Servings: 4

Pastry: subheading: Pastry:
3 cups flour 3 cups flour
100g unsalted butter, diced 100g unsalted butter, diced
100g copha, finely diced 100g copha, finely diced
3/4 cup roughly grated smoked cheddar ¾ cup roughly grated smoked cheddar
good pinch of salt good pinch of salt
cool water cool water
1 egg, lightly whisked 1 egg, lightly whisked
Chicken Filling: subheading: Chicken Filling:
40g unsalted butter 40g unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp olive oil
20 small Swiss brown mushrooms, halved 20 small Swiss brown mushrooms, halved
4 chicken Maryland fillets, skin removed, cut into large chunks 4 chicken Maryland fillets, skin removed, cut into large chunks
5-6 sprigs thyme 5 to 6 sprigs thyme
3 shallots, finely chopped 3 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium carrot, halved lengthways and sliced 1 medium carrot, halved lengthways and sliced
1 stick celery, finely chopped 1 stick celery, finely chopped
2 bay leaf 2 bay leaf
600ml red wine 600ml red wine
1 tbsp cognac 1 tbsp cognac
salt and black pepper salt and black pepper
1 tsp red wine vinegar 1 tsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Beurre Manie: subheading: Beurre Manie:
2 tbsp plain flour 2 tbsp plain flour
3 tbsp softened butter 3 tbsp softened butter
Pea and Mint Sauce: subheading: Pea and Mint Sauce:
1 golden shallot, diced 1 golden shallot, diced
20g unsalted butter 20g unsalted butter
1/2 cup frozen peas ½ cup frozen peas
3/4 cup milk ¾ cup milk
1 cup mint leaves 1 cup mint leaves
1-2 tsp white vinegar, to taste 1 to 2 tsp white vinegar, to taste
salt and white pepper salt and white pepper

Preheat oven to 180C.
For the Pastry, combine the flour, butter, copha, cheddar and salt in a food processor and process to a sandy texture. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add just enough water to be able to bind all the crumbs into a dough. Use only a squeezing action and do not knead. Flatten into a disk, cover in clingfilm and rest for 20 minutes in the fridge.
For the Chicken Filling, place 20g butter, olive oil, mushrooms, salt and pepper in a non-stick frypan over medium high heat. Cook until the mushrooms are caramelised then remove from the pan and set aside.
Season the chicken pieces well, then add to the pan and brown on medium high heat. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the remaining butter, thyme, shallots, garlic, celery, chopped carrots and salt into the pan with a good pinch of salt and sauté until softened and fragrant but not coloured. Add the mushrooms, chicken, sliced carrot, bay leaf, wine, cognac and salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until liquid has reduced by half.
For the Beurre Manié, mash the flour and butter together to form a thick paste.
To finish the filling, taste the sauce, and add red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to balance. Add most of the beurre manié into the simmering mixture and stir until thickened but not too thick.
Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs, stir in the parsley and spread the mixture on a baking tray. Chill completely before using.
To assemble the pies, roll disk of pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 3mm. Cut four 14cm round circles and place each into four 13cm round non-stick pie tins. Divide chicken filling evenly between each pie tin. Cut four 13cm round circles from remaining dough and place over the filling of each pie.
Crimp the edges together to seal, then baste thoroughly with egg wash. Drag the tip of a paring knife, angled sideways so it doesn’t cut into the pastry but scrapes away the egg wash, in a lattice pattern.
Bake until the pastry is deeply golden, about 30 minutes.
For the Pea and Mint Sauce, combine shallot and butter in a small non-stick frypan over low heat to sweat until soft and translucent. Add the peas and milk and simmer until peas are softened and still bright green. Add mint and blend into a puree. Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.