Gluten-Free Makeovers (54 page)

Remove from the heat. Add the half-and-half. Pour over the chicken. Bake for 20 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly. Serve with rice. (A mixture of white and wild rice goes nicely.)

The mystique of
Beef Wellington has always haunted me. Perhaps it was the elegance, the elaborate presentation at restaurants, or perhaps it was the fact that this dish was off-limits. These days the pastry-wrapped packages can be right here on my plate thanks to this delicious gluten-free rendition. In restaurants, the recipe is often served with a sauce of mushrooms, onions, dry sherry, and chicken stock. However, I like them just as they are.

Prepare the nearly puff pastry. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside while preparing the chicken.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and brown the breasts on both sides until almost completely cooked. Transfer to a plate.

In the same skillet, heat the olive oil. Sauté the onion, mushrooms, and garlic until the mushrooms are soft and the onions begin to brown slightly. Add the parsley and herbes de Provence. Stir and remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil that has been lightly sprayed with vegetable spray.

Cut the edges of a quart-size plastic bag and lay flat. Place ¼ of the dough on one side of the bag and fold over the other half. Roll the dough into a 7-inch square. This will just about fill the surface of the baggie. Repeat with the remaining pastry dough.

Turn out the dough onto the lined baking sheets. Set a chicken breast in the center of each square of dough. Combine the cream cheese and Dijon mustard in a small bowl and brush the tops of the chicken breasts with a small amount of the mixture. Top with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the mushroom mixture.

Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash. Gently fold the dough over the chicken, cutting away any excess dough. Seal gently and patch any broken spots with leftover dough. Brush with the egg wash. Decorate with leaves cut out of leftover dough if desired.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are golden. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Gently transfer to individual plates. The dough is fragile and will break apart with too much handling. It doesn’t matter however. These are still delicious!

My mother made
chicken pot pie all the time and the memory of the casserole, sauce oozing through the crust, steam coming from the slits in the top, still fills my head and my tummy. She used a gluten-filled piecrust, but this version is just as wonderful. It uses an equally yummy crust topping and calls up those delicious memories.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, parsnips, celery, onion, and potato and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the thyme, parsley, peas, and salt and pepper. Sprinkle the rice flour over the vegetables, mix well, and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth and sherry and stir until the mixture is thickened. Fold in the chicken and spoon the mixture into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan, filling to the top.