Last week Dean Brettschneider, Penguin Group (NZ) and Food TV celebrated the release of PIE: 80+ Pies and Pastry Delights. Hosted by The Foodstore in Auckland ’s Viaduct Harbour
Dean Brettschneider, aka the Global Baker, was back in New Zealand
Well known for being a judge on the recent Chelsea New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker and The Sugar Club currently airing on Food TV, Dean also owns several artisan bakeries around the world.
Who can resist a steaming-hot home-baked pie? Whether it's savoury or sweet, humble or gourmet, individual or family-sized, a tasty pie is an enduring Kiwi favourite. Particularly good in winter, there is nothing more satisfying than eating a freshly baked pie, tart, quiche or even sausage roll which has just come out of the kitchen oven, brimming with various fillings enclosed in a buttery pastry.
Pie: 80+ Pies and Pastry Delights by Dean Brettschneider, with stunning photography from Aaron McLean, is the definitive pie cookbook, unlocking the secrets to making a truly melt-in-your-mouth pie. Complete with meat pies, seafood pies, vegetarian pies, sweet pies and not-quite-a-pie pies (such as sausage rolls, flans, tarts, shortcakes, pasties, plaits, flammkuchen and whoopee pies), Pie also includes a comprehensive pastry-making section featuring 24 pastry recipes with all the tips and tricks for if you’re serious about mastering pastry. All of the recipes in the book are based on traditional recipes but with Dean Brettschneider’s modern, global new world baking style.
I made one over the weekend - Fish Pie with Leek and Chorizo - and it was a great success. Sorry Dean I used bought pastry rather than making it myself, as Shirley Conran famously once said "life it too short to stuff a mushroom".
To celebrate the release ofthe book, Penguin Group (NZ) has a great pie baking competition happening until the end of July. Go to the Penguin Books NZ – Cooking page to upload a photo of your amazing pie creation or simply vote for your favourite to win. http://www.facebook.com/PenguinBooksNZCooking?ref=nf#!/PenguinBooksNZCooking/app_459115084107346
And the publishers have kindly suppiled me with the following recipe from the new book:
Bacon, Curried Egg and Ricotta Pie
This is a big-flavoured twist on the beloved Kiwi bacon and egg pie.
You won’t be able to stop at eating just one slice!
Makes a 22cm round deep pie, serving 8–10 people
Pastry
1 quantity of Butter Puff Pastry
Filling
1 tbsp cumin seeds
80g Cheddar
10 slices streaky bacon, rind removed
12 eggs
2 tsp curry powder
150g ricotta
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley,
finely chopped
¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
150g sweet cherry tomatoes, halved
Glaze
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash
Make Butter Puff Pastry ahead and rest it as required. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to approximately 3mm thick to line a 22cm, 5cm deep round pie dish (or a 22cm round cake tin with high sides). Lightly oil the pie dish and line with pastry, allowing some to overhang. Place in the refrigerator to chill whilst you are making the filling.
In a small dry saucepan over a medium heat, toast the cumin seeds until fragrant (1–2 minutes), shaking the pan every 30 seconds to prevent burning them. Set aside to cool slightly.
Remove pie dish from refrigerator. Grate the cheese and scatter over the base. Cut the bacon into long thin strips and place over the grated cheese in an even layer. Break in the eggs one at a time directly on top of the bacon. Run a knife through the eggs so the yolks just break – they should have a swirly effect. Mix the curry powder with the ricotta in a small bowl and dollop tablespoonfuls evenly over the eggs. Scatter the chopped herbs and toasted cumin seeds over top. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lastly place the halved cherry tomatoes on top.
Fold the excess pastry inwards, towards the middle of the pie, but not totally covering it. Brush the pastry edges with egg wash.
Bake in a preheated 200°C oven for 50 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden-brown in colour. Serve warm with spicy mango chutney.
Butter Puff Pastry (using the French Method)
300g strong bread flour
50g chilled butter
good pinch of salt
150ml ice-cold water (place in the refrigerator overnight)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
225g chilled butter, for layering
Place flour, first measure of butter and salt into a large mixing bowl. Using your fingers, roughly break up butter into flour. Add ice cold water and lemon juice, then, using your hands, mix the ingredients to form a firm dough. Tip dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2–3 minutes. Form into a ball. Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 5–10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to a 25cm square approximately 1cm thick.
Ensure layering butter is the same consistency as dough – this can be done by hitting chilled butter with a rolling pin to achieve a 17cm square (the hitting will be enough to soften the butter). Then place butter inside rolled out square of dough.
Fold each corner of dough into the centre to encase layering butter in an envelope, obtaining two layers of dough and one layer of butter
Now give the pastry six ‘single turns’ as described next.
Single Turn
1. Roll out the pastry to form a rectangle 1cm thick. Divide the rectangle into thirds.
2. Fold A to C and then D to B to form three layers of pastry.
3. Rest the pastry in the refrigerator for 15–20 minutes, covered with a plastic bag to prevent the pastry drying out and forming a skin.
4. Repeat steps 1–3 five times. Make sure the pastry is rested in the refrigerator for 15–20 minutes between each step, covered with a plastic bag to prevent it drying out and forming a skin.
5. You should now have given your pastry six ‘single turns’. The pastry is either ready to be rolled out to the final thickness required for your product or it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer until required.
Reproduced with permission from Pie by Dean Brettschneider. Published by Penguin Group NZ. RRP $54.99. Copyright © Dean Brettschneider, 2012. Copyright photography © Aaron McLean, 2012