Time to Talk About Pies
I tested out three different spice mixes, three different methods of binding, two basic pie types, and three different methods of preparing the pork. That's a lot of things to test!
Left: 1) pulled pork with mace, cloves, a little sugar, with pork fat (saved from the drippings) as a binder. Center: 2) pork chunks with ground pecans, mozzarella cheese, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper, with raw egg as a binder. Right: 3) Chopped pork, chopped hardboiled egg, mozzarella cheese, ginger, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves, with the cheese acting as a main binder.
We ate the open-faced ones hot and put the upper crusted ones in the fridge. On the whole, #2 won out with Drew, though I was also a big fan of #3. #1 has a lot more of the medieval spiciness going for it, but it was a little much, and it wasn't as cohesive as the other two texture-wise. The raw egg binder in #3 worked fantastically but made it fairly quiche-like, which wouldn't be that much of a problem if I weren't already having quiche at the feast.
Today, I had cold pies waiting for me when I got back from work:
When cold, the meat seems to reconstitute itself, and even #1 had no problem holding its shape when cut. I thought the chunky texture of #2 really shone when cold, and the chopped texture of #3 was a bit lacking. #2 and 3 are still the first and second winners. The period crust recipe I tested out is fine, but maybe a little tougher when it's cold.
I think doing pork pies hot will be more successful anyway, especially considering the cameline sauce that I want to serve them with, and the fact that they only take 1/2 an hour to bake. I'm leaning toward pulling the pork, since it'll be fairly easy to do right after the meat is done roasting, and I don't have to hassle with taking a knife to it. Also, the crust seems to lend itself better to an open-faced application, which will save me work in the long run.
Conclusion: Success! Between #2 and #3, I have a great pork pie recipe. I like the application too, with the muffin-tin shaped pies. It's a good standard size that gives you plenty of bites without being too much.
The menu's coming together pretty well. I just have a little more R & D to perform. Wish me luck!
Left: 1) pulled pork with mace, cloves, a little sugar, with pork fat (saved from the drippings) as a binder. Center: 2) pork chunks with ground pecans, mozzarella cheese, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper, with raw egg as a binder. Right: 3) Chopped pork, chopped hardboiled egg, mozzarella cheese, ginger, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves, with the cheese acting as a main binder.
We ate the open-faced ones hot and put the upper crusted ones in the fridge. On the whole, #2 won out with Drew, though I was also a big fan of #3. #1 has a lot more of the medieval spiciness going for it, but it was a little much, and it wasn't as cohesive as the other two texture-wise. The raw egg binder in #3 worked fantastically but made it fairly quiche-like, which wouldn't be that much of a problem if I weren't already having quiche at the feast.
Today, I had cold pies waiting for me when I got back from work:
When cold, the meat seems to reconstitute itself, and even #1 had no problem holding its shape when cut. I thought the chunky texture of #2 really shone when cold, and the chopped texture of #3 was a bit lacking. #2 and 3 are still the first and second winners. The period crust recipe I tested out is fine, but maybe a little tougher when it's cold.
I think doing pork pies hot will be more successful anyway, especially considering the cameline sauce that I want to serve them with, and the fact that they only take 1/2 an hour to bake. I'm leaning toward pulling the pork, since it'll be fairly easy to do right after the meat is done roasting, and I don't have to hassle with taking a knife to it. Also, the crust seems to lend itself better to an open-faced application, which will save me work in the long run.
Conclusion: Success! Between #2 and #3, I have a great pork pie recipe. I like the application too, with the muffin-tin shaped pies. It's a good standard size that gives you plenty of bites without being too much.
The menu's coming together pretty well. I just have a little more R & D to perform. Wish me luck!