Mini Cottage Pies with Duchess Potatoes

                                          Mini Cottage Pies with Duchesse Potatoes


I'm always looking for ideas to serve for picnics,  afternoon teas and canapé parties.  These little mini cottage pies certainly fit the bill. I made these the size of mince pies but  you can vary the size from one large pie to tiny canapé one bite treats. You can of course turn these into Mini Shepherd's Pies by using lamb instead of beef using exactly the same technique.

  I prefer to serve them warm and not straight from the oven ...if you can wait long enough to let them cool slightly.

A one pound of minced beef/lamb  mix should make around  24 small ( muffin sized)...  48 mini canapé sized cottage pies....or just 1 large 10" pie.


The pastry- 

 For the tart case you will need (10" loose bottomed flan tin)

200 gms / 7oz plain flour
60gms/2oz Butter
60gms/2oz Vegetable Shortening  (Trex)
pinch of salt
2-3 tbsp ice cold water to bind    

Method

The pastry 

Place the flour, shortening & butter with a little salt in a mixing bowl
Rub together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
add 2 tbsp iced water and mix together to bring together into a ball...you may need to add the other tbsp if the dough is too dry.
Flatten the dough out slightly and wrap in cling film
Refrigerate for at least 30 mins.



For the 10" Pie
Flour your work surface  and roll out the pastry to fit the greased tin with a little overhang
Line with parchment then baking beans and bake at 190c/375f/gas 5 for around 20 mins.
Remove the parchment and baking beans and put back in the oven until the pastry is golden brown and the base cooked through.
Trim the pastry overhand with a sharp knife

For the small pie you will need a 12 hole muffin tray
Using a 3½"/9cm  round cutter, cut out 24 pastry rings
Place these into your greased muffin tin
Scrumple up a large piece of baking parchment and push the paper down into each well of the tray
Fill each well with baking beans 
Bake blind as above

For the  tiny canapé pies  use a 2½" /6.5cm round cutter and cut out 48 pastry rings to fit a small holed canapé tray  
Bake blind as above

For the filling:-

1lb/ 500g Lean Minced Beef
2 tsps oil 
1 large onion finely diced
2 sticks of celery finely diced
1 large carrot finely diced
1 dessertspoon Worcester Sauce
1 dessertspoon tomato puree
½tsp dried thyme
½ pt beef stock
2/3 teaspoons cornflour slaked in cold water
1 tsp salt...or to taste
Black pepper to taste

Method:-

Heat a frying pan
Add 1tsp the oil and fry the mince until starting to brown,  place the meat into a saucepan
Now gently sweat the onion, celery & carrot in the frying pan using the other spoonful of oil to cook them in until tender
Place the vegetables in the pan with the meat adding everything else except the cornflour.
Simmer for around an hour...thicken with the cornflour.  the mix should be very thick...add a little more cornflour if it's too runny.

The Duchess Potatoes:-

1½- 2lbs  750gms/1Kg floury potatoes...I used King Edwards
salt
white pepper
2 egg yolks
a little hot milk 

Method:-

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender.
Completely drain them...pop back in the pan. Place the lid back on
Leave for around 5/10minutes
Thoroughly mash them 
Add a little hot milk and the egg yolks and beat it all together quickly so that the egg yolk doesn't start to cook.
Season well with salt & white pepper
The mash should be of piping consistency..if it's too stiff add a little more hot milk
You will need to let the potato cool enough to be able to handle it


To Finish:

Fill the pastry cases 2/3rds full with the meat mixture
Then pipe swirls of potato on top as in my photograph
Bake in a hot oven until the potato starts to turn golden brown 
This should take around  8-10 minutes

Leave to cool slightly and serve.  

  



       

Key Lime Pie

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Light, fresh and tangy , I'm sure there couldn't be a better dessert to finish your summer dinner with.
Once the pastry case is made it's just a matter of zesting some juicy limes and squeezing out the juice to add to condensed milk & eggs. The recipe is so simple and the result is just amazing. This recipe should serve 10-12 people.

I used a deep 11" 28cm loose bottomed quiche tin oiled well.

If you prefer to measure your ingredients rather that weigh click onto this link Easy Conversion Chart

The pastry (unsweetened shortcrust as the filling is sweet enough)

4oz/125g cold unsalted butter cubed
4oz/125g Vegetable shortening (Trex or Cookeen)
1lb plain white flour
pinch of salt
approximately 3tbsp cold water to bind.

