dough enough for a 9″ pie crust either homemade or store bought
egg wash – 1 egg mixed with 1 TBS water
freshly ground pepper
For the Stock:
leftover crab/shrimp/lobster shells
water to cover
1 small carrot
1 small onion
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp cardamon seeds
1/2 tsp peppercorns
(or 1 quart chicken stock)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup all purpose flour
For the Filling:
1 lb mixed seafood
1 cup carrot diced small
1 cup mushrooms sliced
salt and pepper
If you are going to make your own pie crust do that first so you can put it in the refrigerator to rest.
Instructions
Make the stock:
Add the shells to a large, heavy bottomed pot and just cover them with water. Add the carrot, onion, bay leaf, cardamom seeds and peppercorns. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let it cook for at least an hour. Strain the solids out of the broth. Add the milk, taste and season with salt and pepper. Mix the butter with the flour until you have a paste. Bring the mixture back to a low boil and add the paste a little at a time with a whisk – stirring briskly so as to not form lumps. After it has all been added let the base simmer for about a minute and then add the sherry. Stir well. Let the mixture cook down a bit until it is nice and thick. Let the mixture cool a bit.
While the base is cooling preheat the oven to 400°. Take your pie dough out of the refrigerator and roll it out to about 1/4″ thick. Have the vessel you are going to use for your pot pies handy.
Place the vessel on the dough upside down and cut a piece of dough about 1/4″ larger. Cut four and use the scraps for crackers or whatever purpose you would like.
Remove the toppers to a parchment lined cookie sheet and brush with the egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove and reduce the temperature in the oven to 350°
Thaw your seafood if it is frozen and rinse it well. When the base has cooled add the seafood to it. Stir gently to mix it in.
Add the carrots and mushrooms. Ladle the mixture into four vessels and place them on a baking sheet.
Top with the pie crust pieces – but put them upside down so that the half you had coated with egg wash is facing the filling. Brush the top with egg wash and dust with fresh ground pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the filling is hot and the seafood is cooked.