Kaleidoscope UK – Blogger Bake Off

I am a big fan of the Great British Bake Off, in fact two years ago I applied to be on the show.  I didn’t get through, Mary’s loss!  So I jumped at the chance to take part in the Kaleidoscope Blogger Bake Off.  We were given a lovely selection of kitchen ware from the gorgeous Katie Alice range and told to create anything we fancied.  It didn’t take Mr Hubby long before he noticed the pie dish,  so a pie it was!

I decided on Chicken and Mushroom pie, which is a firm favourite in this house and here’s how I did it.  First I made a cup of tea in my lovely new mug!  Well it would have been rude not too!

Ingredients of pastry base:

160g plain flour
1/8 tsp salt
90g chilled unsalted butter, diced
3 tbsp iced water

Ingredients of fillings:

100g cooked chicken breast, diced
60g bacon, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 onion, diced
90g chestnut mushrooms, diced
3 tsp corn flour
90 ml single cream
160 ml chicken stock
1/2 tsp thyme
beaten egg for egg wash

Let’s make pastry!

• Put flour and salt into a mixing bowl.  Add diced butter and rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
• Add 2 tablespoons of the chilled water to flour mixture.  Add the rest of the chilled water bit by bit until the mixture comes together into a ball.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide into two balls, one larger one for making the base, with another one smaller for making the top. Roll into two disc shapes.
• Wrap in cling film and chill in fridge for about 25 minutes.

Making the fillings

• Heat oil over medium-high heat. Fry onion until soft and add bacon.  Cook until oil is released. Add crushed garlic and cook for few minutes. Add mushroom, chicken, thyme and mix well.  Cook until the mushroom are soft.
• In the meantime, mix 2 tablespoons of chicken stock with 3 teaspoons of cornflour.
• Pour the rest of chicken stock into the mushroom and chicken mixture. Bring it to a boil. Continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cornflour mixture and cook to your preferred consistency. Add single cream. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

Assembly

• Preheat oven to 200C/395F.
• Remove the larger dough disc from fridge. Place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a circle slightly larger than the dish (in my case a heart!). place pastry in the dish and trim edge. Prick the base with a fork.  Line with baking paper and place rice on top. Pop in the oven to blind-baking for about 15 minutes, until lightly brown.
• Remove the pastry from oven and remove paper and rice. Roll out the smaller dough disc into a circle similar to the size of the dish. Spoon the fillings into the pie dish and cover with the dough disc. Crimp the edges to seal and score the top pastry. I have a pie bird to let the steam escape but if you don’t pop a slit in the top. Egg wash the pie.
• Bake in the preheated oven, for about 25 minutes, until golden.

Enjoy!

The equipment I used was great, the frying pan was incredibly non stick (which makes a change in our house) and the knives were so sharp they took me by surprise (and I needed a plaster!).  I love the style and the colours too!

Disclosure: We were sent these products free of charge.