Pie, when pastry meets filling

Palm heart and Leek Pie

With Pie week upon us!  in fact, this week (7-13th March) –  what better way to celebrate than with a comforting homemade pastry.  It’s right to say that ready-made pastry makes life easier. But homemade crusts taste so much better and the results are so satisfying.  This pastry recipe can be made in advance and it will keep for three to five days in the fridge well-wrapped up and a couple of months in the freezer.

Is this the ultimate pie perfection? I don’t know but it is suitable for vegetarians and makes a deliciously firm and snappy crust.
The filling for my pie is palm heart, which is widely consumed in Brazil
I find them online and some supermarkets in London. (Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Waitrose)
Join me in celebrating this much-loved classic and create your own signature pie with your favourite filling.

Palm heart and Leek Pie Recipe

Ingredients
Dough
• 500g all purpose flour
• 250g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1&1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 pinches of baking powder (for cakes)
• 150ml double cream (heavy)
• 2 organic eggs large, whole

Filling
• 2 x tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 mild chilli pepper
• 1 chopped leek, 150 g
• 1 white onion finely chopped
• 400g of  palm heart drained and chopped julienne
. 1 teaspoon of thyme
• a handful of parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
. 120 g Ham hock, cooked and shredded
• 300g cream cheese

brush:
• egg yolk

Method:
1) Start with the filling. The palm heart drain and chop into thin strips. reserve.
2) Saute in olive oil the chilli pepper- chopped, fry for 2 minutes.  Add the julienned leek and the chopped onion, cook over medium heat for 10 min. Add the palm heart, season, add the herbs. Let it cool then mix in the cream cheese and ham hock.  Reserve the filling. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
3) Prepare the dough, you can use the food processor it will take seconds to get the perfect mixture. Or manually make the dough – more fun! Either way, do not knead the dough too much, not to develop the gluten. Developing the gluten makes it less crumbly. Make a ball, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. The dough keeps for 4-5 days in the refrigerator or a couple of months in the freezer.
4) Open 2/3 of the dough and lay into your pie dish. No need to grease it.
5) Add the filling and smooth the surface.
6) Cover with the leftover dough and decorate to taste.
7) freeze again for 20 minutes.
8) Brush the unbaked pie with egg yolk.
9) Bake it for 25 min.

• You can eat it warm, or room temperature, and is perfect reheated.
Avoid too large pies dishes for this recipe, max 20 to  25 cm diameter

Happy Pie Week!
Until next time why not join me on  InstagramTwitter and Facebook…X 

Share:

24 Comments

  1. georgina davies
    March 8, 2016 / 12:08 am

    I really envy those who can cook so fabulously like you lol i am a foodie but only in the sense I like to eat it and not cook it haha! Also I have no idea what a palm heart is?! x

  2. Mukta
    March 8, 2016 / 1:12 am

    Looks delicious!!

  3. Nayna Kanabar
    March 8, 2016 / 6:54 am

    Beautifully cooked, styled and photographed. I love the plates,

  4. March 8, 2016 / 7:18 am

    What a beautiful pie! I'd never thought further than putting palm hearts in a salad – interesting to see them used in another way 🙂

  5. Pasta Bites
    March 8, 2016 / 9:35 am

    Indeed, what an odd ingredient for a pie, but surely an interesting one to try!

  6. March 8, 2016 / 10:54 am

    Your photography is stunning! My other half would love this pie, thanks for sharing!

  7. Leoniiamber
    March 8, 2016 / 12:39 pm

    looks beautiful, sadly I am the worst baker and mine would look no where near as lovely as yours! great recipe!

  8. Rhian Westbury
    March 8, 2016 / 1:00 pm

    I've been meaning to make pies for ages. Your right that home made pastry tastes better x

  9. Sarah
    March 8, 2016 / 3:52 pm

    The pastry and pie looks AMAZING! I've not made a pie before, I may give it a go at some point! Thank you for sharing xx

  10. Stressed Mum
    March 8, 2016 / 4:12 pm

    This sounds and looks amazing, I love pies but don't make them very often x

  11. Laura Hartley
    March 8, 2016 / 5:55 pm

    I'm really impressed that you managed to cut a chunk out of that pie without it all crumbling down! That's what happens whenever my mum makes one haha!

  12. MsPretty LThings
    March 8, 2016 / 6:30 pm

    That is a work of art – amazeballs! I can cook but that is something else.

  13. The London Mum
    March 8, 2016 / 6:56 pm

    Looks incredible! And sounds so tasty. I've never thought of using palm hearts in a pie or for cooking anything full stop which is strange because I really like them!

  14. Emma White
    March 8, 2016 / 7:42 pm

    oh this looks and sounds amazing must give it a try

  15. ana de jesus
    March 8, 2016 / 8:20 pm

    Love your palm heart and leak pie it looks like it was made in a factory that is how good it looks! Great job x

  16. Camilla Hawkins
    March 8, 2016 / 9:23 pm

    Wow this pie looks utterly beautiful! I've never eaten or come across palm heart before but would love to try it:-)

  17. Carly Markham
    March 8, 2016 / 9:43 pm

    I am not a pie fan but my oh I will have to try and make one for him!

  18. Stella Olojola
    March 8, 2016 / 9:44 pm

    This looks fantastic. I bet it tastes amazing.

  19. March 8, 2016 / 9:57 pm

    Wow, I'd definitely try this out. I think this would be amazing fresh from the oven.

  20. Sarah-Louise Bailey
    March 9, 2016 / 1:21 am

    That looks more like a work of art than a pie – but oh my it sounds delicious. x

  21. March 9, 2016 / 9:06 am

    Your pie looks so attractive and tempting. I've not tried making pastry with cream before, though I make mine with yoghurt, so I don't see why not.

  22. March 9, 2016 / 2:21 pm

    Ahhhh, I can't remember the last time I had a pie. I just realised how much I miss it. Yours looks gorgeous!

  23. Meeta K
    March 10, 2016 / 4:12 pm

    Pastry and filling … oh yes I can have this all the time. I have not made pie in quite some time. This one looks just so good!

  24. Idaintyit
    March 11, 2016 / 8:28 am

    I am from Wigan so its no secret that I love pie! Its kind of in the blood haha these look delicious, I need one!