick-cut peppered bacon from the meat counter).  Remove bacon to the bowl, but keep some bacon grease in the pan and add 1 large diced onion and cook over medium-high heat 3–4 minutes, add some minced garlic the last minute, then remove from the heat and let everything cool.  Once cooled, add to the potato bowl.
In a strainer, put a 12 ounces of frozen chopped spinach.  Run warm water over the spinach to thaw, then squeeze out all the moisture.   Add to the bowl with the potatoes.
Mix everything together with the Béchamel sauce.  Fill ramekins to top, then top with a pie round.  Press dough lightly down around the edges.  Egg wash (1 egg & 1 Tblsp. water beaten together) the tops, then sprinkle salt and pepper on top.  Place on foil lined baking sheet and Bake at 375 for 40 min.  Let cool for 30 min before serving.

Béchamel sauce

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups hot milk
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1C Gruyere, grated (3 oz.)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Melt the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter–flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.

Beef pie (makes 13 ramekins)

3 tbsp olive oil

3lb chuck steak, cut into 1cm cubes (can toss in flour or skip it)

8oz box each of sliced Bella & shiitake mushrooms 

3 1/2 C. beef stock

1 1/2 C. red wine

2 tbsp dijon mustard

2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

dash of garam marsala

2 beef bullion cubes

1 1/2 sticks butter

2 onions, peeled and diced

1/2 Tblsp. minced Garlic

3/4 C. flour

1/4 C. heavy cream

1-2 Tblsp. of fresh chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Place 2-3 Tbsp of oil in a large pan over high heat. Add half the beef and sear until the outside is lightly browned. Remove from the pot into a bowl and repeat with remaining beef.  Saute mushrooms then remove to bowl with beef.

In a sauce pot, heat the beef stock, red wine, dijon, worcestershire, garam marsala, and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. 

In the large pan you cooked the beef in, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent.  and garlic in the last few minutes.  

Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot beef stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoon pepper, parsley, and heavy cream. Add the cubed beef, and mushrooms. Mix well.

Fill ramekins almost to top, then top with a pie round.  Press dough lightly down around the edges.  Egg wash (1 egg & 1 Tblsp. water beaten together) the tops, then sprinkle salt and pepper on top.  Place on foil lined baking sheet and Bake at 375 for 40 min.  Let cool for 30 min before serving.

Chicken Pesto Pot Pie (makes about 8 ramekins)

3C. diced cooked chicken  
chopped up 7oz can of artichoke hearts, 
1/2 C. chopped roasted red peppers
12oz jar pesto  
1/2 C. cream
2 C. mozzarella (I used a mozzarella ball that I chopped up into chunks)
1 1/2 C. fresh chopped tomatoes

Mix all together in a bowl, then fill to the tops of the ramekins.  Top with rolled out pie dough, egg wash the tops.  Sprinkle salt and pepper on top and bake on foil covered cookie sheet at 375 for 35-40 min.  Let cool for 30 min before serving.

Squash & Sausage

1lb. Sausage,
1 chopped red onion,
fresh sage
2lbs chopped butternut squash
Béchamel sauce (same as above in Potato/Spinach pie but use 8oz. goat cheese crumbles instead of parmesan & gruyere in the sauce)

I actually used brats and cut them up into bite size pieces.  Cook those in a pan with the onion until the sausage has some browning but it's not fully cooked.  Remove to a bowl.  Then put about 2 tsp of butter in the same pan and let it melt, then add the sage leaves.  Let them brown up, then remove to a chopping board to cool.  Add 3 TBSP of butter to pan and put the butternut squash pieces in, cook on a fairly high heat to allow the squash to brown up for a few minutes but DON'T cook it through, you can flavor the squash with some salt and pepper.  Chop up your cooled and crispy sage leaves.  let everything cool then mix together with your Béchamel sauce.

