On Sat 15 Aug 2009 01:22:01p, Ophelia told us...
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>> On Sat 15 Aug 2009 12:59:17p, Ophelia told us...
>>
>>> sf wrote:
>>>> On Sat, 15 Aug 2009 08:40:59 +0100, "Ophelia"
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> You have asked me for a recipe for steak pie.
>>>> <snip>
>>>>> If you don't like kidney, simply leave it out and add more steak.
>>>>> I often put mushrooms in too.
>>>>
>>>> Mushrooms sound great, I'll try that.
>>>>>
>>>>> As for pastry, sometimes I use puff pastry, but to make that from
>>>>> scratch is fiddly and takes time. If you can get a good ready made
>>>>> butter puff pastry, that is acceptable. Shortcrust is easy and
>>>>> good and I used to make a pastry called 'rough puff pastry' which
>>>>> I like very much.
>>>>>
>>>>> It consists of cutting lard into small chunks and placing in the
>>>>> fridge to harden. They are then mixed with flour and salt and very
>>>>> cold water. The lard in not 'rubbed in' but kept in chunks. Roll
>>>>> out the pastry and fold into three. Do this three times and then
>>>>> rest it in the fridge for a while after which roll it out to cover
>>>>> your dish. It must be kept very cold until it goes into the oven
>>>>> so handle very sparingly.
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/c.../english/mums-
>>>>> steak-and-kidney-plate-pie.html
>>>>>
>>>>> If you need to ask anything more.. then ask away
>>>>>
>>>>> A last thought.. suet pastry is wonderful too but I am not sure you
>>>>> can get the suet, although I think Wayne has had some in the past.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thanks! I didn't know the meat is precooked. That answers a lot of
>>>> questions!
>>>>
>>>> I was particularly interested in your crust recipe. That might be
>>>> what I had in London. It wasn't like American pie pastry (grandma
>>>> used to make her pie crust with 100% lard) and it wasn't puff
>>>> pastry, but it was really, really flaky. At the time I wondered if
>>>> it was a "hot water" crust which is another type I've never made.
>>>
>>> Hot water crust is usually raised pie crust, often used in pork
>>> or game
>>> pie. It is quite solid and not really flaky.
>>
>> I know the hot water crust of which you speak, O, as I've used it to
>> make raised cases for pork pie. However, there is an American
>> version of hot water pastry which is not related, and which is often
>> used for any manner of ordinary pie, sweet or savory. Its technique
>> was an attempt at making an acceptable pie crust easier to make.
>> Here's but one example:
>>
>> 1/2 cup shortening or lard
>> 1/2 teaspoon salt
>> 1/4 cup boiling water
>> 1 1/2 cup sifted flour
>> 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
>>
>> The shortening should be soft but not melted. Sprinkle it with salt
>> and add boiling water. Stir and mix quickly and continue until
>> shortening is melted and a uniform mixture is obtained. Cool to room
>> temperature.
>>
>> Sift flour and baking powder together and add all at once to fat
>> mixture. Cut flour in with a pastry blender or two knives,
>> manipulating as little as possible. Chill for about 20 minutes, turn
>> out on lightly floured board and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness.
>> Press dough lightly into pie plate so that no air bubbles are trapped
>> and trim off edge.
>>
>> For a pie shell, prick the entire surface with a fork and bake in hot
>> oven 450F for 12 minutes. If filling is to be baked in shell, or
>> pastry is to be used for a two-crust pie, do not prick dough with a
>> fork.
>>
>> After lining pie plate, add filling mixture, and for a two-crust pie,
>> moisten edge of lower shell with water.
>>
>> Roll out dough for upper crust and make a few small slashes in centre
>> to allow for escape of steam. Fit over the top of the pie and press
>> edges together. Trim off excess dough and pinch edges firmly together
>> to seal in any juice. Bake in hot oven 450F for first 10 minutes, then
>> reduce temperatue to moderate 375F to finish cooking the filling.
>
> Thanks for sharing that Wayne)
>
> sf was wondering if the one she had in London was hot water crust pastry
> and I supposed it was the one I described
Did what she have in London have a raised case? Is that sort of crust used
in other ways?
--
Wayne Boatwright
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It's bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my
children's health than the pediatrician. Meryl Streep