High country rustic creations
Philippa Cameron, of the website What’s for Smoko, shares recipes from her new cookbook.
This pie is similar to a bacon and egg pie, but it’s a great way to use up any sausages or sausage meat you have in your freezer. The sausage meat adds a different texture and is quite filling.
Picnic pie
Makes 1 pie (8-12 slices)
■ 400g block puff pastry
■ 12 eggs
■ Salt and pepper
■ 500g sausage meat
■ Egg wash or a little milk (optional)
Optional additions
■ Leftover cold new potatoes, or parboiled potatoes cut into chunks
■ Tomatoes
■ Spinach
■ Silverbeet
■ Grated zucchini
■ Spring onions
■ Tomato relish
■ Cheese
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, fan bake. Set aside a 32cm x 25cm pie dish.
Use a knife to mark thirds in the pastry block. Roll two-thirds of the pastry out and use it to line your pie dish, making sure the pastry goes up the edges. Trim any excess away. Roll the final third out and cut it into long strips to be used as a lattice to top the pie with.
Break the eggs into your dish and use a fork to break them up. Alternatively, if you prefer your yolks whole, leave them alone. Season with salt and pepper.
Squeeze the sausage meat in little dollops throughout the pie, and add any optional extras. Use the strips of pastry to criss-cross your pie to create a lattice.
Trim any excess away from the sides. Brush the pastry with egg wash or a little milk if you want a golden top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Tips and tricks
■ You can use as many eggs as you like. A dozen is just a nice round number I like to use. It won’t make much of a difference if you use 10, 12 or 14.
■ If you don’t have sausage meat, use sausages and squeeze the meat out of the casings.
■ The lattice strips don’t have to be the same size. It looks nice and rustic when they are different sizes.
Station brownie
This brownie is chewy and sweet, with a hint of caramel. It will keep in an airtight container for up to 10 days. That’s if it’s not devoured straight away.
Makes 20 pieces
■ 125g butter
■ 3⁄4 cup brown sugar ■ 1⁄4 cup caster sugar
■ ■ 225g dried fruit
150g self-raising flour 1 egg, lightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius, fan bake. Line a 28cm x 18cm brownie tin with baking paper.
Melt the butter in a pot. Add the brown sugar and caster sugar, and dissolve them into the butter. Allow the mixture to cool, then add the dried fruit, flour and egg, and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the lined tin.
Bake for about 20 minutes until golden on top and firm to the touch. You want the brownie crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
Allow to cool before cutting into pieces.
Tips and tricks
■ This recipe is easily doubled.
■ Use any dried fruit you like – a combination or just one kind. I often use raisins.
Reproduced with permission from Philippa Cameron’s A High Country Life (Allen & Unwin, RRP $45)