Egg and bacon pie
“Substantial pies are short-priced favourites for a lunch spread.”
- 180g unsalted butter
- 240g plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup water
For the filling
- 6 rashers thickly sliced smoked streaky bacon, rind removed
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
- 1 tsp freshly snipped chives
- 11 eggs
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Spring motivates me to spend more time outdoors and do more than just stare at my newly replanted garden or enjoy the bright sky and tree scents on my morning walk. I'm starting to plan picnic outings - some even pack picnics to take to the races. Plan ahead and make special things. Few people can resist home-baked items and here are two favourites, firm enough to travel well and substantial enough to be the centrepiece of lunch.
Method
For the pastry
Bring butter to room temperature. Sift flour and salt onto workbench. Chop butter into smallish pieces, toss lightly in flour and rub lightly together. Make a well in centre and pour in water. Work into a lumpy dough. Using the heel of your hand, quickly smear pastry away from you across the bench to combine. Press into a flat cake, dust with flour, wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes before rolling out.
Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 22-cm loose-bottomed flan tin with just over half the pastry and chill again for 30 minutes. Roll out rest of pastry to make a lid and set aside.
For the filling
Lightly fry bacon and cut into pieces. Scatter two-thirds of the bacon over base of pastry case. Scatter with half the herbs. Break 10 of the eggs, one at a time, into a cup and slip each into pastry case, being careful not to break yolks. Season and add rest of herbs.
Carefully add remaining bacon, then cover with pastry lid. Let pastry settle over the hump of each egg, then trim it and seal edges carefully. Whisk remaining egg and a pinch of salt together and brush over pastry. Bake for 35 minutes until a rich gold. Allow to cool before removing from tin. Serve warm or cold.
Serves 8.
