Mini Pork Pies With Piccalilli Recipes

MINI PORK PIES

Steps:

• Mix the filling ingredients and season. Grease 12 holes of a muffin tin and line each with a strip of baking parchment, to make pies easier to remove from tins.
• To make pastry, bring the lard and 250ml water to the boil in a small pan. Sieve the flour into a food processor and add 2 tsp salt. While processor is on, pour in lard and water mix, then blend until you have a smooth dough. Turn out into a bowl and remove two-thirds, covering the final third with a tea towel to keep warm.
• Roll larger piece out on a floured surface to about 2-3mm thick - work quickly as the dough is easier to work with when warm. Cut out 12 x 11cm circles using a pastry cutter. Line each hole of the tin with the circles, pushing them in with your fingers and leaving a slight overhang.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and put in a baking tray. Divide filling between pastry cases, pushing down lightly. Roll out remaining pastry on a floured surface and stamp out 12 x 8cm circles. Brush edges of filled cases with egg, then put lids on top. Pinch together and crimp the edges with your fingers. Brush with beaten egg and set aside the rest for later.
• Bake in oven for 30 mins, then remove the tin and tray, and gently take the pies out of the holes. Brush the sides and top again with egg and place directly onto the baking tray. Turn oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cook for 25-30 mins until the sides are set and tops a deep golden colour. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

MINI PORK PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. In a small saucepan, mix cornstarch and broth until blended; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. , In a large skillet, cook pork, garlic and seasonings over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until pork is no longer pink, breaking up pork into crumbles; drain. Add broth mixture; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Cool slightly., Unroll each pie crust. On a work surface, roll each into a 12-in. circle. Using floured round cookie cutters, cut twenty 4-in. circles and twenty 2-3/4-in. circles, rerolling scraps as needed. Place large circles in ungreased muffin cups, pressing crust on bottoms and up sides., Fill each with 3 tablespoons pork mixture. Place small circles over filling; press edges with a fork to seal. In a small bowl, whisk egg and milk; brush over tops. Cuts slits in crust., Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully remove pies to wire racks. Serve warm. Freeze option: Freeze cooled pies in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw pies in refrigerator overnight. Reheat on ungreased baking sheets in a preheated 350° oven 14-17 minutes or until heated through.