While cupcakes have been a trendy treat in recent years, pies are back in foodie fashion and ready to steal the spotlight, according to Sherri Wilson Morrisette.
Wanting to get a slice of the action, the 34-year-old White Rock entrepreneur, along with husband Howard – whom she wed last year – opened Roxy’s By The Beach on Marine Drive last August, dishing up retro-inspired comfort fare to a legion of pastry partisans.
“If you look at the trends, people are returning to the basics when it comes to food,” said Wilson Morrisette, who serves up a selection of both exotic and traditional sweet and savoury pies.
While the eatery uses a fusion of foreign flavours, there’s a definite British flair to the menu – cuisine that Wilson Morrisette grew fond of while living in England for the past 18 years. The marketing graduate was in her early 20s when she bid farewell to her hometown of Pitt Meadows and headed to the U.K. to immerse herself in a new culture. In Norwich, Eng. she fell in love with Howard, her future husband, as well as her new passion – baking pies; an art she’d learn from her mother-in-law to be.
“She taught me her pastry recipe, which I really like because it is so simple to make,” said Wilson-Morisette. “It’s a Yorkshire recipe, which is literally just some salt, flour and a bit of water. You don’t even need a blender– it’s made by hand.
Roxy pie
Ingredients:
(filling)
3 -4 chicken breasts
1 large onion
2 celery stalks
2 medium yams
2 medium carrots
1 large zucchini
3-4 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp. parsley
1 vegetable stock cube
2 tbsp. corn starch
2 cups of water
olive oil
(pastry)
110g plain flour
50g unsalted butter
pinch of salt
cold water
1 egg
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 C. Sift flour, add salt and butter. Cut butter into flour with a knife so that you have small pieces then rub it in with your fingertips until mixture looks like fine bread crumbs. Gradually, add cold water and use knife to bring dough together. Finally, use your hands to clean remainder of pastry off bowl (too much water makes it sticky so add a little at a time).
Rest pastry for about 30 minutes – put in a plastic bag and place in fridge. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in roasting pan. Place in oven for 20 minutes until cooked. When cooked leave to cool and shred meat into bite-sized pieces. Meanwhile, chop all vegetables and add to roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 15 minutes. Roasting prevents vegetables from become soft and mushy. In saucepan add 2 cups of water and vegetable stock on medium heat and bring to gentle boil. Mix 2 tbsp. of cornstarch in mug with water. Pour into stock and parsley, salt, pepper. Bring to boil and simmer until sauce thickens. Mix sauce, chicken and vegetables in large bowl. Roll pastry on a floured-board with rolling pin, turning the pastry so it’s even. Divide pastry in half. One piece of the pastry for the lids and use the rest to shape to whatever size plate or dish you are using. Use beaten egg to seal the lid of the pie to the base once the filling is in. Also glaze top of the pie and seal edges from the outside with a fork. Prick top of pie with fork or knife to let out steam while cooking. Put on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 20 – 25 minutes until pastry is golden-brown.