I need a recipe for pork pie. I've more or less nailed the filling, but my hot water crust is disastrous.?

Mrs Beeton:- 10oz plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

3oz lard

1/4 pt. milk or water or mix

heat water or milk with lard, salt and then add to flour mix well with wooden spoon until cool enough to knead by hand. Use straight away.

I live in Italy and I find I have problems with the flour, its too " strong ". See if you can find a different grade.I can't get the filling right, too lean.Good luck.

You could just fold about 3/4 of the container of Cool Whip with a can of pie filling and put it into the crust. Then put the rest of the Cool Whip on the top and chill ... or try this one: LEMONADE PIE 1 large container Cool Whip 1 6-oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed & undiluted 1 can Eagle Brand sweetened, condensed milk 1 9" graham cracker crust Mix everything together well and put into the crust. Chill ....... You can also use limeade concentrate and it tastes like Key Lime Pie

PIE CRUST

1/4 c. boiling water

1/2 c. shortening (lard makes best crust)

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Dissolve shortening in boiling water, add flour, salt and baking powder to first mixture. Let stand until cool and roll out on floured board or between 2 sheets of Saran Wrap. Bake at 400 degrees approximately 10 minutes. Prick crust before baking. Makes 2 crusts.

Makes just over 750g pastry, enough for two pies holding 450g meat each

475g flour (half strong and half plain)

75g unsalted butter or extra lard

100g lard or dripping

125ml boiling water

1½ tsp salt

Caution: hot fat can be dangerous - follow the instructions carefully.

Rub 75g butter (or lard) into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Place 100g lard in a large saucepan and heat until it just melts. DO NOT OVERHEAT THE LARD - it should not be heated to more than 30-40C (if you are in any doubt about the temperature of the lard at this stage put it to one side and let it cool, but not harden.) TAKE THE PAN OFF THE HEAT. Carefully pour 125ml boiling water into the lard. Add the salt, stir until it dissolves, then pour this over the flour and mix quickly to a dough. Work it with a knife to begin with, then, as soon as it is cool enough to dig your hands in without scalding them, work the dough well with your fingers until it is mixed evenly and shape into a ball. Press the dough out on to a plate, cover with paper or cling film and leave until barely warm (about 24 - 26C)

Lightly flour the work surface, roll the dough to about ¾ cm thick, fold it in on itself by thirds, then repeat this roll and fold again. I prefer to leave the dough until it is room-temperature cold (about 21C), as I find it produces a smoother finish. If the dough looks a bit lumpy, give it another roll and fold, then let it rest somewhere cool for 20 minutes before using.

buy pillsbury crust in the refridgerator section. the kind that you just unfold and bake. Trust me you can't beat them. They have lard in the recipe and that makes them flaky.

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