An American classic with a French twist makes for a perfect weeknight meal or is elevated enough to serve to guests. This dish combines some of my favorite things about cooking: tapping into inspiration from travels, recreating beloved classics and lastly, taking a short cut that makes the dish more approachable.

Years ago, I studied abroad in Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France. While my time there was spent learning the language and interning at a newspaper, it’s where I was introduced to the fundamental role food plays in their culture. My roommate acquainted me to shopping fresh and local at a farmer’s market and frequenting a boulangerie for a baguette each morning. While at the time I didn’t appreciate the value these simple tasks add to one’s life, they deeply resonated with me. Admittedly, years passed before I truly gained an appreciation for food and cooking. There were certain dishes that left an impression on me, one of which was a tarte au citron (I could never have enough) and the other was vol au vent. This beautiful creation of puff pastry encasing a savory mixture exudes elegance and decadence.

Those beautiful layers provided a level of intimidation, so something I was timid to attempt creating on my own. Then I discovered that I could actually buy these puff pastry cups, ready-made, at the grocery store. No need to even thaw, just unpackage, bake et voilà, it’s that simple.  As for the filling, the options seem endless, but what better filling that that of chicken pot pie. This was a huge hit with my family and a win-win for me as its ease of preparing matched its flavor and presentation.

Ingredients:

• Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Cups

Bake the puff pastry cups according to package instructions.

• 2 sticks butter
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 cups boiling water
• 6 boullion cubes

Melt the butter in a large pan. Whisk in the flour and salt. Boil the water and to it, add the chicken bouillon cubes and stir until dissolved. Then slowly whisk in the chicken bouillon/water mixture to the flour until a thick and creamy sauce forms.

• 2 cups shredded chicken
• 3-4 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, boiled and cubed
• 2 carrots, cooked and cubed
• 1 cup frozen peas

Add the chicken, potatoes, carrots and peas to the flour mixture. Fill into the puff pastry cups and top with the puff pastry top. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.