Individual Broccoli & Bacon Cheddar Pies
Have you ever made hot water pastry before? It is a method with a long history, dating back to the Middle Ages. If you can picture a hearty game pie that stands alone on the table and looks like an impossible trick, then you might recognize some hot water pastry! This type of pastry is generally thick, hard, and has hardly any uniform in texture. The pastry is made with hot boiling water and fat, rather than keeping everything cold like most pie crusts are made today. This creates a hot and sticky paste-like crust that is shaped by hand instead of with a rolling pin and pressed into the pan. The result, as I found out after some trial and error, is absolutely delicious and still as flaky and flavorful as ever.
The recipe for these broccoli pies feels like fall to me, though I can easily picture them in winter. If we were still hosting farm-to-table suppers out here at the farm, I would serve these little individual pies in a heartbeat! The first reason being that I love that they can stand on their own outside of the ramekin. It just looks so cool!
The second being that they are magnificently flavored. The outer crust is buttery and melts in your mouth. The inside is filled with soft, roasted broccoli, onion, a bacon flavored bechamel sauce, and delightfully gooey cheddar cheese. It is like eating a broccoli cheddar soup inside of a warm pie crust hug. Yum!
the details:
To make these pies, you will need some 6 ounce ramekins. I found these at HomeGoods last year, so I doubt that they are still around. If you like, you could also make this into one large pie with a standard 10-inch pie plate.
The steps for making a hot water pastry pie is backwards compared to a cold blended pie crust. You have to make the filling first, as the hot water pastry needs to be handled while it is still, well, hot.
You will begin by making the filling. This starts with partially roasting the broccoli and onion. It is spread on a pan, seasoned, and then roasted at 425° F for about 20 minutes. This gives it a lot of flavor, but it also helps to pre-soften the vegetables as they will not roast fully once inside the pie. If you were working with softer vegetables, you could cook them in a pan over the stove.
While the broccoli and onion are roasting, the bechamel cheese sauce should be made. This is a simple sauce that is poured into the pie and over the vegetables, rather than mixing them together in the pan.
I found this bit interesting, as mixing them together also over-saturates the crust. I gave this a go after watching some other people on YouTube construct Medieval style pies, and it seems that stacking the ingredients works better than having a soup-like filling inside. This helps the pie to stand alone better, and the sauce really should be more stringy and cheese-like than soupy.
I was afraid that this would make the pie dry and dense, but it did nothing of the sort. The amount of butter in the crust counteracts that!
When it comes to making the crust, you will have to have some strong hands. It is a bit hot while working with it!
To make the crust, you will want to mix the dry ingredients first and then boil the water and fat together, then pour it directly into the flour and knead or mix right away. Eventually, it will have to be brought together and kneaded with your hands, which can be done in the bowl or on the counter.
You can use butter or lard, whichever you prefer, or a combination of the two. I made the pies pictured with butter, and they were delightful. Very flavorful!
This crust is rather difficult to roll out on the counter top with a rolling pin, so I would suggest working it solely with your hands. It is greasy and sticky, which means it clings to the countertop. It is really not suggested to add flour to the crust to work it, as this will alter the final product, and it might not be as soft and flaky. It honestly is a bit like lumpy play-dough and is pretty easy to press out!
I hope that you enjoy this recipe and have some fun building it! There are a lot of steps, but it was worth it to see everyone enjoy their own little “game pie” at supper the other night. I figured that this would not be enough to fill everyone up, but it was surprisingly very filling.
xoxo Kayla
Individual Broccoli & Bacon Cheddar Pies
Ingredients
- 2 heads of broccoli florets, about 3 cups worth
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 6 slices bacon
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 cup salted butter, sliced
- 1 egg, for egg wash
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Spread the broccoli and onion on the sheet pan in a single layer. Spread the olive oil, salt, and pepper over the vegetables and toss to evenly coat everything. Roast the vegetables for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. They do not have to be fully cooked through yet, but they should be softened. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, make the bechamel cheese sauce. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy, about 5-8 minutes. Set the cooked bacon aside on a paper towel lined plate. Reserve 2 tbsp of the bacon grease.
- In the same pan, cook the garlic in the hot bacon grease over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until it has browned and gives off a nutty aroma.
- Slowly pour in the buttermilk, whisking as you pour, until it has begun to boil and thickened. Pour in the cream in a similar fashion, whisking all the while, until it is thick and bubbling. Add the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and adjust seasonings as needed. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the cheese. It should be thick and stringy.
- Chop the bacon you cooked into crumbles and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the sliced butter and bring to a boil, stirring to prevent it from seizing. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook about 2-3 minutes, making sure the butter is very hot.
- Pour the hot fat into the bowl of flour and mix with a wooden spoon or fork until a soft dough forms. It may be lumpy and separated. While it is still hot but cool enough to handle, bring the dough together into a large ball with your hands.
- Separate the dough into 8 equal pieces. 6 of these pieces will become the bottom of your individual pies, and the other 2 pieces will become the tops of the pies.
- Begin by flattening the bottom pieces of pie crust. This can be done with a rolling pin, but it is better done by hand. Take the piece of dough and press it out flat between your fingers.
- Gather six 6 ounce ramekins. Place the bottom crusts into the ramekins and press them into the bottom and up the sides. It is okay if the crust breaks, it can simply be pressed back together. Hot water pastry is not supposed to have a uniform look to it! Leave a slight overhang of crust out of the top of the ramekin, about 1/4-inch.
- When the crusts are finished, fill the bottom of each pie with about a tablespoon of the bechamel sauce. Then top with bacon, broccoli, and onion. Finish the top of the pie off with another tablespoon of the bechamel sauce.
- Divide the two extra balls of dough into 6 pieces. Press these pieces out with your hand into small rounds that would fit over the tops of your ramekins. Place these pie tops over the filling and press it together with the overhang of the bottom crusts. With a fork, poke holes into the top of the pie crust.
- Beat the egg in a small bowl with a splash of water. Brush this over the tops of the crusts.
- Bake the pies in a 400° F oven for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let them stand about 10 minutes in the ramekins before removing and serving as little individual pies.
