Best Ever Bacon and Egg Pie

From Comfort: Food For Sharing, Random House

I grew up in a family where bacon and egg pie was synonymous with outdoor eating. On really hot summer evenings we’d often go to the beach to enjoy a swim and my mother always made a wonderful pie with a ‘lumpy’ top where the pastry had settled around the whole yolks. I have developed her pie to include cheese, tomatoes and loads of fresh herbs so that it now bursts with savoury aromas and taste. The perfect drink to serve with this is a frosty glass of lager.

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients

• 400g packet puff pastry, thawed
• 50g tasty cheese
• 6 slices farmhouse-style bacon
• 10 eggs
• 4-5 tbsps chopped fresh parsley and basil
• 2 large firm but ripe tomatoes, sliced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place a flat baking tray in the oven and heat the oven to 210˚C. The baking tray will heat up and the pie can be placed directly on this which helps to cook the pastry base.

Divide the pastry into two, one piece slightly larger than the other. Roll out the larger piece and ease into a 24cm fluted pie tin with a removable base.

Grate the cheese finely and scatter over the base. Remove the rind from the bacon and cut into small strips. Place these pieces in an even layer over the cheese. Take nine of the eggs and break them one at a time, placing directly on top of the bacon. Take care not to break the yolks. Chop the herbs very finely and scatter over evenly on top of the eggs. Apply salt and pepper liberally, and finish by placing thin slices of tomato on the herbs.

Roll the remaining pastry out into a circle and place this on top of the pie to form a crust. Break the remaining egg into a cup and beat with a fork. Use a little of the beaten egg to seal the pastry top to the base by brushing the underside of the top pastry and gently pressing the top to the sides. Decorate if you’re feeling artistic with the scraps of leftover trimmed pastry. Use the remaining egg to make a glaze by evenly brushing the top of the pie.

Place the pie into the pre-heated oven on the pre-heated baking tray and cook for 45-50 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp. Remove the pie when cooked and allow to stand for at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

John Hawkesby’s wine recommendation

Syrah
Sacred Hill Deerstalkers 2008

Rose
Soho 2010