Dungeons, Dragons, and Dives: Bugbear Pie and Apple Cider
Buck the Bugbear’s Bugbear Pie
Buck’s Bugbear Pie is a traditional Chicken Pot Pie that will warm both your heart and soul.
12 oz Stick Butter, Half-Frozen
1 TSP Cracked Black Pepper
12 oz of Chopped Radishes, 1/4″
6 oz Chopped Carrots, 1/4″
2 Large Celery Stalks, Finely Chopped
1 lb Chicken Breast, Chopped 1/4″
Splash of Balsamic Vinegar
4oz Slurry w/ 1/4 Cup of Flour
Sage, Thyme, Dill, Mint, Cracked Black Pepper, Ground Cayenne Pepper
Add your half-frozen butter to a food processor, along with the flour, shortening, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Pulse until well blended, should look like grated parmesan cheese. Refrigerate until ready to make your crust.
Once ready, lightly flour your work surface, and empty your mixture onto it. Slowly add ice water and work it all together into a nice firm dough, being careful not to overknead. If you feel the butter starting to melt, rechill then resume work. Separate your dough into two parts, one slightly larger than the other. Roll that out and lay in a 9″ pie pan, add your filling (detailed below) then roll out the upper half, gently laying across the top. Crimp the edges, poke holes in the top, and get ready to bake!
In just a bit of oil, sautee your radishes, carrots, celery, and onion until nicely cooked and just slightly browned. Empty into large bowl and set aside. Sautee your chicken in the same dish, adding just a bit of cayenne pepper. Finish cooking your chicken in just a splash of sherry and balsamic vinegar, then add to the vegetables.
In the same pot, bring 6oz of water to a boil with 2 TBSP Chicken base. Dissolve the base, then add 6 oz of milk, and when boiling, add a 4oz slurry made with 1/4 cup of flour. Add a lot of sage and thyme, a decent amount of cracked black pepper, and a bit of dill and mint. Simmer on low for 5 Minutes, add your meat and vegetables, and simmer another 10.
Add your filling to your crust as outlined in your crust directions! You’re ready to bake this bad boy!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake on 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes, slice, and serve! Warning, it’s messy and soupy, but VERY delicious!
8 apples (I used gala for a milder taste)
3 TBSP ground cinnamon, or 3 cinnamon sticks
cheesecloth (or flour sack towels)
Quarter your apples. No need to peel or core them! Place them in a large stock pot and fill until there is about an inch of water over them. Add sugar and stir. Lay your cheesecloth out flat and place cinnamon on it. NOTE: if you want to play with flavor, you can add cloves, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg, or other baking spices at this stage. Gather your cheesecloth into a bindle and tie it at the top, then place this in the stock pot. If you are using cinnamon sticks, place them directly in the stock pot. Keep the stock pot on high heat for an hour, stirring frequently. You may have to add more water if the mixture starts to burn. Turn heat to low for two more hours. Remove pot from heat and mush your apples (a potato masher works well for this). Get them nice and pulpy. Using a wire or mesh strainer, strain the mixture into a large bowl. Take the pulpy mixture and put it in more cheesecloth, then squeeze even more juice out of it. Refrigerate until cool in an airtight container. Serve hot or cold and enjoy! Add a splash of spiced rum for some extra kick.
