canape recipes

Left Over Pot Roast Pot Pies

Last night we had a nice big beef pot roast with all the veggies. Today, we have leftovers! This afternoon after being abandoned my all my kiddos (one of those nights where they all go in different directions) I decided I should do something with that leftover roast. Now even if you aren't the abandoned and alone mom, I think you will love this! Pot pie is re-purposing at its best. The marsala "gravy" gives it a completely different taste than the first dish, so it really does feel like you are eating something new. Now THAT's the way to stretch your dollars!

This is really one of those "what do I have around here" dishes.... a pot roast pot pie with a flaky, golden, puff pastry topping! Yum! Of course you could put anything in here that you wanted. How easy is this... everything pretty much all cooked... throw it all together and throw some pastry on top!

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Ingredients:

Right away, you'll notice that there aren't many measurements here. That's because the amount of leftovers varies! Just sort of eyeball it.

left over beef roast and veggies
frozen peas and corn
puff pastry sheets
canola oil
flour
beef broth
salt, pepper, onion powder
fresh thyme
Marsala wine (or regular red wine)
1 egg + water

Step-by-Step:
Take out a sheet of puff pastry first (about 40 min ahead of time) to thaw.

Make a simple roux -

A fast roux of canola oil and a couple tablespoons of flour.

Cook until about the color of peanut butter.

Start adding the liquids - beef broth, etc, and stir to incorporate until smooth.

I probably used 1 1/2 - 2 cups of broth. Start with less, and more if you think it's too thick.

Add herbs. Something in here needs to be fresh and bright for a balanced flavor.

Fresh thyme from the garden.

1 tsp - 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

I added about 2/3 cup or so of Marsala wine to my "gravy." The alcohol cooks out and you are left with something just a little different in the background.

The Marsala is a game changer here. It deepens the flavor and gives is a delicious complexity.

Season well with kosher salt, black pepper, granulated garlic. You need to keep cooking the gravy on low until it loses the "flour'y" taste.

kosher salt

black pepper

granulated garlic

Find someone willing to stir it for you a while so you can prep the other stuff.

To individual ramekins, add a cup or so of chopped, leftover roast beef.

Then add in the leftover veggies, also chopped a little smaller. I added the carrots, potatoes, a few red bell peppers, onions... you know - the stuff I made the roast with.

I had a bit of gravy left in my roast, so I gave a nice spoon or so to each dish. Careful to not add TOO much of the original gravy, or else it will still taste like last night's pot roast.

Now in my head, pot pies always have peas and corn in them. As these didn't have a place in my original roast, I added some frozen ones.

Layer the delicious Marsala gravy over the veggies and roast. It'll cook down and mix in on its own. But if you want to mix it, knock yourselves out.


My "Marsala gravy" - seasoned with salt, pepper, a little onion powder, the tender little leaves from a few sprigs of thyme, the Marsala wine, beef broth, and the roux. Maybe make this a little soupier with the broth than you think you'll need.

just a bit more thyme

Cover -
Open up the thawed puff pastry on a lightly flowered cutting board so it won't stick.

I made circles to follow with a bowl that was just a little larger than my ramekins. I wanted some of the pastry to hang over the sides a little bit. Then I cut the pastry with a paring knife.

Fit the pastry over the ramekins.

Yes, of course Lily had to try it, too!

Prepare an egg wash with 1 egg and a tablespoon or so of water. Whisk to mix.

Brush the egg wash over the pastry - this will give it a beautiful golden sheen.

Finish the pastry with a few sprinkles of fresh cracked pepper and a few fresh thyme leaves, then cut a few vents in the pastry to allow steam to escape. I put them on a cookie sheet in case anything boiled over.

Bake at 400 degrees about 18 minutes or so. You'll see when they are done.

Now dig in!

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Prosciutto and Phyllo Wrapped Asparagus Appetizers

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Pancetta-Wrapped Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

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Macaroon Kiss Cookies

Written Method:

Take out a sheet of puff pastry first (about 40 min ahead of time) to thaw.

Make a simple roux with a couple of tablespoons canola oil and a couple tablespoons of flour. Cook until about the color of peanut butter, then start adding the liquids. I probably added up to about 2 cups of beef broth. Stir to incorporate until smooth, then add herbs. Something in here needs to be fresh and bright for a balanced flavor. Next add about 2/3 cup or so of Marsala wine to the "gravy." Season well with kosher salt, black pepper, granulated garlic. You need to keep cooking the gravy on low until it loses the "flour'y" taste.

