Creamy chicken pie
SERVES 6 PREP AND COOK TIME 2 HOURS 30 MINUTES (+ COOLING TIME) 1.6kg whole chicken 6 parsley stalks 1 lemon, rind finely grated, juiced 445g savoury short pastry, thawed 1 egg, beaten lightly 80g butter 1 medium (350g) leek, chopped finely 1 stick (150g) celery, sliced 3 cobs corn, kernels removed ¼ cup (35g) plain flour 1 cup (250ml) cream ½ teaspoon ground white pepper 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon ¼ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves 1 sheet puff pastry 1 Place chicken, parsley stalks and lemon juice in a large saucepan; add enough water to cover chicken. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 1 hour; remove from heat. When cool enough, transfer chicken to a plate. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid. 2 Meanwhile, line base and sides of a lightly greased oval (1.25 litre/5 cup) ovenproof dish with short pastry; trim. Prick base with a fork. Cover with baking paper; refrigerate until ready to bake. 3 Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). 4 Put the chilled pastry case in the oven; bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; brush with beaten egg. Return to oven for a further 5 minutes. 5 Remove the flesh from the chicken and coarsely chop. Discard skin and bones. 6 Meanwhile, heat butter in a large frying pan. Add leek, celery and corn; cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft and any liquid from corn has evaporated. Stir in flour. Add reserved stock and cream; stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat and stir in chicken, pepper, herbs and lemon rind. Remove from heat; season with sea salt, to taste. 7 Spoon chicken filling into pie case. Brush the edges of the pastry with egg. Top with the puff pastry. Decorate with any off-cuts and brush with egg. 8 Reduce oven temperature to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Bake for 45 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.