cookie cut chicken & leek pies?

A simple and forgiving recipe is this classic humble Chicken Pie!
A fool proof pie filling made into mini pies and enjoyed in a different light. A one handed cutesy eat, the next picnic hit.

ingredients
1 x chicken & leek pie mixture (filling recipe link)
1 pkt frozen puff pastry, defrosted (remove from freezer approx 30 minutes before using and cover with a clean damp cloth)
plain flour for dusting
& a cookie cutter
to do
Pre-make chicken and leek pie filling a day ahead if you have time, refrigerate until ready to use.
Pre-heat an oven to 200C.
Sprinkle plain flour onto a clean and dry bench top, and place a sheet of pastry on top of flour, dusting with a little extra flour. Place the cookie cutter on the pastry sheet, turning once or twice until it cuts through the pastry, remove the circles and set aside. Repeat until all pastry sheet's have been used and discard excess pastry.
Place tablespoonfuls of pie filling in the centre of each pastry circle, rub some water around the edge of the pastry and top with a second pastry circle. Pinch in the sides to seal completely and place on a baking paper lined tray.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove immediately from oven tray (reduces soggy pastry) and place on a cake cooling rack to cool or eat!

love and kisses, amie.

'pretty in pink' meringue swirls

Every girls favourite, meringue and the colour pink are gently combined to create these deliciously light and pretty pink meringue swirls. Pretty as a picture, make the meringues for a special friend (just because!), or for your children when they race through the door after school (starrrrving!) or just for fun. Great to make and bake next time you have a few left over egg whites from making lemon curd!

makes: hmmm, a few over 10, size dependant

ingredients

4 egg whites only (be careful not to break any yolk into the whites or this will ruin your foam from forming)

1 cup caster sugar

pink food colouring

to do

Pre-heat an oven to 150C for fifteen minutes. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and set aside.

Beat egg whites in a super clean bowl under a good quality stand mixer (Breville's BEM800 Pro) gently for approx 60 seconds or until soft -stiff peaks form. Slowly add the sugar and beat on high until sugar has dissolved approx 8 minutes*.

Spoon tablespoonfuls of meringue gently onto the baking tray, using your own creative touch.

Add a drop or two of colour to the tops and using the end of the spoon swirl the colour through the meringue gently to create a swirl appearance.

Bake for 35-40 minutes and turn off the oven, leaving the door ajar for 2-3 hours to dry out the centres. Alternatively you can remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack to keep them ever so slightly chewy.

nom, nom, nom!

Serve with fresh whipped cream, raspberries and lemon curd, if you have been some.

love pink.

love amie.

*The mixture should have a luscious shine to it and be thick with a slight resistance when folded. When you rub the mixture between your thumb and index finger there should be minimal if any sugar crystals remaining between your fingers.