by ComradeQ » Sat Jan 05, 2013 5:42 am
Hey crusty044, sorry for the delay, been a crazy few days. I have included the recipe as I have copied it into my index. I can't take credit for it but I copied it a while back and can't remember where I found it. If the original poster sees this, sorry, all credit to you!
PORK PIE
INGREDIENTS
Hot Water Pastry:
2 Eggs
100 g Butter
100 g Lard
200 ml Water
550 g Plain Flour
1.5 tsp Salt
1. Gently melt butter and lard together in a pan, with the water.
2. While the fats are melting, mix plain flour and salt together in a large bowl, then break the eggs into the bowl.
3. Using a knife to start with, cut the eggs into the flour a little and slowly pour in the fat and water, mixing all the time.
4. The dough will come together. You may need to add more flour or water. Briefly knead the dough, then wrap it in clingfilm and let it rest in the fridge for an hour or so.
Filling:
1 kg Pork Shoulder (Cut in small half cm square cubes)
250 g Bacon (Finely chopped)
250 g Pork Belly (Minced)
12 Sage Leaves (Finely chopped)
2 Sprigs of Thyme
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper
1 tsp Ground White Pepper
½ tsp Ground Mace
Heavy Pinch Cayenne
1. Mix meat and seasonings together well.
2. Next, cut off about a third of the pastry and put it to one side for the lid, then roll out the rest into a 30cm round. If choosing to do 4-5 smaller pies, divide the pastry accordingly for the number you are doing.
3. Slide the pastry into a 9” cake tin with a loose base and press it down so that the pastry reaches about three quarters of the way up the side of the tin. Or, for smaller pies, if using 4” springform tins, this will make 4-5 pies. You may need to make more pastry as needed. Using a spring form tin with a clip on the side will make the ‘getting the pie out’ operation much simpler.
4. Fill the pastry case with the meat, and push a single bay leaf into the very centre of the pie, or if doing 4-5 smaller ones, use smaller pieces of a bay leaf in each one.
5. Roll out a suitably sized pastry lid and crimp it into place, using a little beaten egg to glue the joint together. Cut a small hole in the top of the pastry.
6. Bake at 350f/180c for thirty minutes, then reduce the heat to 320f/160c and continue to cook for a further hour and a quarter. If making smaller pies, reduce from an hour and a quarter to an hour.
7. After this time, take the pie out of it’s tin and brush the top and sides with beaten egg, returning it to the oven for another quarter of an hour to brown.
8. When the pie has finally finished cooking, let it stand for half an hour or so to cool, then heat up 600ml/1 pint of pork stock that will set to a jelly in a pan. Making pork stock with a couple of trotters will guarantee that the stock will set, but if you’re unsure, add some gelatin as well.
9. Using a turkey baster, squirt the hot stock into the hole at the top of the pie. The meat will have shrunk during cooking, and there’ll be a gap between it and the crust, which you want to fill with jelly. This could take some time – let the stock sink into the pie before adding more – but try to get as much stock in as possible.
10. Leave the pie to cool completely, then refrigerate overnight to allow the jelly to set.
11. Enjoy with cheese and pickles, and some good chutney!
PORK PIE JELLY/ASPIC
INGREDIENTS
Jelly:
Optional: 2lb Pork Bones
2 Pigs Trotters, Split in Half
1 Large Carrot or 2 Smaller Ones
1 Onion Peeled and Cut in Half
2 Stalks Celery
2 Bay Leaves
3-4 Sprigs Fresh thyme
2-3 Stems Fresh Parsley, Leaves and All
12 Black Peppercorns
4 Cloves
Water
1. For the jelly, put all of the jelly ingredients into a large pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for three hours.
2. Strain through a very fine sieve layered with cheesecloth into a clean pan and boil vigorously until reduced to 600ml/1 pint. Season to taste and leave to cool.
3. The liquid should set into a firm jelly. If it doesn’t happen, heat up the liquid again and add a little gelatin (I’ve never found this to be a problem)
4. Use to fill cooled pork pies, making sure to get as much jelly as possible into the pastry hole.