In a large bowl rub the fat into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
Add a couple of tbsp. of cold water and bring the pastry together to form a ball adding a little more water if needed,

Flatten, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until you are ready to bake it.

Gently roll out the pastry quite thinly. (you will have plenty enough left over to make jam tarts)
Line the greased tart tin with the pastry carefully pushing it into the edges. Leave an overhang of around 1" of pastry in case it shrinks while baking.
Refrigerate again for around 20 minutes.
Set the oven to 190c/375F/gas 5

Scrunch up a piece of parchment paper big enough to cover the tin and fill with baking beans, rice or whatever you use.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 12 minutes
Remove the paper & beans and continue baking until the pastry is golden & crisp approximately another 7 minutes.
Remove from the oven & trim off the excess pastry to the top of tin.

For the filling.  

6 to 8 Limes depending on the size
 you will need to zest 5  and you will need around 200ml/7fl oz lime juice in total
2 13oz/400g tins of condensed milk
6 large eggs separated
whipped cream & lime slices to decorate

set the oven to 190c/375f/gas 5

Whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry
whip together the egg yolks & condensed milk
Slowly add the lime zest and juice, mix well
Fold in a few tbsp. of the egg white to loosen the mixture
Then fold in the rest.
Pour into a large jug

Place the tart case on an oven tray and place it in the centre of the oven
Carefully pour in the batter until it almost reaches the top of the pastry. Do not overfill any spare mixture can be cooked in an oven dish (cooks treat)
Bake for around 20 -25 minutes or until the filling is set.
Leave to cool completely on a wire rack before gently removing from the tin.

Decorate with whipped cream and slices of lime

Shortcrust Pastry

Basic Shortcrust enough to line an 8/10" tart tin.  Double the recipe to make a pie.

8oz  plain flour sifted
tsp of salt
2oz cold unsalted butter or block margarine
2oz  cold Vegetable fat (Trex) or Lard
1 egg yolk
a little chilled water to bind.

In a large bowl rub the fats into the flour & salt until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
Make a well in the centre add pop the egg yolk into it.
Add about 2/3 tbsp of the chilled water and mix together gently .
You may need to add a little more water but just a drop at a time until the dough comes together,
Flatten the dough into a little square. wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to rest.
It is now ready to roll out and use.

I will add different pastry recipes to this blog as I go along.

Chorley Cakes

Chorley Cakes

I'm in the process of collecting recipes of cakes & bakes that are peculiar to a particular region either in the UK or abroad. I've had some wonderful recipes shared with me on my Facebook page and I'm always looking out for more if you'd like to share yours with me.

This is one of the cakes from my local area in the North-West on England . It's one of those recipes that I'm sure derived from having a bit of left over pastry to use up and almost always having a few currants & candied peel to throw in. When I was a child growing up in Dorset it was always Jam tarts that we made with left-over pastry, usually rolled out & played with so many times that the pastry turned grey and really tough, but hey, we still ate them.   I suppose that Chorley Cakes are a little more grown up in taste and are very similar in flavour to Welsh Cakes that are cooked on an iron griddle and not baked.

They're very simple, very delicious and a lovely tea-time treat with a nice cuppa. Hope you enjoy them   

recipe:-
For the pastry
4oz/115g unsalted butter
8oz/225g plain flour
cold water to bind.

For the filling
Zest of 1 lemon plus the juice of half a lemon
6oz/170g currants
2oz/55g mixed candied peel
1tbsp soft brown sugar
1oz/30g butter
¼ tsp of  freshly grated nutmeg
¼tsp mixed spice

Method
Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
Add a little cold water, just enough to bind.
Bring together into a disc
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 mins

Meanwhile melt the butter in the pan, add the currants, lemon juice & zest, sugar and spices, just heat through for a minute or two, add the candied peel and leave to cool.
   

Roll out the pastry until it's around 5mm thick. Using a saucer cut into rings.

pile the fruit up equally in the centre of each disc.

damp the edges and bring together as shown & seal

turn each cake over and gently roll over the rolling pin so that the fruit show through. Prick over with a fork.

Place on a greased baking tray and bake at around 200c for around 20/25 minutes or until lightly golden in colour and cooked through

They are delicious served warm and I have it on good authority that the folk from Chorley like to spread some butter on theirs.