Bacon and egg pie

Ingredients

• 2 sheets puff pastry
• 8 rashers streaky bacon
• 5 eggs
• 2 large tomatoes
• Small bunch fresh basil
• A pinch of salt and pepper
• A splash of milk

Tried and true

My mum has been making this classic Kiwi treat ever since I can remember. We have a large family so we had great big slabs of pie, eaten cold on summer picnics or warm for Sunday lunch. The ones I make these days are baked as individual pies which means you always have your own corner piece – 4 of them, in fact! Mum used to make her own pastry for this, a wholemeal shortcrust pastry. I’ve chosen to use shop bought puff pastry for this because wholemeal flour is quite hard to find in Singapore (where I live) and shop bought puff pastry is delicious for this recipe.

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 200°C. Take the puff pastry and line 2 small individual-serving pie tins with the puff pastry, setting aside enough for the lids. If there isn’t quite enough pastry to use as a lid, trim off the pastry from around the edges, combine it together with the remaining pastry, and squeeze together to combine it into a flat disc. Take a rolling pin (or a wine bottle) and roll out the disc until you have enough pastry to make a lid for both tins – it’s absolutely fine if it’s thinner than the layer covering the bottom of the pie. Put the pastry-lined tins in the fridge and set the lids aside to use later.

Step 2

Fry the rashers of bacon until crispy. Slice the tomatoes thinly, and pick the basil leaves off the stalks. Crack all of the eggs into a bowl and lightly beat, seasoning with the salt and pepper.

Step 3

Take the pastry-lined tins and layer with bacon, then egg (leaving a little bit for brushing the top of the pastry), then the slices of tomato, then the basil leaves. Lay over the pastry lids and pinch the sides with your fingers, or crimp with a fork, making sure there are no gaps in the pastry around the edge of the lid.

Step 4

Add a splash of milk to the leftover egg, mixing well, and brush this mixture on the top of the pies for a lovely golden and crispy finish. Bake the pies at 200°C for 10 minutes, then at 180°C for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

• These pies are delicious hot or cold with a dollop of tomato ketchup.
• You can add a teaspoon of worchestershire to the eggs after beating, or a sprinkling of chilli flakes if you like a bit of heat.
• If you’re looking for other awesome pie recipes, check out this article on www.metro.co.uk to see 11 other pies to try.

Recipe adapted from my mum’s instructions sent via text message