Warmer climate at all times has me dreaming of elaborate picnics, identical to those my mum used to take us on as children. She made superlative hen pies, and I at all times consider them right now of yr. Mum would use shop-bought pastry, however right here I’ve made a herby tough puff to up the summery feeling. The onion and anchovy turnovers, in the meantime, are the proper pocket savouries to maintain you occurring a protracted stroll or day trip. You might at all times make one batch of pastry and halve the quantity of each fillings, so you possibly can have a few of every.
Rooster and herb pie
Prep 15 min
Chill 1 hr 20 min
Cool 1 hr
Prepare dinner 2 hr 10 min
Serves 4-6
For the herby tough puff pastry
50g flat-leaf parsley, picked and finely chopped
1 bunch lemon thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped, stalks reserved for the filling
300g chilly unsalted butter, diced
500g plain white stone-ground flour
A pinch of nice salt
Just a little milk, for brushing
For the filling
1 lemon, zest finely grated, the fruit left entire
1 bunch dill, leaves picked
1 bunch tarragon, leaves picked
1 medium-sized hen
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp black peppercorns
Salt and black pepper
50g butter, plus additional for greasing
1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and sliced
3 rashers streaky bacon, roughly chopped
50g flour
250g creme fraiche
Egg wash or cream, for brushing
Flaky sea salt
To make the pastry, mix the herbs with the butter, kneading them via till you have got a brightly speckled butter, then chill for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, get on with the pie filling. Put the zested lemon and herb stalks in a big pan with the hen, onion, garlic and peppercorns. Cowl with water, deliver to a simmer, then add a few beneficiant pinches of salt and poach for about 45 minutes, till the hen legs draw back simply from the physique. Depart to chill within the inventory for an hour.
Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Retrieve the chilled butter, reduce it into chunks and toss these via the seasoned flour till each chunk is nicely coated. Flatten the items of butter between your fingertips, then pour over 220g chilly water and toss via the butter and flour. Squeeze the combo collectively together with your arms, till you have got a shaggy-looking lump of dough.
Roll out the dough right into a 30cm x 15cm rectangle, then reduce it into three 5cm x 15cm strips. Stack these on prime of one another, flip the dough 90 levels and repeat the rolling and stacking as soon as extra. Chill for an hour.
Now raise out the cooled hen and strip off all of the meat. Pressure the inventory, return it to the pan and cut back to 500ml.
In a second pan, soften the butter, then fry the spring onions and bacon for 3 to 5 minutes, till the onions are delicate. Sprinkle within the flour, cook dinner till you have got a thick roux, then add the diminished inventory and cook dinner for a couple of minutes till thickened. Stir within the creme fraiche, reserved lemon zest, herbs and hen meat, season with salt and pepper, then depart to chill.
Warmth the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/fuel 7 and evenly grease a 23cm springform tin. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry till it’s massive sufficient to line the tin with some overhang. Use the rolled out pastry to line the tin, then spoon in all of the filling. Roll out the remaining pastry till it’s massive sufficient to cowl the highest of the pie. Brush the sides with slightly water, then drape the pastry over the pie to surround it. Trim the sides, then press throughout with the again of a fork to seal. Use any pastry offcuts to embellish the highest.
Placed on a lined baking tray, brush with egg wash or cream, sprinkle with flaky salt and pepper, and reduce a small vent in every turnover. Bake for 30-40 minutes, till deeply golden and effervescent. Depart to chill barely earlier than unmoulding from the tin.
Onion and anchovy turnovers
Prep 10 min
Chill 1 hr 20 min
Prepare dinner 1 hr 40 min
Makes About 18
For the herby tough puff pastry
50g flat-leaf parsley, picked and finely chopped
1 bunch lemon thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped
300g chilly unsalted butter, diced
500g plain white stone-ground flour
A pinch of nice salt
For the filling
75g butter
6-8 tinned or jarred anchovy fillets, drained and chopped, plus 2 tsp oil from the tin or jar
5 medium-large blended onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large pinches of salt
Black pepper
To make the pastry, mix the chopped herbs with the butter, kneading till it’s evenly speckled, then chill for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, make the filling. Soften the butter in a heavy-based pan on a medium warmth, add the anchovies and two teaspoons of their oil, and cook dinner, stirring, till the fish break down. Add the onions, salt, loads of pepper and two tablespoons of water, and stir nicely. Cowl and depart to cook dinner over a medium warmth for 45 minutes, till the onions are very delicate.
Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Retrieve the chilled butter, reduce it into chunks and toss them via the flour till each chunk is nicely coated. Flatten the items of butter between your fingertips, then pour over 220g chilly water. Toss the water via the butter and flour, then begin to squeeze the combo collectively together with your arms, till you have got a shaggy-looking lump of dough.
Roll out the dough right into a 30cm x 15cm rectangle, then reduce it into three 5cm x 15cm strips. Stack the strips on prime of one another, flip 90 levels, then repeat the rolling, reducing and stacking course of as soon as extra. Chill for an hour.
When the onions are very delicate, take off the lid and keep on cooking for about 20 minutes extra, till the onions have began to deepen in color. Take off the warmth and depart to chill.
Take the pastry out of the fridge and reduce it in half. Firmly faucet each pastry halves with the size of the rolling pin, to flatten them. Roll one piece into a big sq. about 3mm thick, then reduce into 9 even squares. Chill within the fridge whilst you roll and reduce the opposite pastry half.
Lay out all of the pastry squares on a piece floor and divide the onion filling between them. Fold every turnover right into a triangle, and press the sides with the again of a fork to seal. Placed on a lined baking tray, sprinkle with flaky salt and black pepper, and reduce a small vent into every turnover. Bake at 200C (180C fan)/390F/fuel 6 for 15-20 minutes, till golden.