Best Pistachio Cranberry Pork Pie Recipes

CRANBERRY-TOPPED RAISED PIE

Steps:

• If you want to make your own stock: put the chicken and pork bones in a pan, add 600ml water (or enough to just cover) and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 mins, then strain and continue cooking to reduce the liquid to about 300ml. The bones will add natural gelatine to the stock so it should set without additional gelatine. But if you want to make sure, add 1 leaf following the method in step 10.
• Mix together all the filling ingredients in a large bowl and season with 1½ tsp salt. Now make the pastry. Pour 150ml water into a saucepan, add the lard and ½ tsp salt, and bring to the boil. Once the lard has melted, remove from the heat.
• Meanwhile, sift the flour and 1 tsp salt together into a large bowl. Pour over the hot liquid and stir vigorously to form a dough.
• Tip onto your work surface and knead for a couple of mins to develop the gluten slightly and create an even-textured pastry. (Once made, keep covered with cling film.)
• Remove roughly one-third of the pastry and set aside to make the lid later. Roll the remaining pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. You'll need a 20cm-deep springform cake tin to assemble the pie in.
• Line the cake tin with the pastry, pushing it well into the corners and up the sides of the tin (use a small ball of dough to do this). Leave any excess hanging over the top of the tin.
• Add the filling to the pie, packing it tightly - this will expel any air pockets and create a nice flat top for the cranberries to sit on later.
• Roll out the reserved pastry to the same thickness and lift it onto the pie to create a lid. Press into the pastry around the edges and trim off any excess. Crimp with 2 fingers if you like. Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg. Cut a hole in the centre to let the steam out as it cooks. You can now chill it for up to 24 hrs or cook straight away. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Bake for 30 mins, then reduce heat to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and bake for another 1 hr 45 mins. If you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the pie should be 75C. If not, insert the end of a spoon into the centre of the pie and hold it there for 10 secs - it should be hot to the touch.
• Place the tin on a wire rack to cool, then remove the pie. If you have a blowtorch, blast it around the outside of the tin before removing the pie - this melts the fat sticking the pastry to the tin, making it release more easily. Alternatively, leave the pie at room temperature for 20 mins before removing the tin. Warm the stock and put the gelatine in a bowl of cold water to soften for 5 mins. Squeeze out any drops of water, then add the gelatine to the stock, stir in until dissolved, and season well. Transfer to a jug.
• If there is no gap between the pastry and meat, you'll need to poke a skewer into the hole and wiggle it around to create space for the stock. Pour two-thirds of the stock into the central hole (use a piping nozzle as a funnel, if you have one), or as much as you can, but reserve about 4 tbsp for the topping. Chill for at least 2 hrs.
• Dissolve the sugar with the sherry over a low heat. Once dissolved, bring to the boil and add the cranberries. Cook for 1-2 mins, but remove from the heat before the cranberries burst. Leave to cool. Once the stock in the pie has set to a jelly, top with the cranberries. Melt your remaining jellied stock in a saucepan over a low heat, then use it to brush the cranberries generously. Return to the fridge for 1 hr to set the topping. Enjoy within 3 days.

PISTACHIO & CRANBERRY PORK PIE

Steps:

• Put the cranberries in a pan with the sugar and orange juice. Bring to a simmer, then cook until the berries start to burst and the sauce thickens. Set aside to cool.
• Heat the oil in a small pan and fry the onion until soft. Add the bacon and garlic, and cook until the bacon starts to brown, then stir through the thyme, sage and some seasoning. Allow it to cool slightly, then mix with the pork and pistachios. Season with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Set aside.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip the flour into a bowl with 2 tsp salt. Put lard and milk into a pan with 150ml water, then heat until the lard has completely melted. Pour into the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until a ball of dough is formed. Knead briefly on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
• Take two-thirds of the pastry and roll out between two sheets of baking parchment into a circle large enough to line the base and sides of a 20cm cake tin (about 4-6cm high with a slight overhang. Press the pastry into the tin making sure to push it into the corners. Pile half the filling into the pastry and flatten into an even layer. Spread over two-thirds of the cranberry sauce, then finish with remaining pork and roughly smooth the top. Keep the rest of the cranberry sauce in the fridge to serve with the pie.
• Roll out remaining pastry between baking parchment and cut to a 20cm round. Place onto the pie and glaze the edge with some beaten egg. Fold up the overhanging pastry and press down to seal. Make a steam hole with the tip of a knife, then glaze the pie with more beaten egg. Cook for 30 mins, then reduce the heat to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Continue cooking for 40 mins until the pastry is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of the pie and left for 10 secs feels very hot. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with the reserved cranberry sauce. Will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Watch our pork pie video for extra tips.