Faligon Meat Pie

Here we are, Dungeon Meshi Maniacs. The end of the journey through the dungeon!  We've walked so far over the past years, eating what we could and talking odd side topics.  It's been fun on my end and I hope it has been fun for  you as well.  This has been a memorable trip and I'm so glad to have shared it with you.  So, not to drag out this sappy intro any longer why don't we get down to what we all came for. FOOD!  Not just any food, we are finally eating Falin!  Faligon Meat Pie, anyone?

How did we get here, DMMs?  The last time we spoke Marcille was the dungeon lord and the Gang was trying to convince her that wasn't a great look.  Since this is NOT a Dungeon Meshi review blog and I am trying so hard to avoid spoilers we are doing to skip ahead to the next dish.  How far ahead?  An entire VOLUME of the manga, DMMs!  That's how long the Gang goes between cooking things.  I will share how they got through to Marcille.

They may not live as long as her but they promise to take care of themselves so that they will be around for as long as possible.  It's really that simple, DMMs! Okay, luck plays a large part of a long life too.  Also, not being on the bad side of an other worldly demon. Problem is the Winged Lion isn't going to give up that easily and, well, things aren't looking good for the home team.

Is it a spoiler to say the heroes win?  Sorry if that ruins the entire story for you, DMMs.  I didn't mean to let you down like that but it's a spoiler I couldn't avoid.  Granted, not everyone comes through the ending unscathed.  Steal yourselves, DMMs...I don't know how to say this but....Yadd doesn't make it.

They smushed his kissable face, DMMs!  What the heck!? If he were a slime there wouldn't problem.  Nope. Had to have bones.  Just breaks my heart.  I mean, they do put his soul in his grandfather's body (that dude's soul is long gone and won't be using it) but...

Sigh.  I guess he still has a winning personality.  Heat break aside there is an interesting part about Falin I should mention.  She is HUGE! And the Gang has to eat every bit for the resurrection to work.  They do have a large amount of friends to help and also make several dishes with Falin.  It was tempting to make them all but I think I'll just stick to one.  Which one?  The dish Izutsumi is looking forward to.

I think she has good taste, DMMs!  A meat pie!  What a fun challenge.  But what is a meat pie? It is exactly what is claims to be.  A meat filling baked in a flaky pie.  These became all the rage in 16th Century England and just spread from there.  Any meat will do, DMMs!  In the early history they were made mainly with deer.  Over time beef became more common.  Which creates an interesting question. Which meat pie should I make?  I struggled with the answer until I took a close look at Falin.

She a giant chicken, I tells ya!  A giant chicken!  We can make the ULTIMATE comfort food! Chicken Pot Pie.  This is a fantastic meal, DMMs.  It covers all the bases with meat, vegetables and a yummy crust.  My dish will have a homemade crust but feel free to use store bought if you'd rather.  It'll be great either way!  Since we will be making the crust that means the cooking starts the day before.  Baking is for the patient, DMMs! At least you just need the basics.

Flour, butter, water, and baking powder.  That's it!  BUT the butter should be frozen, DMMs.  Why?  The colder you keep your ingredients the flakier your crust will be. I'm not 100% sure of the science behind it but this reduces the cooking temp and keeps the water from escaping.  Remember, steam is the enemy of baking.  I've read of some people that also use ice water and even frozen flour!  We won't be going that far, thankfully.  Though the water should be cold.  What we need is three cups of flour, a cup (one stick) of butter, a teaspoon of baking powder and a third cup of cold water. Put this all into the food processor!

I cubed up the butter but I have seen people put it through a cheesegrater.  Since we are using a food processor I don't think that's too necessary.  The blades will do the work of breaking up the butter for us!  Just pulse this until the butter is small balls and the flour sticks together when you squish it.  About a minute or two.

 It'll feel like more solid Play-Doh. And just like real Play-Doh it's non-toxic!  Just split the dough into two disks, cover them with plastic wrap and stick in the refrigerator until the next day!

Even this is tasty but try to hold out until tomorrow, DMMs!  You'll need this crust for your pot pie.  Trust me and go to bed to dream about the pie you're about to make.  Once you're woke up it's time to gather the filling for your pie! Go ahead and set your oven to 425.  It needs to be HOT for the pie, DMMs.  From there chicken is the main start and you'll need about three boneless, skinless breasts.  If you'd rather use canned chicken you'll want about three cups worth.  To make your own chicken put the breasts into a pan full of water and bring it to a boil over medium heat.

Pretty much takes eleven minutes, DMMs.  You don't have to do anything but wait and watch.  That's not entirely true.  You get to look forward to the next step. Shredding! Once finished let the chicken cool off so that you can handle them. No reason burning yourself this early in the dish, DMMs! Take two forks and just rip and tear! Rip and Tear!

