Try a tasty twist on the classic pot pie

Traditional chicken pot pie is the ultimate comfort classic, but recently this old standby has been making a comeback. On "The Early Show" Friday, Tanya Steel, editor in chief at Epicurious.com brought some of her favorite new recipes that put some fun twists on this traditional dish.

Enjoy all our "Early Show" recipes!

Recipes:

Mini Chicken Pot Pies with Bacon and Marjoram

Creme fraiche-a French heavy cream that's slightly sour-can be found in the dairy section of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 applewood-smoked bacon slices
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 12 ounces peeled whole baby carrots (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 8-ounce package trimmed haricots verts or other slender green beans, halved crosswise
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
• 1 3/4 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon crème fraiche
• 3 cups coarsely shredded chicken from 1 small purchased roasted chicken (skin removed)
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Chop bacon. Add onion to drippings in skillet; saute until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add next 3 ingredients; stir 1 minute. Add broth; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium high and boil until vegetables are almost tender and some liquid is reduced, about 8 minutes. Stir in 2/3 cup creme fraiche, chicken, and bacon. Bring to simmer. Season with pepper. Divide among four 2-cup souffle dishes.

Unfold puff pastry onto work surface; roll out to 12-inch square. Cut into 4 equal squares. Top filling in souffle dishes with pastry; fold edges down onto rims of dish. Brush top of crusts (not edges) with remaining 1 tablespoon creme fraiche. Cut small X in center of crusts; pierce all over with fork. Bake until crusts are golden brown and filling is heated through, about 22 minutes.

Test-Kitchen Tip:

You can also make one large pot pie. Place the filling in a 9-inch-diameter deep-dish pie dish. Set the 12-inch pastry square over the filling, then fold down the edges onto the rim. Baking time will still be about 22 minutes.

Corn, Zucchini and Tomato Pot Pie

This pie is made from the overflowing bounty of the backyard garden. Fresh corn and zucchini seasoned with dill bake underneath Parmesan-crusted tomatoes to make a scrumptious entree that can be served warm or at room temperature.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups fresh, or frozen and defrosted corn kernels
• 5 small zucchini, cut into matchstick pieces
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill weed
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 to 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a 13 by 9-inch ovenproof baking dish, combine the corn, zucchini, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, the dill, and the melted butter, tossing to coat the vegetables. Cover the vegetables with the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the cheese and the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture over the tomatoes and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake the pie for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling. Remove it from the oven, and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Lobster Pot Pie

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Lobster Cream Sauce:

• 4 cups cooked lobster meat, cut in chunks (from four 1 1/4-pound lobsters)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup medium-dry sherry
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crumb Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz cracker crumbs (about 1 sleeve of crackers)
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

METHOD:

Divide the lobster meat into four shallow 8-ounce ramekins or gratin dishes, or place in a 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until bubbly, about 1 minute. Add the cream and sherry, bring just to the boil, and cook, whisking, until the mixture is thick and bubbly. Season with the paprika and with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the lobster in the dishes. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

For the topping, toss the cracker crumbs with the melted butter and paprika until well mixed. (The pies and topping can be made up to several hours ahead to this point and refrigerated.)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the lobster mixture. Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until the sauce is bubbly and the crumbs are deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes for ramekins, 15 to 20 minutes for a large baking dish.