Bob's Butter Crust Pork Pie

Serves: makes around 18-24 slices for a buffet, or can serve as a cold main dish with salads.

Pastry:

• 450g flour


• 1 tsp salt


• 275g diced butter


• 2 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk


• 2 tablespoons cold water

Filling:

• 6 hard-boiled free-range eggs


• 1200g fairly course-ground (but goood quality) sausage meat


• Pepper, mustard, herbs to taste (I usually use a sprinkle of Colman's mustard powder, pepper and thyme as I've never seen the more traditional mace here)


• 500ml stock (I use pot-au-feu) thickened with gelatine to make the jelly between meat and crust

Prep time: approx 45mins

Oven time: 2 hours

Chill time: overnight

Method:

• Sift together the flour and salt


• Rub in the butter with fingertips (as for a crumble,keeping the mixture as cool as possible)


• Beat together eggs and water


• Add to dry ingredients and work into dough, keeping it as cool as possible (pie will be in oven for a long time, the longer it takes the fats to melt the better)


• Roll out half the mixture to line a pie dish.  I use a silicone mould, which makes it easy to remove the pie, which is a 'raised crust' pie and should stand unsupported after cooking.  Otherwise, i recommend you line your pie dish with greaseproof paper.


• Season the sausage meat with the herbs etc of choice, then push half of it into the pie, makking indents for the 6 eggs to be evenly spaced.


• Place in eggs, then cover with rest of sausagemeat, shaping into a smooth, gently sloping dome.


• Roll out rest of pastry and cover, crimping firmly aroung edges


• Glaze with a little beaten egg


• Make a hole in the centre and place either a 'pie flute' or a cone of tinfoil in to keep it open whilst baking (to allow jelly addition after cooling)


• Bake for 30mins at 200, then a further 1h30 at 180 degrees, covering with foil if it gets very brown.


• Allow to cool for around 2 hours


• Pour in the jelly throught the hole in the top


• When thoroughly cool, refrigerate overnight.