"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
5.247...
> 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?

Well I certainly don't know everything, but I have only seen raised hot
water pastry used for those types of pie.

sf? Could you give us more of a description of the pies you had?