[Sheelagh@AVillagePantry]

I just put up this recipe, and it is so delicious. A Handy midweek meal & more-ish!!

Whiskey & Smokey Bacon Pie
http://avillagepantry.wordpress.com

What are your favourite pies?

Sheelagh

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[KYHeirloomer]

Welcome to the forum, Sheelagh.

I assume you mean savory pies? I have several go-tos:

1. Beefsteak and ham pye. Note the spelling. It's an adaptation of a popular dish in the 18th century using steak, ham, leeks, and a rich gravy, covered with a pastry crust.

2. Venison cottage pie. Straighfoward cottage pie, using venison as the meat. As with yours, I like piping the mash in little teardrops, cuz it looks so much nicer. I usually leave a hole in the center when making cottage pies.

3. Pork "hand" pies with cornmeal pastry. This is a fantastic take on the traditional pasty, using seasoned ground pork and a pastry made with cornmeal. I usually make lots of them at one time, and keep them handy in the freezer.

[Sheelagh@AVillagePantry]

They sound delicious, am intrigued by the pork hand pies, especially the pastry, Would you have the recipe?

[KYHeirloomer]

Sure thing, Sheelagh:

Cornmeal Pastry

4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1 stick plus 2 tbls cold, unsalted butter, cut in about 20 pieces
2/3 cup chilled vegetable shortening
2/3 cup ice water

In a food processor, combine the flour, cornmeal and salt; pulse briefly to mix. Add the butter and shortening and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 20 seconds.

With the machine on, add the ice water and process just until the dough begins to form a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Cut the dough in quarters and shape into disks. Wrap each disk in wax paper or plastic film and refrigerate until ready to roll out.

Dough can be made to this point and refrigerated overnight if desired. Let the dough sit at room tempeature for about 5 minutes before rolling out.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of the pastry into a 6 x 16 inch rectangle. Using a fluted pastry wheel, trim it to 5 x 15 inches, then cut the rectanle into three 5 x 5 inch squares. Moisten the edges of each square. Scroop 2 rounded tablespoons of the filling into the lower half of each square and spread evenly, leaving a 1/2-inch rim of pastry exposed. Fold the pastry over to enclose the filling, pressing the edges lightly to seal. Trim the edges with a pastry wheel. Continue with the remaining squares, then repeat with the remaining disks of dough and filling.

The hand-pies can be made to this point, wrapped well first in plastic film and then foil, and frozen. If frozen, unwrap the pies and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before proceeding, and allow 5 extra mintutes baking time.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the pies on a large, ungreased baking sheet. In a small bowl beat together an egg with a tablespoon of Dijon mustart. Brush the egg wash lightly over the top of each pie. With a small, sharp knife, cut three small steam vents in the center of each pie. Bake 25-30 minutes until well browned. Let cool on a rack about 5 minutes. Serve whole pies in a basket, or cut them in half and arrange on a platter.

The original for this recipe used a delicious pork and olive filling. But I've made these using chicken, venison, and lamb and they're all good. A perfect party dish, or served with a salad for a nice luncheon.

[Sheelagh@AVillagePantry]

Thanks so much -
will be give it a try this week, sounds fantastic!

[Shut Up And Cook]

This sounds amazing! I just made Pork Belly (will post recipe shortly) so am very in to other recipes in the family. Will definitely give this a try. Thanks!
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