Cheshire Pie - Part 2: The Filling

Next we will be looking at how to fill your Cheshire Pie!  If you haven't already visited the crust making tutorial in part 1, you can find that here.

Now that you are ready to fill your pie you must prepare your ingredients.  Again I have referred to Hannah Glasse and History is Served for the particulars of the filling, though I have made a few adjustments of my own.





For your filling you will need:

• Nutmeg
• Sugar
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Cinnamon 
• A Sweet Red Apple
• A Sour Green Apple
• A Sweet White Wine
• Butter
• About 1 pound of pork
• 1 egg

Start by preparing your meat; I chose a small pork loin however a shoulder or butt would work very well
too.  Cut the meat into thin strips, or steaks as Glasse calls them, about a 1/4 of an inch thick.

Once you have the meat sliced throw it in a bowl and add your seasonings; nutmeg, salt, and pepper should suffice.  Some other recipes may give you exact measurements for these seasonings however I would argue that you should use them to taste just be careful as the nut meg is very potent.

Next fill your crust about 2/3 of the way with the seasoned meat ensuring that you are packing all available space, the meat will shrink as it cooks and you don't want to waste any space.

After the meat comes the apples.  Wash, core, skin, and slice both the red and green apples; I used a Granny Smith and a Gala however most recipes call for the red to be a Macintosh (I just happened to have Galas at home).  Toss the apple slices in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon and then fill each pie and top each pie with a pad of butter.

Now what we have all waited for: time to crack open the wine! Fill each pie about 2/3's of the way up and be careful because you won't need much wine for these small crusts.

A note on the wine.  Many recipes online will call for a Rhine wine and if that is available to you I would use that however, like most historical cooking, use what you have at hand, your ancestors certainly didn't have access to the diversity of cuisine we did and they made due. Even Glasse only calls for "White wine". I used Lucky Duck Muscato because it is cheap, sweet, and readily available.

Now beat an egg thoroughly as it will serve as a glue to keep this all together. Apply a liberal amount of egg to the rim of your pie and the bottom of your pie top and then fix your top to your pie.  Jos A. Townsend suggests that you warm up your top prior to this step; I did it both ways: warmer is much better.

To achieve that wonderful toasted gold color be sure to slather your pies in some of the beaten egg.  Try using the egg as a coloring for your designs by only 'painting' certain sections in order to get some contrast.

Now a quick hour or so at 375 (350 convection) in the oven will bring your pies to completion.

Be sure to check that your pies have cooked through by using a meat thermometer to check the pork's temperature. I would suggest poking your thermometer through the tops of your pies when possible as a stab to the side tends to leak juices, something I found out the hard way.

Now your pies are ready to eat!  Historically speaking you would not intentionally eat the crust of these pies, they were more of a serving dish however the crust is edible and actually pretty tasty.

I hope you enjoy your meal and that this tutorial should help guide you on your quest to make a great Cheshire Pie.

  

Cheshire Pie - Part 1: The Crust

I have always been fascinated by the idea of a meat pie: savory salty flavors like roast pork in a crispy pastry, what's not to love? Alas, meat pies have not transitioned well from antiquity to the modern American dinner plate.

For my first foray into pie making I have chosen the humble and savory Cheshire; an apple and pork concoction heralding from the American Revolution. My attempt closley follows Hannah Glasse's historical account as well as takes many cues from Jos. A. Townsend and Colonial Willamsburg's modern interpretations.
 
The way to start any great meat pie is with the perfect standing crust!

The usual suspects

Your ingredients for the crust are as follows:

• 3/4 cup of water
• 2 1/2 cups of white all purpose flour
• A few pinches of salt
• 3 table spoons of unsalted butter 
• 3 table spoons of lard 

In a small sauce pan combine water, lard, and butter bringing them to a boil. Don't be afraid to add water to this recipe as it seems to come out a bit dry.

Too dry

Pour the boiling solution into your bowl of salt and flour and begin mixing until you get an even and somewhat wet consistency.

*Be careful and use a spoon for mixing as you are using boiling liquids!*

If your mix still crumbles easily, add some very hot water.  The hot water will keep the fat in the dough from stiffening and making it too tough to work.

Once your dough is well combined, lay it out on a floured surface and knead it for about ten minutes until it gets a nice creamy consistency.

Once you have gotten the dough to where you want it to be, cut it in half if you intend on making small personal sized pies. 

As meat pie were the fast food of their day it was not uncommon for them to be made into small sizes so that they were easily transported by travelers. And here I thought Pizza Hut came up with the idea! 

Break off a small section from each half in order to make the top of your pie and then roll each portion into a well formed ball.  I found that wetting my hands added just enough moisture to work the dough into balls that didn't split easily. 

Dust the balls with flour and leave them sit for at least 4 or 5 hours until they stiffen up. Some recipes may suggest that you leave them overnight, however i think that that just dries them out.

One of the main reasons to wait is so that the dough cools; I was in a hurry for my second batch so I threw the dough in the freezer for about 15 minutes which seemed to get the desired effect.

Roll the dough out to a 1/4 and inch in thickness on a well floured surface.

Now begin forming your dough around your form,  the bottom a round glass should work fine just be sure to dust it well with flour to ensure it doesn't stick.

Work the dough around the form carefully and be sure to smooth any cracks together with  water.   For one batch I cut slits in the dough so I could fold it over more easily, I wound up with sauce all over the floor.  The best method is to pinch any excess dough in and then smooth around the lumps.

This would be the time to decorate your crust if you choose to do so. Well decorated your pies were the sign of a quality chef.  If you want to decorate your pies like mine a bit of water on dry dough works well as an adhesive for shapes.

At this point you are done with the crust which is to say you are in the home stretch of meat pie making!

Stay tuned for part 2 of the Cheshire pie saga which promises to be as savory as the first installment! 

Welcome

Many of us of have a complex relationship with food.  It may fuel your day, your anxieties, or your passions. For me, on some level at least, it has always been a way to connect with the past.

Sometimes history is a very abstract thing.  Sure, you can visit the ruins of great castles, read well reasoned books, or attend a lecture but in the end you are forced to imagine it all; cooking is a different story.

One of the few things we can do to bring the past alive is to eat what our ancestors did.  With some careful thought and planning you can transport yourself to another era, at least one meal at a time.

And that is what this blog is all about; reconnecting with the past through food.

While I will be the first to admit I am no culinary genius nor Rhodes worthy historian, I hope you will enjoy this site, try some of these wonderful recipes, and learn a little in the mean time!