ALL hail the great British pie!
The humble dinner table staple is being celebrated this week for National Pie Week.
New research from Jus-Rol, the pastry company, suggests that 75 percent of people enjoy a pie at least once a month, so there’s no better time to get into the kitchen and bake up a treat. Here are some top tips for successful pie-making from the Founder and Chief Pie Maker of Higgidy Pies, Camilla Stephens.
1. You can’t rush good cooking, so take time and care with your recipe and enjoy the process – your pie will taste better for it.
2. Don’t be afraid to be creative – if you have a favourite ingredient, or an idea for an unusual combination, then give it a go
3. Good ingredients make a good pie – we choose ingredients based on their quality and heritage. When making a meat pie, don’t mix cuts of meat as they will all cook at a different pace and end up chewy or stringy
4. Don’t worry if your pie doesn’t look perfect, a higgledy piggledy pie is all part of the home-made charm. The most well-loved pies are those with wobbly buttery pastry and oozy filling bubbling over the side of the dish
5. Try experimenting with different cheeses in your pies– strong ones like Parmesan and Extra Mature Cheddar work really well.
6. For sweet pies, try scraping out a vanilla pod and adding the seeds to a rich flaky pastry – this works really well with apple or peach fillings
7. I like to use the excess pastry to decorate the lid and make the pie more interesting. Hearts and stars are our favourite. Brush with egg yolks afterwards to give it a lovely golden glaze
8. The most important thing is not to be afraid and just have fun with it!
9. For those of us with busy lives, ingredients like good quality ready roll pastry, or chicken stock cubes will taste great and save you time
10. If you do want to make your own pastry, start with everything cold then use light fingers and a light touch to avoid overworking it.
11. Always let your pastry ‘relax’ or rest in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.
12. If you preheat the tin it is going to sit on it will help to get the heat through the bottom of the pie and avoid a soggy bottom!
13. Use a combination of shortcrust and puff pastry in pies. Shortcrust gives the crust a lovely crunch, and a buttery puff pastry lid makes it look really special, as well as tasting delicious - – cutting through it at the dinner table always brings on ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’.
CONTACT ME:
t: 01305 830981
e: catherine.bolado
@dorsetecho.co.uk
twitter: @DorsetEchoCB
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