Christmas Leftover Pie
This pie is rich and warming, and the cream and mustard add moisture and flavour. Hopefully it is made with bits that you already have in your cupboards over the holidays.
SERVES
8
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
15
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
30
MINUTES
Ingredients
Preheat your oven to 200ÂșC/gas mark 6.
Sauté the leeks and garlic in the butter until the leeks have softened.
Mix the turkey and ham with the leeks and scoop into an ovenproof dish.
Mix the cream, mustard and gravy together, season if needed. Pour this over the turkey mixture and toss everything.
Mix the egg yolk and milk to make a wash for the pastry and set aside.
Roll your pastry so that it fits over the ovenproof dish, keeping some strips aside for decorating the top of the pie. Attach the pastry lid onto the pie and press all around the edge of the pastry sheet with the back of a fork to seal it onto the pie dish.
Decorate the top of the pie with any extra strips using the egg wash to stick them on.
Place the pie into the fridge for at least a half an hour so the pastry can firm up.
After you remove it from the oven, brush the top of the pie with the wash and cut a hole in the centre so the steam can escape while it is baking.
Bake for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling inside.
Method
If you have the ability to get an all butter puff pastry it is worth it. There are a few small producers in Ireland who now provide frozen butter based pastry through the larger supermarkets.
As is the norm with other types of pastry, the puff pastry should be at cool room temperature for rolling which will make it more pliable, but then chilled before baking to ensure it is at its most crisp.
To stick the pastry lid onto the pie dish, brush the rim of the dish with a little water, then cover the whole rim with a thin strip of pastry. Press it on. You can use this to connect the pastry lid onto the pie dish.
To lift the pastry onto the dish gently roll it around a rolling pin and lift it from the work surface. Unroll the pastry lid over the pie and seal it onto the strip that you stuck to the dish with water. Press around the edge with a fork or with your fingers. Trim any excess pastry and use this for decorating.
It is important to make a hole in the sheet of pastry to allow steam to escape from the pie. Use the tip of a sharp knife to create the hole in the centre.
The egg wash as a dual function. It makes the pastry turn a lovely, shiny golden colour but it also seals the pastry and helps to keep it crisp.
