Carol and I recently walked the West Highland Way in Scotland.  Frequently on restaurant menus in Scotland are savory pies and for one dinner I had a tasty steak pie with a puff pastry crust.  I spotted the book Meat Pies by Brian Polcyn and Michael Ruhlman and decided to try my hand at a savory pie.

This makes 4 individual pies, each of which would be a quite large serving with 8 oz. of meat and 8 oz. of dough.  For Carol and me in this stage of our lives, half a pie is enough for dinner with a salad.

The dough did not handle the way it was described I the book and was not stiff enough to stand up on its own.  Thus I made the pies in baking dishes 3-4 inches in diameter.  The results were good, but the next time I might remove the pies from the dishes after 30-45 minutes of baking and have the last 15 minutes of baking freestanding, which might brown the crust more deeply.

For the hot water dough

6 oz. lard

½ tsp. dried thyme

1 cup (8 oz.) water

20 oz. bread flour

½ tsp. salt

2 eggs, beaten

For the filling

14 oz. skinless chicken breast meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 oz. cleaned chicken livers

2 Tbs. olive oil

4 oz. mushrooms, cut into large chunks

1 whole shallot, chopped

½ cup medium sweet Madeira

1 lb. ground pork

1 large egg

½ cup heavy cream

1-1/2 tsp. salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Put a small saucepan on a kitchen scale and weigh the lard.  Add the water by weight and then the thyme.  Put the saucepan on the stove over medium heat to dissolve the lard.  Bring to a boil and then allow to rest off the heat for 10 minutes for the thyme leaves to infuse.  Then bring back to a simmer.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the flour and the salt.  Over low speed and using the paddle, slowly add the egg.  Then slowly add the hot water/lard mixture.  Mix until a dough forms.  Divide the dough into 4 balls of 6 oz. and 4 balls of 2 oz.  (There may be a little left over dough.)

Put the olive oil into a large skillet and heat over medium heat.  Add the chicken and sauté for 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove the cooked chicken to a bowl with a slotted spoon.  Add the livers and sauté  for 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove the cooked livers with a slotted spoon and put them in the bowl with the chicken.  Add the mushrooms and shallots and cook for 6-7 minutes until the mushrooms are browned.  Remove the mushrooms leaving the shallot in the pan.  Add the Madeira and cook for 6-7 minutes until the liquid is reduced to a syrup.

While various things are cooking in the pan, put the pork. Egg, heavy cream, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor.  Add the Madeira syrup and shallots.  Pulse to combine.  Take a small piece out and microwave it for 30 or so seconds to cook it and then check the seasoning.  It should be slightly over salted.

Mix the pork mixture in the bowl with the chicken, liver, and mushrooms.  Mix to combine evenly.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spread the oz. disks one at a time into a circle about 9 inches in diameter.  Line the bottom and sides of a 3-4 inch baking dish with the disk.  Repeat with the other 6 oz. disks.  Divide the chicken and pork mixture between the 4 dishes.  Spread the 2 oz. disks one by one until they are the diameter of the dishes.  Put them on top of each dish and crimp them together with the dough lining the sides.  Us a knife to cut slits in the top.  Bake for 45-60 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the interior temperature is at least 160 degrees.  Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.