French Meat Pie is definitely one of the most famous recipes in America. The origin of the dish dates back to the time when it was first served during the French Revolution. The difference between the British and American version of the famous dish is mainly the method of preparation. In the former, the pastry shell is filled with filling while in the latter the pastry shell is filled with the meat mixture.
Ingredients You Will Need To Prepare French Meat Pie Recipe
The ingredients that make up a typical French pie are some potatoes (always cooked), flour, butter, chicken, mushrooms, green pepper, onion, salt and marjoram. The other important components are also the cream filling and the cheese. Many recipes have added parsley or fresh herbs as garnishments to the pie.
When it comes to the preparation of a French meat pie, you will notice that the ingredients are layered in a manner similar to how you layer desserts. This is to create uniformity and create an even texture. The use of aluminum foil to cover the pie is the best idea because it keeps the ingredients hot. You can also cook the pie in the oven but be sure to put the lid on it. If you bake the pie in the refrigerator, it might collapse.
Lots Of French Meat Pie Recipes
A lot of French recipes for this pie recipe involve the use of a roux. Roux is a flour and butter mixture. It is used to thicken the crust of the pie crust. It is a must that you don’t forget to add the liquid as well so that the crust doesn’t become too dry.
There are two basic types of fillings for this type of pie. One is made from beef fat and the other one from pork fat. You can use hamburgers, hot dogs, bacon, or even ground beef. Of course, you can use any cut of meat for this recipe. However, if you are on a diet, you may consider reducing the amount of meat.
Preparing French Meat Pie Recipe
It is very important that when you are making the dough for your meat pie, you only use all-purpose flour. Other flour could lead to the creation of lumps that will make the pie crust flaky. Use a pastry dough, which is quite thin. It is because pastry dough is quite thick and is not suitable for making this crust. If you do not have pastry dough, you can also use prepared baked dough but you need to ensure that you bake the pie crust perfectly.
Another type of filling recipe for this pie recipe uses cream cheese. You can also try using cottage cheese but it would take you a little more preparation time. The great thing about using cream cheese is that you can use it in any consistency you like. You can even spread it on the crust when it is still warm. Add lemon juice and it would taste delicious.
Filling For Meat Pie
As you make the filling for your meat pie, it is advisable that you use a meatball as a head of the meatball. Add onions, green peppers and garlic to your meatballs and put it on top of the pie crust. Bake the pie and enjoy its great taste. There are so many French recipes for this pie crust that you will surely find one that suits your taste.
Some French recipes for this pie call for cranberries. You can add cranberries and enjoy the filling and the crispiness of the cranberries. To add flavor to your filling, you can add lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. This combination is a tasty combination. Just add enough filling to make it moist enough to let the juices seep through.
There are several other recipes that use other types of stuffing for their pie crust. Stuffing can be chicken or beef fat, eggs, mozzarella cheese, vegetables, salt, sage, or spicy herbs. Most of these recipes for French pies also include cream cheese, but you can also try using skim milk if you prefer not to use cream cheese. Add some walnuts to your pie and it would be really delicious. Walnuts are another ingredient often used for stuffing.
Final Thoughts
There are even some recipes that include fruit in their meat pie crust. This can be peaches, strawberries, blueberries, or pineapple. Try using applesauce in place of butter for the pie crust. If you add fruit in the pie, be sure to remove it before the pie is cooked. Applesauce adds moisture, but the fruit will make the pie dry out and taste bitter.
