Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Pastry Croutons

It's finally winter here in Northern California and a perfect time to stir up some Splendid Soups.  I've had too much red meat lately (see last post on meatloaf which I ate in 2 days) and wanted to make either a chicken or seafood type of soup.  Good thing Marina gave me a recipe book with 103 soup recipes 3 years ago!  If you are interested to check it out, it's "Splendid Soups & Spectacular Sides to make a meal" by Cuisine at Home.  I love these recipe books because they practically spell everything out for you.  I've probably made about 10 of the 103.  I wonder how long it will take me to finish the whole thing?  Hmmm...

Chicken Pot Pie Soup?  Huh?  Cooking, as life, is full of creative opportunities and this recipe takes a well-known comfort food that usually takes a few hours to only about 45 minutes to an hour.  This estimation  does not take into account the prep time.  It took me 2 hours because I like to take my time and make sure I'm doing everything right.  Plus, I spent almost 2 hours at the gym so I'm hungry and spent for the day. Unlike traditional pot pies baked in an actual pie crust, this rendition is playfully accompanied with puff pastry croutons. 

FOR THE CHICKEN POT PIE SOUP:

SWEAT in 4 T. UNSALTED BUTTER
Stir In:

1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup button mushrooms, quartered
1/2 cup of carrot diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
(Sprinkle the flour a little at a time and stir constantly to prevent the flour from scroching.)

DEGLAZE WITH; STIR IN:
2 T. dry sherry
5 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of cooked chicken, shredded (left over rotisserie chicken works though  I grilled 1 lbs of chicken thighs fillets on my George Foreman grill)
2 T. chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2  t. kosher salt
1/4  t. black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg

ADD:
1/2 cup of frozen corn kernels ( I used an 8 oz. can of sweet corn)
1/2 cup of frozen green peas ( I used an 8 oz. can of sweet peas)
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 t. fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
(Stir in the peas and parley just before serving.  Otherwise, their color will fade)

SWEAT onion, celery, mushrooms, carrot and garlic in butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Cook 3-4 minutes, then stir in potatoes and cook for 3 more minutes.  Whisk in flour; cook 1-2 minutes.

DEGLAZE WITH sherry, then stir in the broth, chicken, and seasoning.  Bring to boil, reduce to heat to medium, and simmer 10-15 minutes, or until thickened.

ADD corn, peas, parsley and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

FOR PUFF PASTRY CROUTONS:

ROLL OUT; BEAT TOGETHER and BRUSH OVER:
1 sheet purchased puff pastry, thawed.  (this takes 40 minutes so you can thaw it out while you work on the soup)
1 egg
1 T. water

SPRINKLE WITH:
Kosher salt, paprika, and grated Parmesan.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees; line baking sheet with parchment paper (I forgot to pick this up from the grocery store so I just Pam-sprayed the sheet.)

Roll pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to 1/4 thick.  Beat egg with water, then brush over dough.

Sprinkle dough lightly with salt, paprika, and Parmesan, and cut into 1 1/2"
 squares.  Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

 I might have left the pastry on too long for about 3 minutes.  See below. =P

Give thanks for true friends and their splendid soups!