Seafood Pot Pie from Vicki Delany Plus Giveaway

 For seafood lovers.  Almost any combination of firm fish will work, including lobster or shrimp.  The recipe calls for puff pastry, but I had some phyllo on hand, so that’s what I used and it worked out fine.

Be sure and note that the potatoes need to be pre-cooked.

Seafood Pot Pie

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 leek, sliced, green parts removed
• 1 celery, diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves, chopped
• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, diced and cooked
• 2 lbs mixed firm seafood — I used shrimp (peeled) cod and turbot cut into 1" pieces
• 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp dill, chopped
• 1 tbsp chives, chopped
• ½ jalapeno, finely diced
• 1 cup shredded old cheddar cheese
• Kosher salt (to taste)
• 1 sheet pre-rolled all butter puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg white (mix with 1 tbsp water for egg wash)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425F. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery and carrot and saute until softened, 5-7 minutes. Push the vegetables to the edge of the pan.

Melt the butter in the centre and sprinkle over the flour and cayenne pepper. Whisk together to form a roux and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the milk and whisk. Add the seafood and season to taste. Bring the filling up to a simmer.

While the filling is heating, lay out the puff pastry on a floured surface. Cut a puff pastry circle about 1" smaller than the size of your cast iron pan.

Remove pan from heat, stir in cooked potatoes and herbs, sprinkle with minced jalapeno and grated cheese, and top with puff pasty circle. Cut two vents in the pastry and brush an egg wash. 

Bake until puff pastry is golden and cooked through, 20-25 minutes.

Coming July 27 from Kensington! Murder in a Teacup, the second Tea by the Sea mystery.  Please leave a comment below for a chance to win an advance review copy.  Contest closes Monday June 7. US and Canada entries.

Buckingham Palace Shortbread from Vicki Delany

For the second round of my Shortbread Bake-off to find the best recipe to include in Murder in a Tea Cup (Tea by the Sea #2, coming summer 2021) this is the one I tried. This is supposedly the recipe they use for shortbread at Buckingham Palace. I’ve seen several different recipes that apparently are the ones favoured by the queen, so I’d take that claim with a pinch of salt. However, they are made in my kitchen, so that’s just as good. Right?

INGREDIENTS

2 cups cake flour

3⁄4 cup cornstarch  + 1 tablespoon

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1⁄3 cup granulated sugar

1⁄4 cup confectioners’ sugar

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt until well blended.

In a stand mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy. Beat in the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. On low speed, add the flour mixture in two or three additions until it forms a soft dough. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F

On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll the dough out to a ¾-inch-thick slab,

Transfer, parchment and all, to the baking sheet and bake until lightly golden and firm to the touch, about 40 minutes. Slip the parchment paper with the shortbread onto a hard surface. Immediately sprinkle the shortbread heavily with the confectioners' sugar. 

While still warm, cut the shortbread into 1- or 1 ½-inch pieces. Let cool completely.

Now available: Tea and Treachery, the first Tea by the Tea mystery from Kensington Publishing.

Shortbread Bake-Off by Vicki Delany

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve given you the chocolate chip cookie recipes I tried for my bake-off to find the the best recipe to include in the next Tea by the Sea mystery, Murder in a Teacup (Summer 2021 from Kensington).  Now it’s time for shortbread. After all, nothing goes better with a nice cup of tea than a piece of homemade shortbread.

If you’re wondering which cookie recipes I’ve chosen for the book – you’ll have to wait until it comes out!

Vicki’s Shortbread Cookies Recipe 1

This makes A LOT

1 ½ pounds unsalted butter, room temp

2 ¼ cups icing sugar

1 ½ cups cornstarch

¼ tsp salt

4 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 275.  Prepare cookie sheets (I use silicone liners)

Cream butter and sugar in electric mixer.

Combine cornstarch, salt, flour in medium bowl.

Knead flour mixture into butter mixture

Roll out dough ¼ inch thick and cut with cookies cutters or by hand.

Place on cookie sheets and bake for 35 or 45 minutes until cookies are pale gold on the bottom.

NOW AVAILABLE: Tea and Treachery, the first in the Tea by the Sea series is now out!

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Bake-off Round 2 from Vicki Delany

Last time I gave you the first in the chocolate chip cookie recipes I’ve been testing for incorporating into the next Tea by the Sea mystery, Murder in a Tea Cup (summer 2021 from Kensington).  This is the second one, and the one I preferred. It’s very soft and chewy. If you like a crunchier cookie, try recipe #1.

I got this recipe from my good friend Donna Gilonna. Thanks Donna!  

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 10 min

Yield: approx. 12 cookies

INGREDIENTS

8 Tbsp. salted butter

½ cup white sugar

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

1 Tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Microwave butter until just barely melted. Should be almost entirely liquid.

2. Using stand mixer or electric beater, beat butter with white and brown sugars until creamy. Add vanilla and the egg; beat on low until incorporated, 10-15 seconds (if you beat the egg too long the cookies will be stiff)

3. Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until crumbles form. Use your hands to press the crumbles together into a dough. It should form one large ball that is easy to handle (right at the stage between “wet” dough and “dry” dough). Add the chocolate chips and incorporate with your hands.

4. Roll the dough into 12 large balls (or 9 for HUGE cookies) and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the cookies look puffy and dry and just barely golden. (DON’T OVERBAKE: this is essential for keeping the cookies soft. Take them out even if they look like they’re not done yet. They’ll be pale and puffy)

5. Let them cool on the pan for a good 30 minutes or so. They will sink down and turn into dense, buttery, soft cookies. They will stay soft for several days if kept in an airtight container. I also make double/triple batches to freeze (single batches don’t last long!)

Recipes for afternoon tea style scones and coconut cupcakes, as well as for tea scented bath salts, can be found in the first Tea by the Sea book, Tea and Treachery coming on July 28 from Kensington Publishing.