Other Pot Pie ideas!
Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, onions, in gravy sauce and serve with cranberry sauce on the side

Pork and onion

Virgin Bluberry Mojito-sort of:

Ice
2 liter Sprite
1 cup Crush a blue berries to muddle sprite
½ bunch Crushed fresh mint
Lime juice of 1 lime
Mint leaf as garnish


* Muddle the fresh blueberries and mint leaves together till it's properly mashed and juicy.
* Add this muddled mix into a tall glass, followed by adding sugar and lime juice. Stir well.
* Add crushed ice, water and top with soda.

*I strained the blueberry and mint before putting it in the drink

Dessert: Blackberry Icecream/Custard and Lemon Cream Cheese Crumb Cake
Ingredients
for the cake layer:
* 1 cup and 1/2 all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil
* 2 large eggs
* 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest
* 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
for the cream cheese layer:
* 1 8 oz . brick of cream cheese softened to room temperature
* 1 large egg
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
for the crumb topping:
* 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted, cooled to room temperature
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions
 







Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
 Grease a 13" x 9" baking pan. Set aside.
to make the cake:
1 In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients ( four, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt).
2 In another mixing bowl, whisk the wet ingredients (buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, oil, lemon zest and lemon juice).
3 Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
4 Spread the cake layer in the prepared pan.
to make the cheesecake layer:
1 In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until creamy.
2 Add vanilla, sugar and zest and mix in well.
3 Add egg and mix in well.
4 Drop spoonfuls of the cheesecake batter on the cake layer and gently spread with the back of the spoon. Try to keep it about 1/4" away from the edge.
to make the crumb topping:
1 In a medium mixing bowl, stir with a fork melted butter, sugar, salt and flour. Stir until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2 Sprinkle the crumb topping over the cream cheese layer.
3 Bake the cake for 33 to 37 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown, the crumb topping is golden and the cream cheese layer looks slightly puffed up. It will go down as the cake cools.
4 Cool the cake completely in the pan before serving.
Recipe Notes
You will need 1 whole lemon for this recipe. I love lemon desserts so I always use the zest from the whole lemon. In this recipe it's used in the cake layer as well as the cheesecake layer.

Delicious Blackberry Ice Cream
INGREDIENTS

* 2 pints Fresh Blackberries
* 1/2 whole Juiced Lemon
* 1/4 cup Sugar
* 1-1/2 cup Half-and-half
* 1 cup Sugar
* 5 whole Egg Yolks
* 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
INSTRUCTIONS

Add blackberries to a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice. Cook over low heat, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes. Drain using a fine mesh strainer, pressing berries to extract as much juice/puree as possible. Set aside. Heat half-and-half and 1 cup sugar in a separate saucepan over low heat. Turn off heat when mixture is totally heated. Beat egg yolks by hand or with an electric mixer until yolks are pale yellow and slightly thick. Temper the egg yolks by slowly drizzling into the 1 1/2 cups of hot half-and-half mixture, whisking constantly. After that, pour the egg yolk/half-and-half mixture into the pan containing the rest of the half-and-half mixture. Cook over low to medium-low heat (depending on how hot your stove gets) until quite thick, stirring constantly. Add heavy cream to a separate bowl. Drain custard using a fine mesh strainer, then pour into the bowl with the heavy cream. Stir to combine. Add blackberry juice/puree to the cream/custard mixture and stir. Chill mixture completely, then freeze in an ice cream maker until thick. Place container in freezer to harden for an additional two hours. Evil variation: Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chunks before freezing. Delicious!




Strawberry, Avacado, and spinach, Goat Cheese, Spinach Salad: 

Ingredients
* 4 cups baby spinach
* 4 sprigs mint, leaves removed and torn
* 1 avocado, sliced
* 8 strawberries, sliced
* 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
* 1/3 cup halved pecans
For the dressing
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* Juice and zest of 1 lime
* 1 Tablespoon honey
* Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
1. In a bowl, toss together all of the salad ingredients. In a small jelly jar with a tight fitting lid, shake the dressing ingredients until well combined. Pour over the salad right before serving. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!