Fidget pie

Tags

apples, british food, cider, fidget pie, pie, Pork, pork pie, Shropshire

No one knows exactly when this pie was invented, but it has been made for at least 400 years. This is a regional specialty from Shropshire in the UK. Fidget pie, probably the county’s best-known dish, was in danger of becoming a distant memory until recently. Only the elderly still had recipes or remembered fidget pie’s function as a portable meal in the hand for workers at harvest time.

There are a few variations but the basic ingredients remain consistent: gammon or ham, apples, cider cooked in a pastry, with potato and onions too. I have changed it up a little, as it is near impossible to find gammon in France, and I used minced or ground pork instead and it was delicious.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Pastry
500g / 2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
140g / 5oz lard or butter
215ml / 7oz water
Knob of butter for the tin
1 egg, beaten
Filling
500g / 1lb minced pork
125ml / 1/2 cup medium cider (cidre brut)
1 teaspoon salt
8 sage leaves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
115g / 4oz unsmoked bacon or lardons, finely chopped
225g / 8oz grated onion
225g / 8oz peeled and grated apple, (I used pink lady)
1 large potato, grated

Preparation:

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/400F
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray
Butter the sides of a 22cm / 9″ springform cake tin
Place the springform pan, without its base, on the baking sheet

To make the pastry, put the flour into a large bowl
Add with 1 tsp salt
Heat the lard or butter and the water in a medium saucepan until the butter or lard melts and the water is just simmering
Pour the hot liquid into the flour and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula
When the mixture has comes together, tip it onto a floured surface and knead lightly to make a dough
Cover and set aside

To make the filling, mix the pork, cider, salt, sage, nutmeg and sugar together in a large bowl
Add the bacon, onion, apple and potato to the mixture and mix well – the best way to do this is with your hands
Be sure to squeeze all excess liquid out of your grated apple, onion and potato or else your mixture will be too wet

On a lightly floured surface roll out two-thirds of the pastry to a large circle and use it to line the cake tin, allowing the pastry to overlap the rim slightly
Trim off any excess
Roll remaining pastry to form a lid large enough to cover the pie
Set aside

Put filling in the pie case and push down well
Brush the pastry case’s edges with a little water and cover with the lid
Crimp the edges together and brush the top with the beaten egg
Bake for 60 minutes then turn off the heat and allow the pie to cool in the oven for 30 minutes
Remove from oven and cool for about 60 minutes before serving
Delicious cold as well
Enjoy!

 

 

 

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Bakewell tart – high tea anyone?

Tags

bakewell tart, british food, dessert, fiesta friday, frangipane

Now you might be wondering why on earth a blog about cooking and living in the Dordogne is posting a very classic British recipe. Well, you see there are loads of Brits living in the Dordogne, there was even a BBC TV program a few years ago called “Little England” that followed the lives of several couples that had moved to the Dordogne. And it is ever so good and so very simple that it would be a major omission on my part not to include it. Do be sure to use a good quality strawberry or mixed berry jam and not a jelly though as it really makes your cake taste so much better. I use Bonne Maman jam. The pastry was made using a slightly different method, see below, but feel free to use store bought if you prefer.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 shortcrust pastry – recipe below
340 g / 12 oz blanched whole almonds or almond flour
1 cup plus 5 tablespoons sweet butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
6 tablespoons strawberry or raspberry jam
A few sliced blanched almonds
Whipped cream, crème fraîche or custard

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F
Butter and flour a 28 cm / 11 inch tart pan with a removable bottom
Line the tart pan with your pastry
Place in the freezer for 1 hour
Bake for 15 minutes then set aside
Lower the oven temperature to 160 C / 325 F
If using whole almonds, place them in the bowl of your food processor and blitz them until you have a fine powder
Mix the butter and sugar until creamy
Add the butter mixture to the almonds
Add the eggs one at a time and fold in until smooth
Place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to firm up slightly
Smear the jam into the bottom of your pastry crust
Pour the chilled frangipane mixture over the jam
Sprinkle a few sliced almonds on the top
Bake for about 40 minutes
The almond mixture will be firm on the edges, still soft in the middle and golden
Allow to cool for 30 minutes – it will not be easy to wait but it is so worth it
Serve with whipped cream, crème fraîche or be very British and use custard
Enjoy!

SHORT CRUST PASTRY

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups flour
zest of 1/2 lemon
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cold milk

Preparation:

Cream together the butter, powdered sugar and salt
Add in the flour, lemon zest and egg yolks
When the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs, add the cold milk
Pat and gently work the mixture until you have a ball
Flour it lightly
Roll into a large sausage shape – do not work it too much
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap
Place in refrigerator for at least one hour
Remove from refrigerator and slice it up
Line your tart pan with the slivers
Push them together and tidy up by trimming the edges