½ stick (¼ cup) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons mild curry powder
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 (2½-pound) roasted chicken, skin and bones removed
1 (17-ounce) box frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a sauté pan over high heat, melt the butter and stir in the curry powder. Add the flour and stir until combined. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and cream, season with the salt and pepper to taste, and reduce the heat to a simmer, for about 5 minutes.
2. Dice the chicken into ¼-inch cubes, and stir into the sauce. Add a little more broth if the sauce is too thick. Heat until bubbling, and adjust the seasoning. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
3. Roll out both sheets of puff pastry on a lightly floured table into a rectangle about ⅛ inch thick. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut 48 circles out of the dough. Place 1½ teaspoons of the curried chicken filling in the center of half the circles.
4. Brush the other half of the pastry circles with the beaten egg, and press, brushed egg side down, onto the top of the chicken mix, sealing the pastry edges together. Brush the tops of the pies with the remaining beaten egg, and transfer the pies to a baking sheet.
5. Bake in the center of the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack and allow the pies to cool slightly.
MAKES 24 SMALL PIES