Great Pie for a family gathering, looks and tastes very good.

Shortcrust pastry

300 g plain flour

150g hard (cooking) margarine cut into small cubes

Cold water

Filling

2 tablespoons butter

500g of good bacon reserve 5 whole slices, finely chop the remaining bacon

2 leeks large leeks, washed and finely sliced

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

ground black pepper to taste

12 large eggs reserve 2 for the cream mix

¾  cup parsley finely chopped

200 ml single cream

Prepare the shortcrust pastry

1. Grease a deep (22cm base/ 4 cm deep) loose based pie dish
2. In a food processer with the pastry attachment, pulse the flour and margarine until it looks like breadcrumbs.
3. Add cold water little by little until the mixture just holds together in a ball.
4. On a floured board shape the pastry into a small log and cut off a piece that is a third of the log. Put on one side this will be the lid of the pie.
5. Shape the larger piece into a round and roll out to fit the base tin with enough pastry to go just over the edges
6. Line the tin with this piece bringing the pastry up and over the edges of the tin.
7. Put the tin on to a shallow baking tray and put this and the remaining ball of pastry (wrapped in a small plastic bag) into the fridge to rest.

Prepare the filling

1. Melt butter in a medium size frying pan over low/medium heat. Add the chopped bacon (make sure you have reserved 4-5 slices of bacon).and fry gently until lightly brown and plenty of fat has come out.
2. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon in to a small bowl and reserve, leaving as much butter / fat as possible in the pan.
3. Now add the leeks to the pan and fry gently until they are soft. Be careful not to brown the leeks This will take approximately 15/20 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and move the pan from the ring it was on, to a cooler surface. Add the cooked bacon, nutmeg and black pepper to taste. Leave it to cool.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. No need to do it earlier as you need the leek bacon mixture to cool.
6. When the oven reaches temperature, take the lined pie dish and the remaining pastry out of the fridge.
7. Spread just over a half of the bacon and leek mixture over the base of the pie shell.
8. Using a large spoon make 10 egg size hollows in the bacon and leek mixture. Then crack an egg into each of the 10 hollows. You are only using 10 eggs at this point. Making the hollows or indents will keep the egg yolks in place, where you want them, instead of sliding all over the top of the bacon leek mixture.
9. Gently sprinkle the remaining bacon and leek mixture over the top of the eggs.
10. Then sprinkle over the layer of chopped parsley
11. In a bowl whisk the remaining two eggs and cream until combined.
12. Gently pour as much of the egg and cream mixture over the top of the herb layer as will fit in the pie without spilling. (you need some mixture to brush over the top of the pie).
13. Top the pie with the slices of the reserved bacon.
14. Roll out the remaining pastry into a lid for the pie.
15. Moisten the edges of the pie crust and then put the lid on to the pie.
16. Firmly crimp the edges of the pie to avoid spillage and then trim the edges.
17. Poke small holes all over the pie to allow for steam to come out.
18. Brush the top of the pie with the remaining egg and milk mix.
19. Place the pie back on to the baking sheet/tray and put in the oven to bake for 60 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
20. When the pie has finished baking, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool before removing it from the loose based tin. At least an hour !
21. The pie is best served warm but is also excellent at room temperature.

Based on a recipe at

https://bellyrumbles.com/bacon-and-egg-pie/