It’s February, and as a food blogger I should be rolling out all of my sweet treats to you like heart-shaped meringue, Little Love Cakes, or the ever seductive Nipples Of Venus.
Instead, I made you an egg and bacon pie.
I put a heart on it, but that’s just a tiny, romantic embellishment. This savory pie is made with nothing but love– salty, bacon-y, buttery, cheese-y love. In celebration of love, I first made this pie to enjoy while watching Harry and Megan’s royal wedding back in April. See, there’s Oprah.
I made it again recently because my resolution for this year is do what lights me up, and eating food encased in flaky pastry lights me up right now. Sure, two out of the three men in my life are completely allergic to egg and bacon pie, but they say you can’t fully love someone until you love yourself first, so…
I got this recipe from my favorite pie cookbook Pie by Angela Boggiano. As with most pie recipes, the trickiest part is making the pastry. You could always use ready-made pastry from the supermarket, but it’s never as good. Even the worst home-made pastry is better than store bought. Just keep practicing. Check out my pastry post , or my YouTube video for tips.
Roll out your pastry, and fit it gently into your 8-inch springform pan.
The filling is easy. Simply sauté chopped onion, diced bacon and pork loin. Mix that with cheddar, eggs, herbs, a little creme fraiche, and some love. Scoop it into your pastry dough.
Roll out some more pastry, and cover the filling. Make it nice. Crimp the edges. Cut out a few hearts. Brush it with an egg wash.
Bake in a 350º F. oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let it cool on a wire for about 20 minutes, and then carefully release it from the springform pan. Serve while still warm. Enjoy!
Notes
Special equipment needed: 8-inch springform pan, food processor, rolling pin, bench scraper, two large baking sheets
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 2 and ½ cups (313 g) All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 226 g) Unsalted Butter, cold and diced
- 6 to 8 TBS Ice Cold Water
For the filling
- 10 oz (300 g) Pork Loin
- 7 oz (200 g) Smoked Bacon Strips
- 1 TBS Olive Oil
- 1 Large Onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups (225 g) Aged Cheddar Cheese, grated
- 1 Clove Garlic, crushed
- 1 bunch Flat-Leaf Parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch Chives, chopped
- 2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 TBS Crème Fraiche or Sour Cream
- Salt and Pepper
For assembly
- Egg wash (1 Large Egg mixed with 1 TBS Water)
- 1 tsp. Coarse Sea Salt
Instructions
To make the pastry
- In a food processor, pulse together the flour, and salt to combine.
- Add the chilled butter pieces, and pulse until mixture resembles large breadcrumbs (about 8 times).
- Pour in 4 tablespoons of cold water and pulse 5 times. Check to see if mixture is pinching together. Add another 2 to 4 tablespoons until desired mixture.
- When ready, cut the pastry in two pieces (2/3 and 1/3), and wrap up each pastry piece in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
To make the filling
- Chop up the pork loin and bacon into small pieces, and then mix together.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium-heat until translucent. Add in the pork and bacon pieces, and cook for another 5 minutes, or until lightly colored.
- Transfer this mixture to a large bowl, and set aside to cool.
- Once completely cooled, mix in the remaining ingredients. Set aside.
For assembly
- Place a large baking sheet in the oven, and then preheat to 350 degrees F.
- On a lightly floured surface roll out the larger pastry into a rough 12-inch circle. Using a dough scraper, gently lift the pastry off of the surface, and fit it into an 8-inch springform pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
- Roll out the smaller pastry into a rough 9-inch circle on the floured surface. Place on a baking sheet, and set aside.
- Remove the springform pan from the fridge, and fill it with the cooled filling.
- Gently place the 9-inch circle of pastry over top of the filling. Pinch the edges together to seal, trim off any excess pastry, and then crimp around the perimeter in a decorative manner.
- Brush the top with the egg wash, and sprinkle all around with the coarse sea salt.
- Cut three slits on top to allow steam to escape.
- Place on the hot baking sheet in the oven, and bake for 50 to 60, or until golden and crisp.
- Cool for 20 minutes before removing from springform pan.
- Serve while still warm. Enjoy!