To individual ramekins, add a cup or so of chopped, leftover roast beef, then leftover chopped veggies (carrots, potatoes, onions and peppers). I had a bit of gravy left in my roast, so I gave a nice spoon or so to each dish. Careful to not add TOO much of the original gravy, or else it will still taste like last night's pot roast. Now in my head, pot pies always have peas and corn in them. As these didn't have a place in my original roast, I added some frozen ones. Layer the delicious Marsala gravy over the veggies and roast. It'll cook down and mix in on its own. But if you want to mix it, knock yourselves out.

Cover - Open up the thawed puff pastry on a lightly flowered cutting board so it won't stick. I made circles to follow with a bowl that was just a little larger than my ramekins. I wanted some of the pastry to hang over the sides a little bit. Then I cut the pastry with a paring knife. Fit the pastry over the ramekins. Prepare an egg wash with 1 egg and a tablespoon or so of water. Whisk to mix. Brush the egg wash over the pastry - this will give it a beautiful golden sheen.

reade more...

Mississippi Mud Pies.... Uhhh...Mud Puddles

We had a Family Reunion at my mother's house this 4th of July. My kids suggested we make a Mississippi Mud Pie. Well you KNOW we can't just make something ordinary, so we opted for individual servings, thinking this might be easier for folks to just pick up and eat rather than wrangling a piece from a larger casserole dish, as it's usually done. My oldest child (who rarely cooks with us but almost always offers... ahem... constructive criticism, and serves as our tasing critic) argued that this wouldn't really be Mississippi Mud Pie if we offered it in individual servings. He said "those would be more like MS Mud PUDDLES in that case, Mom." So here they are!

Prepare all the components, then begin assembly.

The crust:
Combine ingredients. Press in a 9"x13" pan. Bake x 15 min at 375 degrees. Then let it cool.

1 cup flour
1 stick melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans.

Bourbon Ganache layer:

This bourbon ganache layer goes on top of the pudding layers. The alcohol will cook out, but you can certainly leave it out if you don't want the bourbon in there. Melt chocolate and cream together over double boiler stirring until silky. Add bourbon and cook another minute or two. Cool before adding to layers. You can put the pot over an ice bath to cool faster.

1 package semisweet chocolate chips
1 pint heavy cream
1 Tbsp bourbon

The second layer (seen here on the chin and the spoon):

Combine ingredients in a a stand mixer (or hand mixer) and whip until smooth and creamy.

1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup cool whip

For the pudding layers:

This is a little less milk than the packages call for, but results in a little bit stiffer product which works well here.

1 large box instant Chocolate pudding
1 large box instant French Vanilla pudding
5 cups milk split between them

Some recipes call for mixing both puddings together, but I separated the layers because I thought it would look prettier.

If you use the "cook and serve" instead of the instant, make SURE they are cooked before layering!!!!

Create an assembly line:
1 - crust
2 - white cream cheese fluff
3 - chocolate pudding
4 - french vanilla pudding
5 - ganache
6 - cool whip
7 - optional garnishes.

Begin Assembly when all components are accounted for. To begin, you will spoon some of the "crust" into the little dessert cups. Just crumble it up. Makes a pretty, crunchy layer. We used clear plastic dessert cups, as they were appropriate for people walking around with them in/outside at the family reunion.

Garnish as desired. I added white and milk chocolate curls and toasted pecans to the top.

To make the chocolate curls. Just use a vegetable peeler along the side of a block of chocolate and it will curl up. TaDa! It's that easy!

Note - The chocolate curls are quite breakable, so if you need specific placement, use a toothpick to lift them into position. We just gathered them up and tossed them on. You can also "curl" the chocolate right over the dessert and just let them fall.

Here's a close-up shot of the topping.. YUM!

After assembly, the mud puddles need to be refrigerated until you are ready to serve them.

* I used 9oz cups, which were pretty, but for a dessert this rich... you could probably do a smaller sized cup. We found that 9 oz of this is a LOT!

Would you like to see more recipes? Please visit my Recipe Index for tons of ideas that you can make with/for you family. Here are a few to pique your curiosity: