Today I am so, so pleased to introduce you to my friend, the talented photographer (and passionate home chef), Bonnie Berry. Bonnie and I met through a mutual friend and on our very first encounter, while the three of us sat outside, happily chatting away and sipping cocktails on a deliciously warm Austin evening, she snapped the candid photos of me that you see on this blog. Ever since then, I’ve greatly admired her and the unique lens through which she sees the world.
While Bonnie has been a long time photographer of the human spirit, she is also a lover of food and enjoys shooting it as much as she does making and eating it. The concept for Deconstructed Kitchen came naturally to us both. For me, an untalented cook who truly appreciates good food and longs to be better in the kitchen, Deconstructed Kitchen is a column that not only inspires me with its beautiful photography, but also teaches me. You see, in each post Bonnie will share her sage advice… indispensable tips for the novice and/or for someone who is attempting the recipe for the first time. For Bonnie, this column is an opportunity to try something new and to express her love of food and photography in a way that benefits her family (in a rather satisfying way) at the end of each shoot. We both hope that you find this column as delicious as we do. Mange!
KRISTA
There is perhaps no one who is more of an accidental cook than me. I swore that I would never garden and I would never cook. Don’t get me wrong—I love food. I have always been an avid and appreciative consumer of other people’s cooking. So what happened you ask? Well, I decided to procreate and darn if these kids don’t want to be fed. So I figured that if I had to learn to cook, I would at least make it interesting and creative. I dove in headfirst. And I am surprised to find that not only do I enjoy cooking and baking, but that I then love to photograph the results. It is win-win for everyone, except for my family, who has to wait until I have photographed the food before they can dig in. Am I a great cook? No. Do I mess up? All the time. Is it always as pretty as it looks? Definitely not. But as a photographer, I have learned to fake it. And the gardening? Well, I do have a herb garden, but that doesn’t count, right?
BONNIE
PANCETTA, WHITE BEAN AND SWISS CHARD POT PIES
adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
BONNIE’S SAGE ADVICE The pancetta can be omitted to make this vegetarian. And if you are like me and find pancetta hard to locate on Texas grocery aisles, you can use bacon, which is what I used. I found that following the original recipe made too much lid and not enough filling. Next time I make it I am going to double the filling and keep the same amount of dough lid. Before you start this recipe make sure you have ramekins or oven safe bowls so that, like me, you do not end up scrambling at the last second trying to find something suitable.
Serves 4
LID
2 cups (250 grams) all- purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
13 tablespoons (185 grams or 1 stick plus 5 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, diced
6 tablespoons (90 grams) sour cream or whole Greek yogurt (i.e., a strained yogurt)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) white wine vinegar
1/4 cup (60 ml) ice water
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
FILLING
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
4 ounces (115 grams or 3/4 to 1 cup) 1/4-inch-diced pancetta
1 large or 2 small onions, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 large stalk celery, finely chopped
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
Thinly sliced Swiss chard leaves from an 8- to 10-ounce (225- to 285-gram) bundle (4 cups); if leaves are very wide, you can halve them lengthwise
3 1/2 tablespoons (50 grams) butter
3 1/2 tablespoons (25 grams) all- purpose flour
3 1/2 cups (765 ml) chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups white beans, cooked and drained, or from one and a third 15.5- ounce (440-gram) cans (BONNIE I used one can because I did not want to have 2/3 of a can of beans left over)
MAKE LIDS In a large, wide bowl (preferably one that you can get your hands into), combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut them up and into the flour mixture until it resembles little pebbles. Keep breaking up the bits of butter until the texture is like uncooked couscous. In a small dish, whisk together the sour cream, vinegar, and water, and combine it with the butter-flour mixture. Using a flexible spatula, stir the wet and the dry together until a craggy dough forms. If needed, get your hands into the bowl to knead it a few times into one big ball. Pat it into a flattish ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for 1 hour or up to 2 days.
MAKE FILLING Heat 1-tablespoon olive oil over medium- high heat in a large, wide saucepan, and then add the pancetta. Brown the pancetta, turning it frequently, so that it colors and crisps on all sides; this takes about 10 minutes. Remove it with a slotted spoon, and drain it on paper towels before transferring to a medium bowl. Leave the heat on and the renderings in the pan. Add an additional tablespoon of olive oil if needed and heat it until it is shimmering. Add onions, carrot, celery, red pepper flakes, and a few pinches of salt, and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are softened and begin to take on color, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the greens and cook until wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with the additional salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Transfer all of the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the pancetta, and set aside.
MAKE SAUCE Wipe out the large saucepan; don’t worry if any bits remain stuck to the bottom. Then melt the butter in the saucepan over medium- low heat. Add the flour, and stir with a whisk until combined. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring the whole time, until it begins to take on a little color. Whisk in the broth, one ladleful at a time, mixing completely between additions. Once you’ve added one- third of the broth, you can begin to add the rest more quickly, two to three ladleful s at a time; at this point you can scrape up any bits that were stuck to the bottom — they’ll add great flavor.
Once all of the broth is added, stirring the whole time, bring the mixture to a boil and reduce it to a simmer. Cook the sauce until it is thickened and gravy-like, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir the white beans and reserved vegetables into the sauce.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
ASSEMBLE THE POT PIES Divide the filling between four ovenproof 2-cup bowls. (You’ll have about 1 1/2 cups filling in each.) Set the bowls on a baking pan. Divide the dough into four pieces, and roll it out into rounds that will cover your bowls with an overhang, or about 1 inch wider in diameter than your bowls. Whisk the egg wash and brush it lightly around the top rim of your bowls (to keep the lid glued on) and drape the pastry over each, pressing gently to adhere it. Brush the lids with egg wash, then cut decorative vents (smaller than mine, please, as they led to lots of draping) in each to help steam escape. Bake until crust is lightly bronzed and filling is bubbling, about 30 to 35 minutes.
DO AHEAD The dough, wrapped twice in plastic wrap and slipped into a freezer bag, will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge, and for a couple months in the freezer. The filling can be made up to a day in advance and stored in a covered container in the fridge.
PHOTOGRAPHY Bonnie Berry | RECIPE Smitten Kitchen
Bonnie! Your images are just gorgeous, the colors and the richness conveyed is truly amazing. Honored to share a guest editor position with the likes of your talent! And, unlike you, I never follow recipes, but this pot pie has got me wanting to toe the line and just do what I am told :}
Honored to have you both (+ Jacqueline) as guest editors!
I’m with Tami on everything – and I could eat the very photos!
… if only we could eat the photos. What would be even better? Getting the four of us C&K ladies together for cocktails and dinner. One day!
THANKS Tami and Tokyo : ) And Tami I only follow the recipes because I am too unsure of my abilities not to ; )
Bonnie, thank you so much for this amazing first Deconstructed Kitchen post… and based on our subsequent conversations, things are only going to get yummier around here! You’re the best.
xo
Krista
yum yum!!! everything bonnie has ever created in her kitchen i have been lucky enough to taste is delectable, as are her images! great to see her work (both the food and images) on here!
Thanks for stopping by to give a shout out to Bonnie, Mollie!
Oh my LORD those look good. Your food photos always slay me.
You said it, Mary. So true.
It’s about time you became a food blogger, Bonnie! This sounds delicious and looks even more so! Beautiful pictures, I can’t wait to see what else you have in store!
Agree, Tali! … and just wait to see the next Deconstructed Kitchen post. It’s scrumptious. Bonnie rocks.
I don’t know if I can make it look as good as you do, but darn it – I’m going to try!
I’m inspired to try too, Susie! … and I especially love her ‘sage advice’ – I’m SO going to use it.
YUM! My mouth is watering. Looks amazing.
Ditto, Katherine!
So great Bonnie! I’m excited to try this. We’ll done, my friend. We’ll done.
Thanks for stopping by , Callie! Let us know how it turns out if you give it a whirl.
These images are so beautiful and you inspire confidence in me….so there :) I just might have to surprise my family-not just with an amazing dinner but that I’ll actually going to try to cook it. Bravo Bonnie- hell is freezing over while the oven is heating up!
That is the quote to end all quotes – ‘hell is freezing over while the oven is heating up’. Love it, Jenna! Good luck with the recipe!
You are such a creative soul. I am going to make this on Sunday for brunch. Congrats on the new adventure.
Thanks for stopping by, Stacey! Let us know how it goes if you make it…
I am so proud of my daughter Bonnie! What a treat to see her photography of food and hope that somehow maybe my love of cooking inspired her. I’m looking forward to reading her cooking articles & adding to my most loved recipes.
Hi, Jeanette! So nice to “meet” you, and thank you very much for stopping by. You have one heck of a daughter and good reason to be so proud of her! I am over the moon that she’s going to be a regular part of the blog. Seeing the food world through her lens is going to be such a treat for CLOTH & KIND readers.
Oh Mom you are so cute : ) xoxo
The photos look great! Is this the original recipe that you recommend doubling, or is it already doubled?
Great question Michael. I posted the recipe as I originally read it—so no modifications have been made. I suggest making the dough as prescribed above, but then doubling the filling (so double what is written above—aren’t I rotten not do do the math for you ; ). I would also modify the bean from 1 and 1/3 cans to 2 cans total instead of 2 and 2/3 cans. I like the higher vegetable ratio and no sense in having a leftover 1/3 can of beans. If you are huge bean fan then go crazy and do 3 cans. You only live once ; ) And also keep in mind that I have two kids and my husband and I are not small eaters. So if you are making it for a small party, you can keep the recipe above as is. Some things do not keep well leftover, but this recipe does. I heated some up the next day and it was just as yummy as on day one. Thanks so much for the question. Enjoy!
Thanks for the great question, Michael, and to you, Bonnie, for answering so thoroughly! I hope everyone who ends up making this will let us know what you thought of it and how Bonnie’s ‘sage advice’ was to you in the process. I have it on my menu for next week…
Hi, Bonnie,
I am thrilled you Dad proudly sent the blog site to me. I agree with others here that the pictures are fantastic. I, too, will try the recipe soon.
Your photography was already known to me. Love it!! This is a really great new venue. You and Krista have a wonderful future.
Pam
I’m so glad you stopped by to check it out, Pam! And thanks for your kind words.
I’m a Bonnie Berry fan…and this looks amazing!
Hard not to be a Bonnie Berry fan, isn’t it? Just wait until you see what she has cooked up for us next week!
That looks delicious! I never would have thought to use that combination!
It’s so delicious! I highly recommend making it, Jessica!
xo
Krista