Trying My Hand at Pie Making

(Or, and here’s a more accurate subtitle)

How to NOT Make Pies

(In ten easy steps.)

1. Doubt your ability to make a batch of shortcrust pastry.
2. Visit local supermarket to purchase pre-made shortcrust pastry.
3. Return home empty-handed and feeling slightly dejected.
4. Believe you can use puff pastry for the base in lieu.
5. Remember you have no pie trays and opt to use muffin trays instead.
6. Line muffin tray with puff pastry cut into appropriate sized circles.
7. Blind bake pie bases with the assistance of pastry weights.
8. Remove from oven then realise you forgot to use baking paper to separate the pastry and the pastry weights.
9. Within a crestfallen soup, spend 10 minutes waiting for the pie bases to cool down so you can then spend 30 or 40 minutes picking pastry weights out of the pastry.  (Feel even more disheartened.)
10. Finish the pie making process and heave a heavy sigh as they are placed in the oven.

Dean helped me pick the pie weights out of the puff pastry and cannot understand why I got so upset when he told me, “You’re not a MasterChef!”

He does not realise how lucky he was to even get anything to eat for his dinner last night.

But I must admit, even though they looked a little funky, they were really good.

These (little) pies were filled with my Braised Beef and they were very yummy.

I even made some with mushy peas and mashed potato and topped them with some grated cheese.

– ⋅ o ♥ o ⋅ –

So I’ve learnt my lesson.

There will be no more pie making in this house until I obtain some pie trays.

AND I can master the art of making shortcrust pastry.

Oh, and I will never forget to use baking paper with pastry weights again.