Be Like Ina Garten And Give Your Next Pot Pie A Bougie Twist

Chicken pot pie is a hearty, comfort food perfect for the family after a long, cold day of outdoor activities; however, the filling doesn't always have to contain meat from a bird. Ina Garten has a bougie upgrade for this dish that makes it downright luxurious. The Barefoot Contessa adds lobster to her filling, transforming an otherwise common meal into something truly fancy. 

Garten is a huge fan of lobster and even adds it to her Cobb salad for a decadent twist, but lobster in a pot pie actually has some French roots. And knowing her penchant for French cooking, it should come as no surprise that the celebrity chef's seafood pot pie mimics the French Homard en Croûte. By swapping out bland chicken for fresh, cooked lobster meat, she creates a savory pie where the protein offers a sweet, briny, tender, and succulent bite. 

While the thought of cooking lobster might seem intimidating, it shouldn't. If you are buying fresh lobster for this dish — and you should — depending on where you shop, you can ask the person working the seafood counter if they can steam it. This will save you both time and the hassle of having to break out a pot yourself.

To achieve Garten's perfect crustacean pie, it all starts with the sauce. Per the cookbook author's website, she begins by making a roux. To do so, she sautés chopped fennel and yellow onion in butter to intensify their sweetness before adding the flour and clam or fish stock. She also uses heavy cream which not only thickens the sauce but gives it a velvety consistency that will match the richness of the chunks of buttery, sweet cooked lobster once added to the mix.

But what makes her lobster pot pie truly in line with French cooking is the French ingredient she adds to the sauce. While brandy is generally the liquor of choice when making a lobster pot pie, Ina Garten puts her thumbprint on this classic by using Pernod. Pernod is one of, if not the, oldest anise liqueur in France. It has a strong black licorice taste with hints of star anise, fennel, coriander, and mint. It really brings and unites all the different flavors together.

This decadent sauce is the perfect flavor bath for the lobster as well as the bits of fennel, onions, and the frozen small whole onions, frozen peas, and chopped flat leaf parsley that round out the filling and give it some contrasting textures. But Garten is pretty particular about her frozen peas. She notes you want to make certain they are not the "baby" kind. 

She is also rather sparse with her seasoning, turning to the simple salt and pepper duo to bring out and enhance the taste of the ingredients. This pot pie doesn't need any additional spices; however, a sprinkle of nutmeg can bring a warm, nutty element to the lobster and the sauce working well with the anise notes.

Of course, no lobster pot pie is complete without a quick and flaky pie crust. It serves as the delicious vessel to hold all the yummy filling. Garten creates one big pie crust from scratch, but you could also use ramekins and make individual portions. You may also want to use premade pie crust or some fluffy puff pastry to simplify the process. The store-bought is just fine; a chef would not object. Just make certain you have two crusts for each baking dish you choose to use, one for the pie dish and one to go on top to cover the lobster filling. 

Garten makes certain to brush her crust with an egg wash before popping it in the oven. This will ensure it turns golden brown as it bakes. She is also mindful of making a few slits in the pie so the steam can escape. This lobster pot pie takes an hour and 15 minutes to bake, so if you are planning to make this luxurious dish, make certain you are not short on time.