Created By: Chef Ruhlman
Difficutly: easy
Time: 1 Hour
Portion: 1 serving
Ingredients:
Dough
24 tbsp (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter
3 cups AP flour, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
4-6 tbsp ice water
Filling
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup or 1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound ground pork
1 cup smoked ham, diced
1 tbsp course salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
Egg wash
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp whole milk
Aspic (optional)
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp gelatin
Directions:
Dough
Dice butter. Combine flour & butter. With fingers, press butter into flour until the mix looks mealy. Crack egg into small dish, add 4 tbsp ice water. Beat. Add to flour bowl. Mix just until a paste forms. Slowly add remaining ice water if mix doesn't come together.
Split into 1/3 & 2/3 portions. Shape into a disk & wrap with plastic. refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day before using.
Filling
In med saute pan over med-high heat melt butter. Add onion & garlic, stir often until soft but not at all brown – 4 minutes. Set aside to cool then refrigerate to chill.
Put pork, ham, S&P, thyme, & the onion-garlic mixture in a bowl. Use hands or spatula to mix well. Slowly add stock a few tbsp at a time until incorporated. Cover & refrigerate until cold, 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425-F
On a flowered work surface, roll the larger piece of dough into a 12-inch circle, 1/8-inch thick. Brush off excess flour, place on baking sheet.
Shape meat into a 5-inch x 2 1/2-inch thick disk & place in the center of the dough. Carefully lift the edges of the dough & wrap around the meat so that the top is partially covered.
Roll out the remaining dough until it's 1/8-inch thick & cut a 6-inch circle from the center. Cut a 3/4-inch hole in the center of this dough circle. Set aside.
Egg wash
In a small bowl whisk the 3 ingredients until uniformly blended.
Using a pastry brush, paint the edges of the dough that encases the meat. Then paint one side of the 6-inch dough circle. Lift the circle, place egg wash side down on the meat. Crimp seam to seal with bottom crust. Brush top.
Bake 20-25 minutes, until crust begins to brown. Reduce oven to 350-F, bake 50 minutes until internal temp of pie is 150-F. Remove pie & rest for 15 minutes. Serve warm, at room temp, or chilled.
To serve chilled, make aspic: Combine chicken stock with gelatin. Microwave to dissolve gelatin. Pour slowly through steam vent in top of pie. Let cool, refrigerate until firm, 3 hours.
Notes:
Since inheriting his Uncle Bill’s three-and-a-half-page recipe nearly 20 years ago,Ruhlman has simplified it for the 21st century cook. He originally published his version, adapted here, in his book “Charcuterie” – written with Brian Polcyn.