Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Mini-Pies

By: Pete on 09:47:00

These were a classic cycling-season transportable snack. I've been doing a few pies here and there, normally as loaf-shapes, as they are good to slice. I did these in muffin tins for a bit of a change. the filling was dictated by what was on cheap in the supermarket (in this case chicken and bacon)...and then I whipped up a simple white sauce to bind it all together. I used hot-water crust as it's easy to work, robust, and also one of my favourites.

Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Mini-Pies

Filling Ingredients

• 350g chicken fillets
• 150g smoked back bacon
• 6 large mushrooms
• 1tbsp sunflower oil
• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• ~300ml Milk
• ½tsp mustard powder

1) Place the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat

2) Add the chicken and bacon, and cook until browned

3) Chop and add the mushrooms, stirring in

4) Reduce the heat slightly, and prepare the white sauce

5) Put the butter in a medium pan over a medium heat

6) Once the butter is fully melted, add in the flour and stir vigorously until you have a breadcrumb consistency

7) Slowly start to add the milk, stirring vigorously to remove lumps

8) Keep adding the milk until you have a thick sauce

9) Add the sauce to the chicken mixture, and stir in

10) remove from the heat and allow to cool fully (I spread it over a baking tray on some ice-blocks). While it's cooling, make the pastry, and pre-heat the oven to 190'C

Hot Water Crust Pastry Ingredients

• 450g  plain flour
• 100g strong white flour
• 75g butter
• 100g lard
• 200g water
• Pinch of salt
• Beaten egg (to seal and glaze)

1) Place the flours and salt in a large mixing bowl

2) Rub in the butter until you have fine breadcrumbs

3) Place the water and lard into a small saucepan over a low heat

4) Heat and stir the water until the lard has melted, then turn up the heat until the water boils

5) Pour the lard and water into the flour, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon

6) As soon as it's cool enough to touch, knead the mixture to form a soft dough

7) Working quickly, split the dough into 12 equal parts

8) Using two-thirds of each part, roll it out and line one depression in a 12-hole muffin tin, overlapping the top.

9) Fill each cavity with the cooled filling, ensuring that the overlap at the top is clear

10) Brush some beaten egg around the overlap on each cavity

11) Using the remaining pastry bits, roll out lids and firmly press them on to each cavity

12) Using a circular pastry cutter slightly larger than the muffin cavities, trim away the excess pastry. You can use this to form some decorations for the top of the pies

13) Brush each pie top with beaten egg

14) Place in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until golden

15) Remove to a wire rack to cool