Weekend Omelette with Mornay Sauce (Claridge's Inspired)

I recently found an exquisite Claridge's cookbook at Companion Books in North Burnaby.  I loved the documentary on this magnificent, historical, iconic hotel in London England, so if you ever get the chance, I hope you watch it! 

Here's a recipe for their Omelette Arnold Bennett.  It's luxurious and delicious!!  I replaced a couple of ingredients such as the smoked haddock because I didn't have it here at home, but other than a few adjustments, I stayed pretty true to the recipe.  Enjoy!

Mornay Sauce:  1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup cream, 1 onion, peeled and quartered, 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves (I accidentally added garlic cloves!  Still good), 1 oz salted butter, 1 oz. flour, 3 1/2 oz. mature Cheddar cheese, grated, 1 tsp. English mustard (I used Dijon), 1 egg yolk.

Add milk, cream, onion, bay leaf and cloves (which ever one you decide) to a small pot and simmer for about 10 minutes so flavors infuse into the milk/cream mixture.

Take the onion and bay leaf and cloves from milk/cream mixture.  In another pan, melt the butter, then make a roux adding the flour and stir.  Then add the strained milk/cream and continuing whisking until it gets thicker.  Add the cheese, then add mustard, and continue to stir.  Finally add the yolk, continuing to whisk.  All done! Set aside.

Omelette

Whisk eggs together in a bowl.  I used 8 but use as many or as little as you like.  Set aside.

Melt a couple of tbsp. butter into a cast iron pan over medium heat.  Once melted add eggs.  Allow to set for about 2-3 minutes over heat.  Gently glide a spatula over omelette and tip pan to fill in gaps to create luscious folds.  Allow for the top of omelette to remain a little wet.

Take pan off of the stove and top the omelette with mornay sauce (about 1/2 cup) and spread it over the omelette with spatula or knife.  You won't use all of the mornay sauce so can put remaining in a Tupperware for a few days.  

You can see in this picture the omelette is sightly wet.

Put Mornay Sauce over Omelette and Under the Broiler

Now get the oven super-hot, and put the cast iron pan and omelette under the broiler until the mornay sauce is nicely browned.  I topped my omelette with Argentine shrimp. Absolutely delicious!

P.S.  In the Claridge's Cookbook, they stir some mornay sauce into the haddock before stuffing the omelette.  They then fold the omelette in half as you do with omelettes, topping with more mornay sauce before it goes under the broiler.  I'm not good at flipping a large omelette so kept it like a frittata. 

This is a picture of the mornay toasty.

Enjoy!!!

Succulent & Savory Chicken Pot Pie Turnovers

It's still chilly outside so I thought I'd make these nice packable chicken pot pie turnovers that can easily be taken to work for lunch with a nice salad.  I had made Cajun chicken the night before, so used that recipe.  You can use any leftover chicken you like, stuff into the dough squares, fold, brush with egg wash and bake in the oven until toasty brown. 

I was inspired by The Artful Pie Project cookbook which has an absolutely delectable Indian Spiced Chicken Turnover Recipe.  Whatever you stuff this pastry with, will make your mouth water.  Pie Crust Recipe is in post prior!  Or you can use already made pie crust or puff pastry. So good!!

Recipe

1 onion, 2 carrots and 2 celeries, chopped and diced.  Throw into a frying pan over medium low heat with 3-4 tbsp. melted butter.  Allow the veggies to soften, stirring often so they don't burn. Then you are going to add 1/8 cup flour and stir into the veggies.  Then you will add 1 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup white wine and stir until nice and thick.  Add 1 tsp. garlic powder and 1 tsp. thyme and continue stirring. Add 1 tsp. Dijon and continue stirring. If you like you can add 1/2 cup peas to the mixture. Finally add 2 cups of cubed leftover chicken.  Adjust seasonings as you like. 

1 egg, 4 tbsp. milk (for egg wash) Mix together.

Assemble

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough and cut into 4 even squares.  Roll out the square again so it gets a little bigger.  

Spoon some of the chicken mixture into the square and fold square over to create triangles, and using a fork, seal the edges.  With a spatula, lift the turnover putting onto a parchment lined baking sheet and repeat. Gently cut a couple of slits into each turnover, brush with egg wash and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until perfectly brown, take out of oven and cool a bit, serving with a side salad.

I made so much chicken mixture I ended up making another double batch of dough.  I then froze some of the extra turnovers for another night!

The Artful Pie Project Cookbook Pie Crust (Best Pie Crust!)

This is the best pie crust I've ever tried or made and it was in using 1/2 butter and 1/2 Tenderflake lard.

The Artful Pie Project cookbook by Denise Marchessault and Deb Garlick is a beautiful, creative, impressive book with both sweet and savoury recipes.

"2 3/4 cup all--purpose flour, 1 tsp. table salt, 1 cup lard, vegetable shortening or unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1-2, 1 large egg, lightly beaten, 1 Tbsp. white or cider vinegar.

Ice cold water.

In a spouted measuring jug, combine the egg, vinegar and enough ice cold water to equal 1 cup (250 ml), mix with a fork.  Gradually pour about half the liquid into the flour and mix with a fork, adding only enough additional liquid so that the dough clings together.  You'll know you've added enough liquid when you can grab a portion of dough with your hands and it sticks together, and when there are few if any crumbs at the bottom of your bowl.

Portion the dough into 2 squat discs, each about 1 inch thick.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour before using, or up to 3 days.

Refrigerated dough needs to rest at room temperature for a while before it's rolled out.  Lard and shortening based doughs need a little rest, but doughs made with butter take time.  You'll know it's read to roll when you press the dough with your finger and it leaves a slight imprint."

So beautiful, flakey and delicious!