Pork Pie with Stilton and Dried Apricots

Julienne: “On shoots in Lincolnshire and Bedfordshire in England, the day often begins early and so by the end of the second or third ‘drive’ it is time for a snack. Often this is in the form of a sausage roll or a pork pie.”

THE MELTON MOWBURY PORK PIE

I love Stilton cheese it is great served with port. I would often drive past the village of Stilton when going to stay with my father before he moved to France. At the time I thought that this is where the cheese came from. It was only later that I learned that the Cheese, that bears it’s name, was not made in Stilton! The Cheese, originally made in nearby Leictershire was served at the Inn in Stilton on the Great North Road stagecoach route and so the travellers to London would describe it as ‘Stilton’… ok back to the pie.

Pork pies are made with a hot water crust pastry.

175g flour

1/2 tspn Salt

62g lard or butter

75g water

Sift the salt and flour into a bowl and make a well in the center.

Bring the water and butter / lard to a boil – as soon as the butter is melted remove from the heat.

Pour the butter water mix into the flour.

Mix together to form a dough.

Roll out the dough.

Cut and fit to mold (use a little egg yolk as a glue as needed).

Soak the dried apricots in warm water for an hour.

Grind 450g of pork butt

Add a little nutmeg.

1 Tbsp salt, 1/2 Tspn of sage and 1/2 Tspn white pepper.

Mix in Stilton and apricots.

Fill the pastry with the meat.

Brush the top with egg yolk

Place on the pastry lid then seal using a fork. Take a sharp knife and trim off the excess.

Make a hole in the center to allow steam to escape. Use spare pastry to decorate. Brush with egg yolk.

Bake at 425f for 15 minutes then lower the temperature to 350f and bake for another 45 minutes.

Allow to cool.

Heat up a little jelly (this is from cooked down pork bones but you can also use packet gelatin).

Pour the jelly into the cooled pie and allow to set.

Cut and serve