BAKE OFF PULLOUT
THIS banquet pie is fit for any family celebration. Rich venison filling in a hotwater crust and decorated with trinkets from the tales of Alice’s adventures, it is a magical showstopper indeed. SERVES 12
FOR THE FILLING
● 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 5mm (half a centimetre) rounds
● 4 tbsp light olive oil
● 2 tsp herbes de Provence
● 300g mixed mushrooms, sliced
● 2 red onions, diced
● 1 tsp chopped garlic
● 500g minced pork
● 500g venison sausages, skins removed
● 200g smoked back bacon, diced
● 1 beef stock cube
● 2 tsp mixed spice
● 250ml red wine
● 100g blackberries
● Salt and pepper, to season
FOR THE HOT-WATER CRUST
● 100g lard
● ½ tsp salt
● 450g plain flour
● 100g strong white bread flour
● 75g unsalted butter, diced
● 2 eggs, beaten
FOR THE DECORATION
● ½ quantity of savoury shortcrust pastry (see recipe on page 3)
● Purple, red and black food-colouring gel
● 125g royal icing sugar, mixed with 1 tsp water
● Edible gold paint
YOU WILL NEED:
● 2 baking trays lined with baking paper
● 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin, oiled
● Cake-decorating paintbrush
● Teapot, rabbit and 3cm-round cutters
● Piping bag with a No 1 writing nozzle
● Rice paper for watch and cards
STEP 1 Heat your oven to 200c/180c fan/400f/gas 6. Place the sweet potato rounds onto the prepared tray. Brush with half the olive oil and sprinkle with the herbs. Bake for 25 minutes, until tender.
STEP 2 Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large frying pan. In batches, fry the mushrooms until golden brown. Set aside in a bowl.
STEP 3 Mix the onion, garlic, pork, sausagemeat and bacon in a large bowl until fully combined. Heat the frying pan to a medium-high heat. Add the remaining oil and cook the meat mixture, stirring, until browned. Crumble over the stock cube, add the mixed spice, then season, and stir to combine. Add the wine, stir, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. Add the blackberries, stir, and leave to cool completely.
STEP 4 To make the hot water crust, heat the lard, salt and 200ml water in a small pan until the lard has melted. Then place the flours together in a large bowl and rub in the butter. Pour in the hot lard liquid and mix well to combine. Tip out the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and knead with your hands until it is smooth.
STEP 5 Roll a quarter of the pastry to an oval about 30 x 20cm. Place on a prepared tray. Put half the
beaten egg in a bowl and add purple food colouring. Brush the coloured wash over the pastry (picture A).
STEP 6 Roll another quarter of the pastry into a 20cm circle. Set aside. Roll the remaining pastry into a large circle and use it to line the cake tin, overhanging the excess. (B)
STEP 7 Place a layer of sweet potato over the pastry base in the tin. Top with a third of the meat filling. (C) Layer to use up the ingredients, then top with the 20cm pastry circle. (D) Trim the excess and pinch round to seal.
STEP 8 Carefully invert the tin and place it onto the purple base. (E) Remove the tin and mould the pastry to make the bottom of the ‘hat’ narrower than the top. Add red colouring to the remaining beaten egg and brush it over the hat. (F)
STEP 9 Heat the oven to 200c/180c fan/400f/gas 6. Tie a baking paper ‘collar’ around the pie with string, for support. Bake for 45 minutes.
STEP 10 Roll the shortcrust pastry (see right) out and cut out 3 teapots, 2 playing cards, 2 rabbits and 1 watch and chain. Use more pastry and red wash to make roses. Remove the pie from the oven and stick on the decorations with egg wash. Bake for a further 40 minutes, then cool for 30 minutes.
STEP 11 Use the royal icing to pipe details on the teapots and rabbits. Use the black food colouring to add rabbit eyes, and to paint a watch face and playing cards on the pieces of rice paper. Paint the watch pastry gold. Use egg wash to stick on the rice paper details.