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Mini pork pies
Makes 12 (start 1 day before) Cakes, Bread and Pastries
For the filling
- 400g lean pork shoulder
- 200g rindless and boneless pork belly
- 150g rindless smoked streaky bacon
- 1 Bramley apple, cored, peeled and finely diced
- 60g cooked chestnuts, finely diced
- 1⁄2tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 1tsp fresh thyme leaves
- light grating nutmeg
- 1⁄2tsp cayenne pepper
- 1⁄2tsp English mustard powder
- 1 fat garlic clove, crushed
- 1tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
For the hot-water-crust pastry
- 300g plain flour, plus extra to dust
- 250g strong white flour
- 1⁄2tsp caster sugar
- good pinch sea salt flakes, crushed
- 150g lard, diced
- 50g unsalted butter, diced, plus extra to grease
- 2 medium eggs, beaten
To serve
- brown sauce or mustard
- pickles such as cornichons and baby onions
Method
The day before, cut the pork
shoulder, belly and bacon into 0.5cm dice and mix well in a bowl. Transfer two-thirds of the meat to the bowl of a
food processor and pulse until
minced, in batches if necessary.
Mix the remaining diced meat
with the mince in a large bowl.
Add the remaining filling
ingredients, season well and
mix to combine, then cover and
keep in the fridge until needed.
For the pastry, mix the flours,
sugar and salt and a good pinch
of black pepper in a large bowl
and make a well in the centre.
Put the lard, butter and 200ml
water in a small pan set over
a medium heat. Allow the lard
and butter to melt into the
water, then increase the heat
and bring to the boil.
Roughly mix three-quarters of
the beaten egg into the well in
the centre of the seasoned flour,
add the hot water mixture and,
working quickly, mix the dough
together until smooth. Cover
with a clean tea towel and set
aside for 20 minutes until just
cool enough to handle.
Preheat the oven to 180C/
160C F/Gas 4. Grease the
holes of a 12-hole muffin tin
with butter and lightly dust
the work surface with flour.
Cut off around two-thirds of
the pastry, leaving the other
third under the tea towel to
keep it warm. Roll the larger
piece out to a thickness of
about 3mm and, using a cookie
cutter, cut out 12 circles approx.
11cm in diameter. Use to line
the holes of the muffin tin,
making sure the pastry covers
the base and sides and that the
top of the pastry just overhangs.
Pack the filling mixture into the pastry, making a slight mound in the middle. Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into 12 circles of 8cm diameter for the lids. Brush the edges of the pastry with water and lay the lids on top, pressing the edges together to seal.
Trim off the excess pastry and crimp the edges of the pies between your fingers, then brush the tops of the pies with the remaining beaten egg. Use a skewer to make a hole in the top of each pastry lid for steam to escape. Bake the pies for 45 minutes to 1 hour until they are a deep golden colour and the filling is cooked through. Allow to cool, then put in the fridge overnight. Serve cold with brown sauce or mustard and pickles of your choice.
This recipe featured in the July 2022 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.
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