Mini chicken pies with soda water pastry

Serves 12

FILLING 1 medium-sized onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 60ml (4 tbsp) olive oil 4 chicken breast fillets, cubed 2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and sliced into rings 500ml (2 cup) stock 60ml (4 tbsp) cake flour 125ml milk Salt and pepper to taste

CRUST 230g (1 cup) cold butter 280g (2 cup) cake flour 2.5ml cream of tartar 2.5ml salt 30ml (2 tbsp) brandy/lemon juice 190ml ice-cold soda water 125ml milk 1 egg yolk 150g (1 cup) sesame or poppy seeds

Make the filling: Fry the onion and celery in oil until soft.

Add the chicken, potatoes, carrots and stock and simmer until the vegetables are soft and the chicken is cooked.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the cake flour. Fry for 1 minute, add the milk and stir with a whisk until mixture thickens.

Add this mixture to the cooked chicken and vegetables, season to taste and mash. Spread the mixture on a baking tray so that it cools off quickly, and then refrigerate.

Make the crust: Grate the butter on the coarse side of the grater. Sift the cake flour, cream of tartar and salt together.

Add the butter and cut using two knives until the butter is evenly coated with the flour.

Add the brandy and soda water to the flour mixture and mix with two forks until the dough comes together. The dough should be firm, not soft.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out into a rectangle of 25cm x 15cm. Fold the dough in three layers.

Roll out the dough again to the same size and fold again. Place the dough on a baking tray, cover and let it rest for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Repeat the process twice more; you therefore need to fold and roll out the dough six times. The technique helps create layers in the pastry. Leave dough to rest for 60 minutes in the fridge before using.

Preheat the oven to 220°C and grease the baking tray. Beat the milk and egg together.

Roll out the dough to about 5mm thick.

Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of filling on one half of the dough and brush the edges with the egg mixture.

Fold the dough over the filling into a half-moon shape, and press the edges together using a fork. Place the pies in the freezer for 60 minutes before baking.

Brush more of the egg mixture over the tops of the cold pies and press the pies into the sesame seeds. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until puffed up and browned.