Danny the Champion of the World Pie

meoklmrk91

Ever since I read this book as a kid I have wanted to make this pie. Here is the excerpt from the book where the pie is described.

"Very carefully, I now began to unwrap the greaseproof paper from around the doctor's present, and when I had finished, I saw before me the most enormous and beautiful pie in the world. It was covered all over, top, sides, and bottom, with a rich golden pastry. I took a knife from beside the sink and cut out a wedge. I started to eat it in my fingers, standing up. It was a cold meat pie. The meat was pink and tender with no fat or gristle in it, and there were hard-boiled eggs buried like treasures in several different places. The taste was absolutely fabulous. When I had finished the first slice, I cut another and ate that too. God bless Doctor Spencer, I thought. And God bless Mrs. Spencer as well." - 'Danny, the Champion of the World' by Roald Dahl (1975)

Now I have no experience with making pies, I assume I would be going for a giant pork pie kind of thing with good quality sausage meat, any tips or even possible recipe that I could use would be very much appreciated.

Magic Monkey

Andy Bates has some good pie recipes, here's one for Chorizo and Egg Pie.

hardCopy

Sounds very similar to this Pork Pie recipe from The Great British Bake Off: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/small_pork_pies_with_11074

If I remember correctly from that episode, the hard part was getting the gelatine to set right.

meoklmrk91

hardCopy wrote: »

Sounds very similar to this Pork Pie recipe from The Great British Bake Off: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/small_pork_pies_with_11074

If I remember correctly from that episode, the hard part was getting the gelatine to set right.

Anyway I can get around using the gelatine, I hate it!

Other than that it looks pretty much perfect

Magic Monkey

Yes, you can substitute gelatine with agar. One sheet of gelatine (approx. 3g) equates to one tsp of powdered gelatine. When substituting agar for gelatine, you use 2-3 times less. So, per sheet/tsp of gelatine in a recipe, use 1/3-1/2 tsp of agar powder. I'd err on the side of less, and use 1/3 tsp per sheet.

meoklmrk91

Magic Monkey wrote: »

Yes, you can substitute gelatine with agar. One sheet of gelatine (approx. 3g) equates to one tsp of powdered gelatine. When substituting agar for gelatine, you use 2-3 times less. So, per sheet/tsp of gelatine in a recipe, use 1/3-1/2 tsp of agar powder. I'd err on the side of less, and use 1/3 tsp per sheet.

I assume the agar has the same consistancy as the gelatine which is the issue, it just turns my stomach. I also assume it has a purpose and therefore excluding it or agar would mean that it didnt turn out right.

Magic Monkey

Agar would have a similar texture, a little bit more brittle. The reason gelatine is used in these meat pies is:

-Preservation: The gelatine will fill any air pockets inside the pie, preserving it and keeping it moist
-Mouthfeel: Helps to make the pie easier to eat, as opposed to a dense mass of meat; breaks down easier in the mouth
-Flavour: The stock will impart good flavour, complementing and enhancing the flavours of the pie

In your case, you're looking for a substitute that can contribute the above properties but without the unappealing gelatine texture. The only thing I can think of is to use a savoury egg custard. This is similar to the Moroccan Pastilla. For the BBC pork pie recipe, you'd add the cooled custard to the combined filling, refrigerate overnight, then take out the next day, bring it to room temperature and proceed as normal, albeit without the gelatine injection. This won't necessarily solve the preservation problem, but it will solve how to keep it moist, improve the mouthfeel and contribute flavour.

A simple savoury custard recipe is reducing 200ml of stock by half, tempering 2 large eggs with it, then returning to the pot over a low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches the thickness of custard (82c).

EZ24GET

have you seen this? http://marriedwithdinner.com/2010/03/07/dark-days-pork-pie/