By The week of Halloween and I brought king cake-adjacent cookies to school on Thursday — orange and black instead of purple, green, and gold, with the same rich buttery dough. They were a hit in the most uncomplicated way: the plate was empty in twenty minutes and Marcus said that this was proof I had a "confection superpower." I told him that was not a scientific claim. He said it was empirically well-supported. I accepted the data.
Naomi from my AP Chemistry study group had asked me to teach her how to make a roux. She had been reading about Cajun cooking after a conversation we had in the library and wanted to understand the technique firsthand. I had her over Saturday afternoon. I set her up at the stove with a cast iron skillet, flour, and vegetable oil, a wooden spoon, and a timer. I told her: medium heat, constant motion, forty-five minutes, no shortcuts and no walking away. She made it for the first time and got it to a medium-dark stage — not my darkest, but genuinely good. She tasted the gumbo we made from it and said she understood now in a way that reading about it had not given her. I said that was the whole point. Some things you can only learn by doing. You have to feel the weight of the spoon, see the color change in real time, smell the moment before it's right and the moment after. No text conveys that. Only the kitchen.
I thought about teaching while I was showing Naomi — really thought about it, in a way I hadn't before. The satisfaction of watching someone understand something through your guidance. That feeling has a particular quality. I filed it away without drawing any conclusions yet. Just noted it. Some things you collect before you know what they're for.
After Naomi left Saturday, I had flour and fat still on my mind — the way a roux asks you to commit to it completely, no multitasking, no rushing. I wanted to stay in that headspace a little longer, so I made a chicken deep dish potpie that evening, which starts the same way: fat, flour, heat, patience. The roux in a potpie is quieter than in a gumbo — it doesn’t go dark, it just thickens and binds — but the discipline is the same. It felt like a good way to close out a day that had already been about what that technique can do.
Chicken Deep Dish Potpie
Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 25 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 2 unbaked 9-inch pie crusts (one for base, one for top)
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 425°F. Dice all vegetables and set aside. Have your cooked chicken ready.
- Soften the vegetables. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes until softened.
- Build the roux. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes over medium heat, coating everything evenly. Do not walk away — the flour needs to cook out fully before you add any liquid.
- Add the liquids. Gradually pour in the chicken broth while stirring, then add the milk. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and comes to a gentle simmer, about 5–7 minutes. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon.
- Season and add chicken. Stir in the salt, pepper, and thyme. Add the shredded chicken and frozen peas. Stir to combine and remove from heat.
- Assemble the pie. Press one pie crust into a deep 9-inch pie dish. Pour the filling in evenly. Lay the second crust over the top, crimp the edges to seal, and cut 4 small vents in the top with a knife.
- Apply egg wash and bake. Brush the top crust with the beaten egg. Bake at 425°F for 30–35 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the vents. If the edges brown too quickly, tent them with foil after 20 minutes.
- Rest before serving. Let the pie rest for 10 minutes before slicing so the filling sets slightly and holds its shape.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 480 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 620mg