Monday, August 26, 2013

Kentish Pie

I'm not too sure how to describe this dish, it's like a cross between a pie and a quiche and totally delicious.
I found the recipe on Jenny Eatwell's Rhubarb and Ginger site via Carole's Chatter Food on Fridays.    She has a fun idea, she asks bloggers to link a recipe or recipes, every Friday.  Each Friday has a theme and guess what it was a couple of weeks ago, yup Pies and Tarts, in fact, here's the link,   Carole's Chatter Food on Friday: Pies and Tarts.    There were over 250 recipes submitted.     I looked at a few of them, submitted a few of my own, and then I saw this.  
Kentish Pie

A Kentish Pie.

I had to look, and when I did,  I decided that this was just fun enough and different enough to make for Tapas Night.   So I did.   Make it that is.

And it got eaten.    There weren't even any leftovers.  

I think this would make a fantastic dinner meal, served with a side of veggies, but it's also a good potluck dish.   And you can bake it beforehand, take it out of the pie pan, and serve it at room temperature.  How cool is that?  Especially down here in the South where you don't want the oven going and heating up the house in the afternoon.

I also made a shortcrust from scratch, mainly cause I wanted to keep my hand in.   And now I think I'm going to make a couple more batches and keep in the freezer, for the times I make a chicken pot pie.  This was one of the best recipes I've ever made.      I'll share the recipe in a separate post.

Gotta keep you reading here, one way or another. 

Now for the Pie.
 It has Apples, Bacon and Cheddar in it.   I know, what a combination, but oh so very good.   However I have to say this up front, I did not cut the apple slices thick enough.  Next time, they will be thicker.   And next time, I would like slightly thicker bacon as well.    I think it would be tastier.

Pie Pastry, enough for the top and bottom of the pie  (I'll be posting my recipe in the next day or so for this, but go ahead and use commercial pie crust).
12-14  slices good meaty bacon, cooked slightly crisp and chopped or broken into pieces. 
8 oz.  Good Sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small pieces
2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices
 8 eggs, lightly beaten, plus one egg yolk for glazing.  (I used the extra egg white in with the other eggs.)
3 tablespoons heavy cream (if you're in Europe, use Double Cream)
Fresh ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out or position one sheet of pie crust in a pie pan.   Cut off any overhangs with a sharp knife.  Or you can leave it rustic looking.    You can either put some pie weights, or some dried beans on the bottom of the crust to keep it from puffing up or just prick the bottom with a fork.   I pricked it with a fork cause I don't have either dried beans or pie weights.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until it is just done.   Set aside to cool.   Roll out the other sheet of pie crust and set aside for a few minutes. 

While it is baking, fry the bacon up and set aside to cool.   Prepare the apples, peeling, coring and slicing them,

and then cut the cheese into small chunks.

Whisk eggs and cream together with a few good grinds of pepper.  You know how much you like in your food, and as for me, I did about a half dozen grinds.  Don't really know how much that was.

Place a layer of bacon first into the cooked pie shell,
Kentish Pie

 then add a layer of cheese,

Kentish Pie
 then the apple slices.
Kentish Pie

Repeat with another layer of each.

Pour the lightly beaten eggs over top,

Kentish Pie

Kentish Pie
and kind of shake the pie pan a little so there aren't any air bubbles in there.  I picked up the pie pan and set it sharply down on the counter a couple of times.  Like you do when baking a cake, you don't want any large bubbles in that either.  Brush the edge of the cooked crust with some of the egg yolk, this will help to 'glue' the top crust to it.

Place the second sheet of pie crust on top, and crimp the edges together lightly.  Cut off the excess pie dough if you like and use to make decorations with it.

 Cut a couple of slits in the top, to let the steam escape, and then brush the whole thing with rest of the egg yolk.

Kentish Pie
   Not only does this make it look pretty, but you can now 'glue' any decorations to it, that you made with some of the leftover dough.

Place in oven.   I usually put either a sheet of aluminum foil under to catch any drips or just place it on a larger cooking sheet.  

Bake for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees.   Take out of oven and let cool to room temp.   Serve.

Kentish Pie
This pie was very easy to take out of the tin, once it had cooled, which made it much easier to slice and serve.       
Kentish Pie
I am going to make this again, but I'm going to tweak it a little more.   I really liked the combination of flavours, but the cheese got kinda lost in there.   I think next time I will add a little more cheese, and in fact will change it up a little and use some Colby Jack Cheese.     And as I said before, I will also cut the apple slices a little thicker, they kinda got lost inside.   

Go ahead and try this for a nice change of pace.   Personally, I think I'm going to try taking this on a picnic.  It's hearty, substantial and fun.  
Sidsel Munkholm - Author
Sidsel Munkholm - Author

Sid loves to cook, feed people and have fun in the kitchen. She shares her successes and the involuntary offerings she sometimes gives the kitchen goddess as well. And she's still looking for the mythical fairy to help her clean the kitchen after a marathon cooking session. Currently working on a cookbook showcasing the recipes from her Danish heritage.

4 comments:

  1. I'm totally stoked that you made my Kentish Pie! I'm even happier that you liked it though. It's a little bit of Kent (the County of Kent in South East England) you've just made, there. :D Thanks for the link, too. :D

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  2. This pie will be made again by me. Thanks for a great recipe. If you looked around my blog you will notice that I'm quite international in my cooking. I love to try new recipes.

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  3. What an interesting pie. I've never had anything quite like it, but it definitely seems like it would be worth a try!

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    Replies
    1. I made it again a month ago and it was just as big a hit as the first time. I did slice the apples a little thicker and used some Monterey Jack cheese and liked it even better.

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