The PIE MAN KEY RATIOS

Ray Capaldi shares the steps to a perfect pastry parcel with Dan Stock

Ray Capaldi has a simple rule when it comes to baking the best pie. “It has to have that dark French mahogany finish, it should be just a little bit burnt, which gives it the mix of bitter, sweet and a hit of umami,” he says.

It’s a rule that seems to work.

His Wonder Pies are now found in warmers at Etihad Stadium and the MCG, while the RACV club goes through hundreds of his lamb and rosemary pies each week. High-sided like a pork pie, Ray says while the appeal of a pie is timeless, quality pies have never been more in demand.

“There’s a massive market for pies, at the moment,” he says. “People are now looking for a great product.” He says his pie appeal stems from three key factors: “Pure meat, pure ingredients, a beautiful shine. It’s that simple.”

What started as a semiretirement hobby has turned into a thriving business for the Scottish-born chef who’s been part of Melbourne’s dining landscape for more than two decades.

After the Rialto building renovations meant the end of his acclaimed Hare & Grace restaurant in the CBD, he turned his hand to pizza, joining forces with Remo Nicolini at his Chapel St pizzeria A25 for a bit, but then his love of a good pie took over.

He’s just picked up the keys to a dedicated factory in Bulleen that he hopes to have in full operation by the end of the month. Along with a factory shop, he’s also planning a ringside chef’s table for events and private dinners.

The next stage is a full retail offering – Wonder Pies and Fries – where those pies will be joined on the menu by loaded fries and Soft Serve mash. Yes, that’s mashed spuds served out of a soft serve machine.

But in the meantime, there’s a month of finals footy ahead. Here are Ray’s top eight steps for premiership-winning pies – or at least those sure to be best on ground. “For me, a pie should be 75 per cent meat, 10 per cent vegetables, with the remainder made up of sauce. That will be just enough to bind the meat and vegetables together, but means when you take a bite out of it, it won’t fall apart,” he says.

MEAT MAKER

Brisket is a good cut for pies, and ensures you have a good ratio of meat to fat in your mix.

“A lot of Aussies like mince in their pies. I don’t understand that,” he says.

This is next level piemaking, but if you are friendly with your local butcher, ask for all the meat to come from the same muscle.

“This means it all will cook at the same rate,” Ray says.

BIG IS BETTER

Don’t be afraid of chopping big chunks of meat and vegetables, Ray says, as they will shrink during cooking.

“I like to add half the vegetables in at the start, half at the end. This gives texture to your sauce.”

TRUE COLOURS

“The single most important thing when making a pie is to deeply colour the meat,” he says.

The best way to do this is to brown your meat in oil in a pan.

“People get scared when they see oil smoking, but that’s how hot the oil should be to get proper caramelisation on your meat.”

Brown the meat in two batches, to ensure the oil and pan stays hot. While many pie recipes call for the meat to be floured before browning, Ray omits it as he reckons “it dumbs the flavour down”.

VEG MIGHT

“I put a lot of veg in my mix, the leeks and mushrooms give it the umami element. Cut it out if you don’t like it, no worries,” he says. Soften the veg slightly, for about 10 minutes. Then add red wine or a dark ale beer so it covers the mix and reduce it by half.

RUSHED BEHIND

“To get the meat and sauce to the dark, syrupy consistency that makes a great filling, patience is a key ingredient,” Ray says.

Cook the sauce slowly on the stovetop for about 90 minutes on low heat.

PERFECT PASTRY

When making the shortcrust pastry, ensure all the ingredients are very cold. This will help the butter to melt evenly. Like all pastry, don’t over handle for best results.

Frozen puff pastry is fine to use – Careme is the brand favoured by many chefs, including Ray, but use whatever you are comfortable with.

If you want to make your own puff pastry, Ray suggests adding a touch of apple cider vinegar to the dough, as it will help it stay supple and gives the buttery flaky pastry a hint of bite. Rest the pastry in the fridge before use, a minimum of an hour or overnight for the organised.

For savoury pies, use a shortcrust base and puff pastry top.

When pressing the pastry into the pie tin, use a scrunched up paper towel as this will stop the pastry from splitting or cracking under the weight of your fingertips.

GLAZED AYES

“A double glaze is the way to achieve that beautiful deep mahogany finish to the pie,” Ray says.

Whisk two egg yolks with salt and brush the tops of the pies. Rest these in the fridge for 20 minutes, then re-brush with more egg wash before putting back in the fridge for another 20 minutes. Bake the pies at 220C for 15 minutes before lowering heat to 190C for another 20 minutes.