Egg, Bacon, and Cheddar Pies
"Milk. Made."
"I have a bunch of mates that I regularly go fishing with and it has become an expectation that I will bring a batch of these pies onboard every time we go out," says Beard Award–nominated cookbook author Nick Haddow. "I once left a box of them at home, so a new course was set for my house on Bruny Island. I had to wade in and walk up to my house to fetch them—they are that good!"
Ingredients
For the Pies:
6 slices bacon
6 eggs
Twelve 1/2-inch cubes cheddar cheese, or other semi-hard cheese
6 parsley sprigs
Shortcrust Pastry:
12 ounces all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
5 1/2 ounces chilled butter, chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons iced water
Method
To make the shortcrust pastry, put the flour and butter in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Gradually add the water, a little at a time, until the mixture starts to come together. Turn out onto a clean work surface and bring the dough together to form a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 6-hole muffin tin.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface until it's 1/4-inch thick. Cut out 6 circles big enough to line the muffin holes. Line each hole with a circle of pastry, being careful to push the pastry into the corners and not tear it. You can trim any excess pastry if you like your tarts neat and tidy, but I am not that fussed. Set aside.
Fry the bacon until it starts to brown but is not too crispy. Place a slice of bacon in the bottom of each pie shell (you might need to fold it over a bit). Break in a whole egg and top with a couple of cubes of cheese and a sprig of parsley. Finish with a couple of grinds of black pepper.
Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the pies from the tin immediately and allow to cool a little before serving.
Recipe excerpted with permission from Milk. Made. by Nick Haddow, published by Hardie Grant Books, September 2016. Photography credit: Alan Benson.
Yield
6 servings
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