Caramel Pie

Firstly, sorry for my lack of posts recently! I seem to have spent the last few weeks either dancing or drowning in work. It's just that time of year. Anyway, I can't spend my whole life working and as it's been far too cold to venture out of the house these past few days (seriously, what is wrong with the weather at the moment?!), my Saturday afternoon was spent baking in the kitchen with the bestie. A far better option than essay-writing or braving the cold in my opinion!

So, the first thing we made was this heavenly Caramel Pie. It's from the latest Hummingbird Bakery Book 'Home Sweet Home', which I treated myself to on a whim, but which I do not regret! I could literally make everything in there. Anyway, I chose this pie, just because we were going to a friend's for dinner and as we were in charge of dessert, I thought this looked like the right choice. And we were certainly not disappointed! I don't think I've ever really tried one of these American-style pies and it wouldn't normally be something I'd go for, but after making this, I may have changed my mind! The custard caramel filling was delicious - just the right sort of comfort food you want on a cosy night in with the girls. If only I hadn't been so full, I could have eaten it forever...! I will definitely be trying some of the other pies in the future.

My only piece of advice would be to make a very concious effort to keep stirring your custard as you cook it, because mine did end up a bit lumpy. But it did taste great, and as a big custard-lover myself, it definitely tasted just like the sort of custard I like: thick enough to stand a spoon in with just the right amount of creaminess. And with the addition of caramel, you can't get custard much better than that! Yes, definitely my sort of pie!!

Caramel Pie

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

110g Butter, cubed

225g Plain Flour

80g Caster Sugar

1 Egg

For the filling:

400g Caster Sugar

60g Plain Flour

500ml Whole Milk

4 Egg Yolks

60g Cornflour

Pinch Salt

100ml Water

For the topping:

350ml Double Cream

2tbsp Icing Sugar

20g Dark Chocolate

Method:

1. Place the butter and flour into a large mixing bowl and rub together until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
2. Stir in the sugar.
3. Add the egg and mix until it forms a dough.
4. Bring together and form into a ball, flattening slightly.
5. Wrap it in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for about 30-40 minutes.
6. Once rested, roll out onto a floured surface so it is about 5mm thick.
7. Line a pie dish with the pastry.
8. Trim any excess edges with a knife and allow to rest again in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
9. Bake blind at a preheated 170 degree oven for 10 minutes with baking beans in.
10. Remove the baking beans and bake for a further 15-20 minutes.
11. Allow to cool.
12. To make the filling, mix 200g sugar with the flour, milk, egg yolks, cornflour and salt in a pan.
13. Bring to the boil, whisking continuously until it thickens.
14. Boil it for 4-5 minutes so the flour can cook properly.
15. Set aside and cover directly with cling film to prevent a skin from forming.
16. In a small pan, mix the rest of the sugar with the water.
17. On a low heat, stir gently until the sugar has dissolved.
18. Bring the mixture to boil without stirring.
19. Let it boil for 15-20 minutes until it turns a light caramel colour.
20. Remove from the pan and leave to cool for a couple of minutes.
21. Pour the hot caramel into the custard, stirring continuously, until it is evenly mixed through.
22. Pour the filling into the baked pie crust.
23. Place in the fridge and allow to set for about an hour.
24. Whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks and stir through the icing sugar.
25. Top the pie with the cream.
26. Using a vegetable peeler, make chocolate shavings.
27. Sprinkle on the pie and enjoy!

Easter Pie

If I had to choose my favourite English dinner, I think it'd probably be a pie of some kind. I just can't resist them. When I go out for a pub meal, you can guarantee that I'll choose a good, hearty pie. I'm not fussy about what's in it (as long as it's not offal preferably - I mean, I like meat, but not that much), providing it's hot and tasty and not too stodgy. Well seeing as Abbey and I were both pining for family time and some traditional English food to go with it (even we get sick of French food occasionally!), we decided to try out a pie recipe from one of Abbey's recipe books, 'Easy Comfort Food' and made the most delicious chicken, lardon and veg pie that you could imagine. And it was just what we fancied after a cycle around the Parc de la Tête d'Or on a blustery Easter afternoon. I'm not sure whether I've made a pie before actually, so for a first attempt I was pretty impressed! I even made the pastry myself. Except that's where it went a bit wrong actually! Normally I'm quite good at pastry-making, but I was slightly disappointed with myself this time. I didn't do quite enough to cover the top, so I had to be a bit inventive when covering it. Of course, I completely intended to put crosses across the top to fit with the Easter theme...

  

The filling made up for the pastry though (although it didn't taste horrendous, it's just that its appearance left a lot to be desired for!). Perhaps a little on the salty side (the lardons were probably the reason for this), but extremely tasty and it definitely fits into the comfort food category. Fairly easy to make too, if you've made pastry before and certainly worth giving a try. A lovely, satisfying dinner that made us feel just that little bit closer to home! I also had the luxury of using an efficient oven that you DON'T have to light with a match to switch it on...it's the small things in life!

I've given you the quantities below for pastry that WILL cover the top of your pie from the trusty BeRo website (I live by their little recipe book - so worth buying)! So it won't look as messy as mine...

Chicken, Lardon and Veg Pie   serves 3-4 (depending on how hungry you are!)

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

225g Plain Flour

Pinch Salt

100g Margerine (N.B. using half lard, half margerine will make a tastier pastry)

2 tbsp Cold Water

For the filling:

200g Chicken, cut into bite-sized chunks

100g Lardons

1 Onion, chopped

Whatever veg you fancy adding!
3 tbsp Plain Flour
250ml Chicken Stock
125ml Single Cream
1tsp Parsely
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. To make the pastry, mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.
3. Rub in the fat. 
4. Using a knife to cut and stir, add the cold water and combine to make a stiff dough.
5. Leave to rest in the fridge before using whilst making the filling.
6. For the filling, stir fry the chicken in a large pan until cooked through.
7. Add the lardons, followed by the onion and continue cooking until golden brown.
8. Add the flour and stir until it coats everything in the pan.
9. Add the chicken stock and cream and mix well.
10. Put the veg in as well then leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Season well and add the herbs and seasoning, then put the mixture into a large ovenproof dish.
12. Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface so it is about 0.5cm thick.
13. Cover the filling with the pastry and trim off  any excess.
14. Press down firmly at the edges and press down with a fork.
15. Cut a vent in the middle of about 3cm.
16. Cover with an egg wash and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
17. Remove from the oven, serve with your choice of veg and mash if you're feeling really hungry and enjoy!