So much fun, DMMs!  Keep going at the chicken until it is thoroughly pulled apart.  Move the chicken to a bowl and set aside.  It's earned that rest!  Now for the second part of the filling.  The vegetables!  Remember, this is a healthy dish...in that there are vegetables in it.  I kept things pretty basic.

Two carrots, two celery sticks, as much garlic as you want, half a yellow onion and some mixed vegetables.  I use frozen mixed veggies, DMMs, but feel free to make your own fresh version if you want.  You'll need a cup.  The key here is to dice the veggies as small as you can.  You are making a filling, DMMs, not a salad.  Keep the frozen veggies in their bag for now. The other veggies you can put in a bowl and move them to the side.

Now we have both veggies and meat resting after a hard days work.  What's next?  That's simple, DMMs!  Time to build the filling!  We have the chicken and the vegetables but we do need some more ingredients to finish the pie. Stuff to help make the gravy!

Two cups chicken broth, half cup of milk, around 1/3rd cup of flour and two tablespoons of butter.  Some recipes call for heavy cream rather than milk but I won't be using that.  Why?  Simple, DMMs. I didn't have any!  Luckily it's pretty easy to make heavy cream with milk and butter.  It's not going to be one for one but I go with half a cup and two tablespoons of butter.  Keep this all nearby because we will start by cooking the veggies.  Heat a tablespoon of butter over medium heat and when warm just dump in your veggies!

One last great smell for the road, DMMs.  Stir these for five minutes then dump in the 1/3rd cup of flour. This will only cook for two minutes but you have to keep stirring!  You do not want the flour to burn.

Sandy! The flour is the thickening agent for the gravy but this step is always weird to me.  It just feels odd to stir flour in a hot pan! While you stir start to liquidate the mixture by adding in your chicken broth and milk+butter or heavy cream if you have some.  It helps if you have a second person to pour in the liquids but if you have to do it alone do the best you can.  I was able to do it, DMMs, so you can too!

Add in whatever pepper, salt and other seasonings you want at this point.  I went with Herbs de Provence.  Turn the heat to Low and stir for 5ish minutes while the gravy thickens.  I love this part of making gravy. Watching and feeling the gravy turn from a liquid to a semi-solid.  Once the time is up and the gravy is thick pour in your chicken and frozen veggies.

Once again steal yourself, DMMs.  This is yummy but it is not a pot pie yet.  Your patience will be rewarded!  I swear.  Now it's time for the hardest yet most fun part of making the pie. Rolling out the dough!  If you are smart you will have set out the dough a while before so it can get to room temperature.  If you are me, however, you will start to roll the dough straight from the refrigerator then you will have to use your WHOLE ARM to make this dough do what you want.  Either way, dust a surface with flour and roll that dough.

Not going to lie, this was a workout!  Don't worry about cracks, DMMs. You can force them together and roll them.  Pie crusts are like working with clay. You can patch it all you want.  Once your bottom crust is the correct size just put it into a pie pan.

Here's where I get to break out my favorite piece of kitchen equipment that I own.  It's the pride of my culinary collection, DMMs.  Go ahead and set your faces to impressed as I show you my Pie Bird!

I love this little guy. If you aren't familiar a Pie Bird is a short of chimney for your pie.  It funnels out all the steam so that it doesn't build up in the pie and bursting through the crust.  These are super neat, DMMs. There are so many styles and they go back centuries so you can find some real collectibles out there.  This one is straight from the local grocery store so you don't need anything fancy.  Just plop it down in the middle of your pie and surround it with your filling.

The last step? You guess it, roll out the top crust and just put it on top.  Easy!

Okay, the other reason I like the Pie Bird. It looks super cute!  The oven should be at 425 for a while now.  Just throw the pie in and let it bake for twenty minutes.  Once that time is up lower the oven to 350 and let it cook for another 40.  Once that time is up take the pie out and put it somewhere to cool.  You can eat it straight from the oven but that's a quick trip to the hospital, DMMS. This stuff is molten!  Give it at least twenty minutes.

Sometimes waiting is the hardest part, DMMs.  Once it is cool just enjoy a slice.

Okay, I've never claimed to be a great food photographer but this is delicious!  Chicken Pot Pie rules. It's even better after it has sat in the refrigerator for a few days.  Luckily you have a lot so you'll have plenty of leftovers!  We did it, DMMs!  We ate Falin.  The trek through the dungeon may be over but our journey isn't done just yet.  I'll be back next week with some leftovers which is great because there is just so much of it.