Over the past several years, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to take cooking classes from The Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories in Santa Monica, California. Hands down, they are the best cooking school in Los Angeles. They are whom I compare against every other cooking class experience. They are also who taught me how to make these Homemade Pot Pies.
What doI love about Homemade Pot Pies? They are the perfect vehicle for leftovers and the variety of odds and ends you may have in your vegetable drawer.
These homemade pot pies were the result of a rainstorm outside, the house being just a little cold and an intense craving for something hearty and filling.
You can make your own pastry crust, or use store bought. I’ve done both with delicious results. My husband loves double-crust pot pies, with the crust on the top and bottom. Two crusts definitely fit the bill for hearty and filling! Plus, they freeze well, so make an extra and pop it in the freezer. That way you’ll be ready for the next rainstorm!
The leftovers in my pantry and refrigerator were a handful of Melissa’s Produce PeeWee Ruby Red Potatoes, carrots, onion and a few stray stalks of celery. With some butter and thyme, dinner perfection is merely an hour away. Everything gets diced into small pieces and then sautéed in a large pan with the aforementioned butter and thyme.
The veloute for this recipe is simple: equal parts butter and flour and approximately 2 cups of vegetable stock, with some salt and pepper to taste. Wait. What the heck is veloute? Read on! Knowledge ahead!
velouté:
Veloute has different meanings depending on where you live. In America, veloute is a rich white sauce made from veal, chicken, or fish stock thickened with flour and butter. In Britain, veloute is a rich white sauce or soup made from stock, egg yolks, and cream. In France, where they keep it simple, veloute simply means velvety and a ‘sauce veloute’ is one of the classic 5 mother sauces. For the purposes of this recipe, we’re using the American version.
To create a veloute, melt butter over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Once the butter is melted, add the flour all at once and whisk continuously. Cook until a light blond color is reached, usually about 1-2 minutes. You really just want to take out that raw flour flavor. Slowly add the stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, while continuing to whisk and allowing it to come back to a simmer before adding more stock. Once you’ve added all the liquid, take the pot off the heat and season it with salt and pepper. Stir the veloute into the cooked vegetables until well incorporated. Now it’s time to fill up our pie pans (and our hearts) with love!
Since there are just two of us now, I use these Anchor Hocking 6-inch glass pie pans. These are seriously the perfect size for us to share! From pot pies to apple pies to cheesecake. You’ll find yourself making plenty of goodies for two.I have six of these dishes (usually there are 4 of them in the freezer, full of something delicious) and I love them. This recipe makes three homemade pot pies, so we have two extra to freeze.
Homemade Pot Pies
- December 17, 2018
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 small carrots, diced small
- 2 stalks celery, diced small
- 1/2 medium brown onion, diced small
- 1/2 lb Melissa's Produce Pee Wee Ruby Red Potatoes, par-boiled for 5 minutes and quartered
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- !Veloute
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 container store-bought pie crust or use the homemade version below
Directions
- Step 1
- In a large saute pan, melt the 3 tablespoons butter with the thyme. Add all the diced carrots, celery, onion, potatoes and garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Step 2
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Step 3
- Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Step 4
- Once the butter has melted, add the flour all at once and whisk continuously. Cook until a light blonde color is reached, about 1-2 minutes.
- Step 5
- Slowly add the stock about 1/4 cup at a time. Continue to whisk and allow it to come back to a simmer before adding more stock. Once all the stock is completely incorporated, take the pan off the heat and season it.
- Step 6
- Stir the veloute into the cooled vegetables, mixing until well incorporated.
- Step 7
- If using small pie tins, split the mixture evenly between 3 tins, or use a regular 9 inch baking dish. Fill your vessel about 2/3 of the way up the dish. Cover with pie crust and brush on an egg wash (beat one egg with 1 TBLS water) Make four slits in the top to vent your pie.
- Step 8
- Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until your top is golden brown and bubbly!
TA-DA!! Hearty, simple and definitely in the category of comfort food! If you’d like to make your own crust, here is the perfect recipe for you: Evan’s 3-2-1 Pie Crust from Evan Kleiman. It never disappoints. And now, a side angle shot, because who doesn’t love flaky, golden brown pie crust?
I hope you make these! If you do, please tag me on social media at Instagram or Facebook, using the hashtag #myimperfectkitchen. I can’t wait to see your creations!
Until next time friends, live life deliciously!
