Page 266 - Pie Squared

minutes. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and
let the stew bubble away until thickened, 5 or 6 minutes. Stir in the

chicken, peas, salt, and pepper. Cool the filling for at least 30
minutes before filling the pie.
Heat the oven to 425°F; if you have one, place a baking stone,
Baking Steel, or inverted baking sheet on the center rack to heat

(see here). Bring the bottom crust out of the refrigerator, scrape in
the filling, and spread it from edge to edge and into the corners.
Place the top crust over the filling. Crimp and slash.
Bake the pie (on top of the steel, stone, or baking sheet if using)

for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375°F and bake until the
top is toasty brown and the filling is bubbling up out of the slashes,
40 to 45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Techniques: All-Butter Crust (here), Mixing and Rolling Out (here),
Crimp and Slash (here)

Swaps:

Almost any crust can substitute for the All-Butter version here—

Butter and Shortening (here), Leaf Lard (here), Cheddar Cheese
(here), or Rye Crust (here).

Trade 2 cans of white beans, drained, for the chicken and use
vegetable stock, and this is a vegetarian pie.

Try cutouts of puff pastry or Biscuits (here) instead of an upper
crust, popping them on top of the pie after the first 30 minutes of
baking.