The Feathered Nest

The softer side of MaisonBisson

Savory Bacon-Topped Pie To Celebrate International Bacon Day September 5, 2009

TowerGirl @ 8:06 pm
Tags: , , , , , , ,

flaky crust

When my husband asks, “Did you know that Saturday is International Bacon Day?” what he is really doing is giving me a challenge. I have a hard time turning away from a challenge. I am a sucker. I awoke about six this morning and I stared at the ceiling thinking bacon-y thoughts. Breakfast was out. Sure, what could be more satisfying than a nice stack of buttermilk pancakes drowning in good ol’ NH maple syrup and a side of bacon? But really, I needed a new angle. I pondered new twists on the BLT, I considered bacon wrapped lobster chunks, and I recalled a post I’d seen on chocolate dipped bacon. I believe all these to have wonderful yumminess potential, but I didn’t want to do something I’d seen before.

I love savory pies. I have featured my salmon pie here before and we haven’t had it in a while. I usually do a lattice top crust on it. What if, instead of pie dough, the top “crust” was a lattice constructed of God’s gift to cardiac surgeons? I mentioned the idea to the hubby. A lustful glint filled his eyes. I had my plan.

I have finally become competent at making pie dough from scratch. I just use the “flaky crust” recipe from The Joy of Cooking. I started work on my traditional salmon pie recipe while the hubs pitched in and lightly browned the bacon on the stove. On top of it all I wove the bacon and put a light egg wash over the whole thing.  Finally, I popped it in a 350 degree oven for thirty minutes.

It smells amazing. I am serving it with corn on the cob and fresh tomatoes from the local farm stand. I am adding International Bacon Day to my permanent holiday schedule.

 

Salmon Pie Supper January 13, 2007

TowerGirl @ 10:09 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

digging in
Last winter I was inspired. I love all seafood, but my beloved only eats fish and I was running out of ways to prepare salmon (his favorite). We have always loved a good pot pie so I decided to put together a salmon pie. There are lots of fish pie recipes on the web, after perusing a number of them I decided to strike out on my own and cobble together something that used the ingredients I had on hand. It came out great. Since then, I’ve been tweaking and refining. This is my favorite version – but feel free to add your own touches. This dish is also great for leftovers, it reheats beautifully.

  • 1 1/2 lb fillet of salmon
  • 3 medium potatoes peeled and quartered
  • 2 stalks of celery finely chopped
  • 1 small red onion finely chopped
  • 3 leeks (white parts only) halved down the center and finely sliced
  • 1 clove of garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup white wine or sherry
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup of milk
  • packaged pie crust

Preheat oven to 350°

Grease a large casserole dish and place salmon, skin side down, into the dish. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and cook for approximately 20 minutes. Salmon should be able to flake apart with fork but still be very moist. Set cooked salmon aside.

While salmon is in the oven, put a large pot of water on to boil and add tablespoon of salt to the water to season. Peel and quarter potatoes. When water starts to boil, add potatoes. Cook about 20 minutes, until tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then place in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoon of butter and a 1/4 cup on milk to the potatoes and mash the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large sautee pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and swirl to cover the pan. Add the onion, leeks, garlic, celery and cook until tender (about 10 minutes). Add the wine to the pan. Let cook for 1 minute and stir to incorporate. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper and herbs.

In a pie plate, arrange the bottom crust. If you are ambitious, I’m sure a homemade crust would be wonderful. I use a ready-made crust and it’s still good.

Add the wine and veggie mixture to the mashed potatoes. Flake the salmon and add this to the mashed potato bowl as well. Stir to combine ingredients. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Raise oven temp to 375°

Scrape the potato/veggie/salmon mixture into the waiting pie crust. Spread it evenly. Place the top crust on top. seal and crimp the edges and cut holes in the top to vent. Place in the center of the oven and cook 20 minutes, until crust is lightly golden. Serve with a green salad and enjoy.