Administrativia

This week: Chicken Koulibiak

Start by creating puff pastry shells (Pâte à Choux) --

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs

Preheat oven 400°F.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Add flour & salt all at once; stir vigorously. Cook and stir until the mixture forms a ball that doesn't separate. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon after each addition until smooth.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.

Next make the chicken filling --

• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 pound cooked chicken (about 2 7oz. cans of chunk chicken)

Saute mushrooms, onions, celery and carrots in butter until tender. Off heat, add chicken and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and place back on low heat until hot all the way through. Spoon into puff pastry shells and garnish with sour cream and chives.

You can size the portions to be finger foods or as a main course by changing the size of the Pâte à Choux pastries.

This recipe also works with salmon -- replace the chicken with 1 16oz can of salmon.