Things to remember (food)

[pecunium]

I decided to make a pork-pie (pot) tonight.

Maia decided, as I was saying we needed to buy some pie crust, that she wanted me to make it. Silly me, I forgot she decided homemade crust was far superior to either TJ's, or Pillsbury.

I got distracted for a second and mis-did the math when I doubled the pastry recipe. Because we have a large (11") pie pan, I can't just whip up a single batch. Oops. I was rolling it out, after it had chilled, when I realised this, and so am hoping to salvage it with more flour, and touch more water, in the food procecssor.

Dinner, already running late, because of the chilling required (had I been thinking I'd have made the pastry this afternoon and it would be really chilled, and much easier to work, ah! well).

To add to my misery, the roast head of garlic is sitting on the table, mocking me (It was supposed to come out of the oven just as the pie went in, so that it could cool, and be used a spread on bread) with the happy smell of its being done.

Pot pie

Enough meat (pork, chicken, turkey, beef) cut small and browned (if using fish, prep, as needed; a quick poaching with butter is probably best, or just count on the sauce to do the work) Spice as desired.

A medium onion, sauteéd,; with a bit of butter (one can finish with a dash of flour, to make a small, white, roux, mixed veggies (bagged, or fresh) about 2 cups, added to the onion, with stock and 1/2 cup cream or milk. Mushrooms are good in this, chopped fine, and cooked with the onions, if that pleases you, or cooked in the milk, and let to simmer in the pie (oyster and fresh shiitake are well that way). I added a dash of calvados with the milk.

Add the meat, place in the bottom crust, and cover (piercing the top crust to prevent it bursting). If it is to be presented, an egg-wash, about 10 minutes into cooking will give a golden brown crust. After about 25 minutes, at 450F, remove, allow to rest for 10 minutes and serve.

For the roast garlic, slice the top of an entire head, put honey atop the cut end, place in a 425 oven for 25-40 minutes (depending on the size of the cloves).

For a treat, spread it thickly on bread, and eat with Guinness. The combination is incredible, so I shan't try to describe it.

Comments

[hundakleptisis.livejournal.com]

Man, What I'd give for an Irish Guiness. Spent a few weeks in Ireland once and the Guiness there is so smooth it's unbelievable. They tell me it's in the water they make it with.

Put me off English Guiness for a long time after being spoiled like that.

Thanks for the pork pie recipe, will be trying it out this weekend.

S.J.

[antiquated-tory.livejournal.com]

And I always thought pork pie was top crust only...

Anyway, this reminds me of a point you might be able to help with. phonemonkey makes a splendid pie crust with grated frozen butter, with flour:butter 2:1 by weight. It comes out a bit like a puff pastry. However, when prebaking, a quantity of butter always cooks out of the pastry and ends up in the bottom of the oven, unless we use a pie pan small enough to stick in another pan. Is this normal? Is this preventable?