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February
2005
Recipe
Maryland Ham Pie
On
Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the Easter ham is often sliced, layered,
and baked with spicy greens. Here country ham and greens are
packed in a pie, ideal for a party. I often cover the tart with a
lattice of pastry strips, but a simple round of pastry as a lid
would do fine, too. Serve the pie hot or at room temperature.
Serves 6
to 8
Plain
Pâte Brisée dough (page 278), made with 3⁄4 cup (11⁄2 sticks)
butter, 21⁄2 cups flour, 2 egg yolks, 1 teaspoon salt, 1⁄3 cup
water, more if needed
-
5 or 6
leaves of kale or green cabbage
-
green
leaves of a bunch of celery
-
green
tops of 4 to 6 scallions
-
1⁄2
teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
-
1⁄2
teaspoon mustard seed
-
1⁄2
teaspoon celery seed
-
a few
drops of Tabasco
-
salt
and pepper to taste
-
melted
butter for brushing the pan
-
1⁄2
pound cooked sliced country ham, cut in julienne strips
-
1⁄2
cup heavy cream
-
2 egg
yolks
-
1 egg
whisked with 1⁄2 teaspoon salt for pastry glaze
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91⁄2-inch tart pan with removable base
Make and
chill the Plain Pâte Brisée dough. For the filling: Wash and drain
the kale, celery leaves, and scallion tops and shred them. Bring a
pan of salted water to a boil and boil the greens until wilted, 2
to 3 minutes. Drain and run them under cold water, then squeeze
them with your fists to remove excess water. Mix them in a bowl
with the hot red pepper flakes, mustard and celery seeds, Tabasco,
and salt and pepper. Set the greens aside.
Brush
the tart pan with melted butter. Set aside about one-third of the
pastry dough. Roll out the remaining two-thirds and line the pan.
Chill the shell until firm, at least 15 minutes.
Spread
half the ham in the pie shell and top with the greens. Mix the
cream and egg yolks and spoon over the greens. Top with remaining
ham. Roll out the remaining dough, trim it to an 11-inch square,
and cut it in strips to make a lattice topping (see opposite
page). Brush the lattice with the egg glaze and chill the pie for
15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375ºF and set a baking sheet on a
low rack to heat.
Bake the
pie on the heated baking sheet until the pastry is browned and
crisp, 35 to 45 minutes. Let the pie cool on a wire rack. To
unmold it, set it on an upturned bowl so that the pan rim slips
down over the bowl. Using a metal spatula, slide the pie from the
base onto a flat serving plate.
Getting Ahead: This pie is equally good hot or at room
temperature, so make it up to 8 hours ahead and warm it briefly
before serving.
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