FLOWER POT KITCHEN: ROASTED CRACKLING HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY HAND RAISED PORK PIE

28 Dec 2011

ROASTED CRACKLING HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY HAND RAISED PORK PIE

BOILING LARD & WATER FOR HOT WATER CRUST

HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY

HAND DICED PORK SHOULDER, TWICE MINCED BELLY PORK & FINE DICED SWEETCURE BACON, OAK SMOKED

COOLED HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY BALL WITH WOODEN DOLLY

USING THE WOODEN DOLLY TO HAND RAISE THE PASTRY

PORK PIE FILLING MADE INTO A FIRM BALL AND THROWN INTO THE PASTRY

HAND RAISED PORK PIE, GLAZED AND READY TO BAKE FREE STANDING

FINISHED PORK PIE, DOUBLE GLAZED

HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY
100g lard
100g butter
200ml water
550g plain flour
2 eggs beaten
Salt and pepper

In a pan bring the water, butter and lard to a simmer. In a large bowl whisk the flour with the salt and pepper, make a dip in the centre and add the beaten eggs and cut in with a knife, add the hot lard mixture and stir well and knead into a smooth ball. Divide into tennis ball size and wrap in paper or cling film and leave in the fridge for 24hrs.

PORK PIE MIXTURE
250g belly pork minced
1 kg pork shoulder hand diced
250g sweetcure bacon
20 sage leaves
4 sprigs of thyme
1 tsp mace
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Big pinch of salt
Big pinch white pepper
Big pinch fresh ground black pepper

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, leave covered to marinate for approx 2 hours.

To make the pies, I use a wooden dolly but a oiled jam jar will work just as well, (thats how I started, then my fabulous husband had a dolly made form me, from a log in our local woods). Take a ball of chilled hot water crust pastry and place the dolly/jam jar in the centre and push down quite hard, as you want a medium thin base for the pie, hug the pastry and squeeze the pastry up the dolly/jar turning as you go, this will bring the pastry up to approx 4 inches high, make sure the thickness of the pastry is equal, it does'nt matter if the sides are not level as this is a hand raised rustic pie, made with love.

Remove the dolly/jar and make a tennis ball size of the pork pie mix and squeeze it in to a firm ball, throw the ball of meat in to the pie case, this is important as it expells air, egg wash the sides and place a lid on top of the meat just inside of the pastry. Lightly press down and crimp the edges of the pie. Egg wash the top and make two holes, one for jelly and one for air.

Bake for approx 40 minutes until the golden and the base is firm to the tap and golden in colour. Leave to cool, meanwhile make the jelly. (I don't like the jelly so I don't jelly my personal pies).

THE JELLY
1 pigs trotter
600ml water
Seasoning

Bring the trotter up to a rolling simmer and reduce the liquid by 2/3, leave to cool. Season to taste.
Once the pork pie is cold, fill with the just warm jelly and chill to set int the fridge ready to eat.

1 comment:

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com7 February 2013 at 06:04
I make all sorts of pastry and pies, but I've not yet made the hot water pastry or a pork pie. They've been on my to-do list forever. Eventually ...
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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.