If you subscribe to any of my three sites (links below), you will find that I am a huge lover of using fresh ingredients and herbs. So they not only taste more vibrant and smell so much more aromatic, they are packed with vitamins and nutrients. The trick to getting picky eaters to experience a wider variety of foods is to marry them together in tasty little pastries as in my recipe.

These delicious packages make use of seasonal leeks, chicken and fresh thyme all wrapped in buttery, puff pastry. They can be made as an entree size or smaller as an appetizer where they are a big hit on a holiday buffet. In this instance, the serving size is one pastry per person as an entree with sides of your choosing.

My Creamy Chicken, Leek and Thyme Puff Pastries can be frozen uncooked for up to one month. Defrost them thoroughly in the refrigerator before cooking.

Serves 4


Ingredients

3 tbsp. butter or 2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large leek, light and white parts, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 fresh thyme stalks
1 lb. cooked chicken, chopped fine (or raw)
3 tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup organic chicken stock/broth
Kosher salt and ground black pepper to season
2 sheets (1 pkg.) Pepperidge Farms puff pastry, thawed
1 egg beaten with a little cold water for glazing

Method

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Either melt the butter in a large skillet or heat the olive oil and cook the garlic, leeks and thyme stalks until the leeks are soft and tender. If using raw chicken, add this to the pan and cook until the pieces are golden brown, otherwise combine the cooked chicken.

2. Blend the cornstarch or arrowroot together with the white wine and add this to the chicken mixture along with the cream and stock. Bring this mixture to a boil, then simmer for approximately 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper and then let cool thoroughly. This can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.

3. If you prefer your pastry a little thinner, roll the sheets out a little on a floured board. Otherwise, grease or parchment line a baking sheet and cut the pastry sheets into 4 pieces. Place 1/4 of the chicken mixture on one half of a sheet. Wet the edges, fold over and seal. Nip the edges with a fork or fold over. Snip two vent holes in the top and brush all over with the beaten egg. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown.