Pauls Hand Raised Boxing Day Pie Recipes

HAND-RAISED BOXING DAY PIE

Steps:

• Sift the plain and strong flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre of the mixture.
• Heat the lard and 200ml/7fl oz water in a small saucepan over a medium heat. When the mixture is simmering pour it into the well in the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon, gradually drawing the dry mixture into the liquid, until the mixture comes together as a dough.
• Grease a 18cm/7in springform cake tin, or raised pie mould with melted lard. Make sure you grease the tin liberally to prevent the pastry from sticking.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and pliable. Roll out three-quarters of the dough and use it to a line the prepared tin. Press the pastry into the base and sides of the tin to prevent air bubbles from forming. Leave the excess pastry hanging over the edge of the tin.
• For the filling, spoon half of the stuffing into the pastry case and press down with the back of a spoon. Arrange half of the turkey over the stuffing, then season with salt and pepper. Mix the cranberries and cranberry sauce together and spoon half over the turkey. Repeat the layers once more, pressing down as before.
• Roll out the remaining pastry until it is large enough to cover the pie. Brush the overhanging edges with water and place the lid on top, squeezing it together at the edges to seal. Trim off most of the excess pastry using scissors or a knife, and crimp to create a decorative edge. Make a small hole in the centre of the lid and chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 (fan 160C).
• Place the chilled pie in a roasting tin (to catch any juices that may leak from the pie tin) and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with beaten egg to glaze. Return to the oven for 15 minutes.
• When the pie is cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Leave to cool for a further 30 minutes before removing from the springform tin or pie mould.

PAUL'S HAND-RAISED PIES

Steps:

• To make the pastry, put both the flours in a mixing bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Put the lard, boiling water and salt into a small pan and heat until the lard has melted, then pour onto the flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together into a dough. Tip the warm dough onto a lightly floured worktop and gently work until it forms a smooth ball. Divide it in half. Set aside one- quarter of each portion for the lids and keep covered with clingfilm until needed. Form the rest of one portion of dough into a ball, then flatten slightly. Set a dolly on top of the flattened disc. Using your hands, mould the still warm dough around the dolly. Try to make sure the dough is the same thickness on the sides, that the dough on the base is not too thick and that there are no holes. Repeat with the other portion of dough. Set the moulded pie cases on the lined baking sheet and chill for about 20 minutes or until really firm. Roll out the 2 saved portions of dough to make discs 13cm across, or to fit the size of the pies you've moulded. Make a hole in the centre of each lid, then chill them for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, keeping the chicken and bacon strips separate, season them with salt, plenty of pepper and the thyme. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Take the pie cases out of the fridge and very carefully coax the hard pastry off each dolly in one piece. If the pie cases soften in handling, return them to the fridge for about 10 minutes until really firm again. Trim the top of the pie cases so the sides are of even height all around and not too tall (Paul trimmed his pies so that they were 10cm tall). Now layer up the filling: start with bacon, then add chicken and then a layer of apricots, and repeat - the filling should be well packed in. Set a top on each pie and crimp the lid and the rim of the pastry case together with your thumb and forefinger to seal thoroughly. Set the pies on the unlined baking sheet and brush the tops with beaten egg to glaze. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the pastry is crisp and a good golden brown all over. Dissolve the chicken stock cube in 150ml of hot water. Soak the leaves of gelatine in a small bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes until soft, then squeeze out the excess water. Whisk the gelatine into the hot but not boiling stock until melted. Remove the cooked pies from the oven, set them on a wire rack and leave to cool. While the pies are still hot, carefully pour the stock into each pie through the hole in the pie lid to fill up any cavities (this must be done while the pies are hot, otherwise the jelly will sit on the top of the filling only). Leave to cool completely, then cover and chill in the fridge overnight so the stock has time to set to a firm jelly.