Nadiya Hussain’s Chicken, Brie, Cranberry and Pink Pepper Pithivier
Nadiya Hussain's comforting puff pastry pie is filled with tender chicken pieces, melted Brie, and tangy cranberries. As seen on her BBC2 series, Nadiya Bakes.
From the book
Nadiya Bakes
A collection of all new baking recipes accompanied by gorgeous photography
Packed with cakes, pies, and puddings to warm the heart and lift the spirits
Including mouthwatering savoury bakes as well as irresistible sweets
Introduction
A French classic, this beautifully scored, round, puff pastry pie can be filled with all manner of ingredients, sweet or savoury. With such a reliable exterior, the inside is all to play for. I’ve filled mine with chicken that’s spiced and sweetened with pink peppercorns and cranberries, around a delicious centre of melted Brie.
Ingredients
| 2 x 500g | blocks of puff pastry |
| 3 tbsp | olive oil |
| 4 | cloves of garlic |
| 1 | onion |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 4 tbsp | pink peppercorns, crushed |
| 300g | chicken thighs, cut into cubes |
| 100g | dried cranberries |
| 2 | egg yolks, lightly beaten |
| 200g | Brie cheese |
Method
Prep time: 30 minutes, plus chilling. Cook time: 50 minutes.
Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Take the puff pastry blocks and roll them one by one on a floured surface. Roll to a 5mm thickness and cut using a 25cm round, then cut another circle to a 30cm round. Leave both to chill on a tray while you make the filling.
Now make the filling by adding oil to a non-stick pan. Blitz the garlic and onion to a smooth paste.
Add the paste to the hot oil and cook till the mixture is thick and brown – this should take about 10 minutes over a medium heat. Now add the salt and pepper-corns and mix.
Add the chicken along with the cranberries and mix and cook till you have a dry chicken mix and the chicken is cooked through, which should take around 7 minutes at most. Take off the heat and leave to cool completely.
Take the smaller round and lightly brush the edges with egg yolk.
Carefully slice off the top and base of the Brie, just to make it shorter. Pop the Brie in the centre of the round and then add the chicken all around the edge and over the top of the Brie, patting it into a mound and avoiding the brushed egg yolk edge.
Take the second, larger circle and place on top. Push down over the filling, easing out any air bubbles as you go and sealing all around the edges firmly. Brush the top with the egg yolk and pop into the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and put a tray in the oven to heat up.
Flute the edge using the back of a knife to create a scalloped edge and score the top. Brush the egg yolk again and bake for 25–30 minutes. If the pastry is looking very dark after 20 minutes, cover loosely with foil and reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Serve straight from the oven.
Can be assembled up to 1 day in advance and then baked to serve.
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