Chicken & Chicken Liver Pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Season chicken breasts with salt & freshly ground white pepper. In a large ovenproof fry pan, over medium high heat, add a little oil and sear chicken breasts until golden brown. Place in oven and cook until desired doneness. Remove from oven and allow to cool. In the same pan over medium heat add morels with 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. Saute until golden brown. Add heavy cream and ½ cup dark chicken stock. Continue to cook over medium low heat until sauce is reduced.

In another skillet, over medium high heat sauté bacon and garlic in duck fat for 1 minute. Add chicken livers and continue to cook for 3 minutes (centers should remain pink). Pull pan off heat and add cognac. Place back on heat and allow to cook for another minute. Add herbs and take off heat and remove livers from pan to allow to cool.

Deglaze pan with port and reduce over a medium heat until ½. Add dark chicken stock and continue to reduce by two thirds. To thicken sauce, mix together butter and flour until it makes a paste. Add to sauce, a little at a time and whisk continually. Bring to a boil for 1 – 2 minutes to cook out flour. Remove from heat and allow to cool. In a mixing bowl combine together caramelized onions, chicken livers and sauce. Add fresh herbs.

To assemble, in precooked pie shells, add a couple of spoonfuls of onion and liver mix. Add a small slice of chicken and place an egg washed pastry lid on top (egg wash side down). Press outside with a fork and brush the top with egg wash. Place in oven for 15 – 20 minutes until dark brown.

Sift flour & add salt. Place in food processor with unsalted butter & pulse until mixture forms fine crumbs.

Add water a little at a time, pulse for 10 – 15 seconds. Add enough water for mixture to form a soft dough (should hold together & not be too sticky or wet). Remove dough from food processor & lightly knead. Place dough in plastic wrap & allow to rest in refrigerator at least 30 minutes before rolling to prevent shrinkage when baked.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll out individual pastry shells to 1/8 – ¼ inch thickness. Place in a buttered moulds and cut off excess pastry. Dock bottom of the shells and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes to prevent shrinkage when baking. Place a piece of cheesecloth & dried beans inside of each shell and bake blind until bottom is dry to the touch and the shell is a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Roll out lids for shells and keep in fridge until ready to use.

In a large pot on medium heat, add oil. When hot, add the onions and thyme bundle. Allow to sweat. When onions are transparent, increase heat and stir with a wooden spoon until onions are caramelized, scraping the bottom to prevent burning.

When onions are dark brown, season with salt, remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove thyme bundle and refrigerate onions until ready to use.