Recipe No.19 - Paul's Pork Pies with Quails' Eggs

I like to look up a few tips online before starting a recipe that I've never tried before, and I read somewhere that these are a 'labour of love' because they are so time intensive. They were not wrong, this isn't something you whip up when people come round. It has to be a well thought out and planned ahead. Not my best attribute.

So first of all the Hot water pastry - eek! This was really odd, the butter and the flour are combined to make breadcrumbs whilst the kettle is boiled and the lard melted. The lard, water and salt are mixed together then added to the flour, The mixture is stirred to a dough and then you use your hands to make sure it is all combined, then whilst the dough is still hot, it is rolled out and shaped into the muffin tin and the lids and put in the fridge to chill whilst you make the filling.

The filling is made of bacon, pork, onion, parsley and then seasoned. Oh and I forgot meanwhile my mum peeled all of the Quails Eggs which I boiled earlier! The pastry cases are then half filled with the pork filling, an egg is placed in the middle and the rest is topped up with more pork mixture. The lid is added and then a hole made with a piping nozzle to allow steam to escape and the gelatine to be added later.

The pies are cooked for 40-45mins and then removed from the oven and their tin. Easier said than done. I used a silicone Muffin Tin so that I could push them up from the bottom and then lift them out.

After allowing them to cool a mixture of gelatine and chicken stock is made and then poured through the hole that was made in the lid.

The Pies are then refrigerated overnight (see, not a last minute addition) and then they can be enjoyed!!

Yum!