I have a real problem with buying too many cookbooks. Almost to the point of running out of space. Almost. I always tell myself that the last one I buy will be the last one I buy, but that somehow never happens. I’ll usually talk myself into buying yet another one and will make up excuses as to why I just need that book. It’s an endless cycle. Normally, I’ll love all my books and won’t pick a favorite. Recently however, Erin Jeanne McDowell‘s The Book on Pie was published and it changed my pie game forever. It changed the cookbook game forever. Without sounding facetious, this is most definitely the only pie cookbook you’ll ever need. It has everything you could ever ask for or need when it comes to pies. Filled with important pie crust techniques, tips and tricks for perfecting any and all pies. The sweet pies are a plenty but for me personally, the chapter that really shines is the savory pie chapter. I seriously want to make and eat every single savory pie in this book. I had to start somewhere and so I decided to give these BLT Mini Pies a try first. They are incredible and well worth the effort. I already can’t wait to make them again.
I want to preface this post by saying it’s a whopper of a recipe with quite a few steps but I promise it’s well worth the effort! Let’s start by making a Golden Cheese Pie Dough (from the book as well).
**Tip: If you want to take a shortcut, you can totally use store-bought pie dough for this and just add a bit of shredded cheese later on, right before you add on the bacon jam. Store-bought puff pastry dough would be delicious here as well.**
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the butter and work it in with either your hands or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs.
**Tip: If you have really warm hands, I recommend using a pastry blender so that you don’t warm up the butter too much. You want to work it in rather quickly because cold butter allows for a flakier crust.**
Stir in the shredded cheese and add the ice water. Use a rubber spatula to work the dough until it just comes together, adding more water a tablespoon at a time, if needed. Form the dough into a large disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes before using.
**Tip: The dough can be made ahead of time and either frozen for up to 1 month (wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil or refrigerated for up to 2 days (wrapped in plastic wrap).**
Make the bacon jam: heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until the fat renders and the bacon is crispy, about 7 to 9 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel.
Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pot. Add the onion and cook until tender and translucent, about 7 to 9 minutes.
Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring often, until fully dissolved. Stir in the apple cider and cider vinegar and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until the liquid reduces almost entirely and the onions are very tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and then season the mixture with the chili flakes and lots of black pepper (I love a lot of black pepper especially because of the slight sweetness from the sugar), stir until well combined.
Return the bacon to the pot and stir. Use an immersion blender (or transfer to a food processor) and puree the mixture until thicker and slightly smoother. I actually prefer my bacon jam a little on the chunkier side. Allow to cool completely.
**Tip: The jam can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge (in an airtight container) for up to 5 days. And of course, if you want to make this easier on yourself, you can find some great bacon jam at the grocery store these days!**
If you don’t want to feel overwhelmed by making all of this in one day, I highly recommend breaking it up a bit. I made the bacon jam about 2 days ahead. Then I made the pie dough one day before. When it came to actually putting the pies together, it felt a lot easier and much more manageable.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a square slightly larger than 16 by 16 inches. Trim the edges with a pairing knife so they are straight. Cut the dough into 16 equal pieces. Transfer the squares to the prepared baking sheets, staggering them slightly (they can be close to each other).
Brush the squares with egg wash and prick all over with a fork. Press a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter gently into the center of each square, not pressing all the way down, to score the dough and give you a guide for filling. Scoop about a rounded tablespoon of the bacon jam mixture into the center of each square of dough.
Transfer the pans to a preheated 425°F oven and bake until the crust is deeply golden brown and the bacon jam has deepened in color, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, tomatoes, olive oil and a large pinch of salt and pepper until evenly combined. Top each cooled pie with this mixture and with the shaved parmesan if using.
The original recipe just serves it with the arugula because Erin has you make both a bacon jam and a tomato jam and use both on each tart. I didn’t want to add another step and figured a bit of fresh tomato would liven up the pies themselves. I added the parmesan because I think it added a nice saltiness to the sweet and savory pies.
If you plan on making these mini pies ahead of time, don’t top with the little salad until right before serving. You can store the pies in the fridge and then reheat in the oven for a few minutes. Then top as directed!
If you’re a fan of BLT’s then I highly recommend this recipe. It’s a great one, especially for the holidays as it would make for a show-stopping appetizer or a light lunch/dinner. When the weather gets warm again, this would be perfect for a picnic as well. Also, I seriously recommend you check out The Book on Pie. It’s a beautiful book packed with so much pie knowledge and a ton of incredible recipes. I promise you’ll go back to it time and time again. If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to reach out below. As always, stay safe my friends.
BLT Mini Pies
Ingredients
Dough:
- 3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 24 tablespoons 3 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 12 ounces shredded firm or semi-firm cheese such as white cheddar, Gruyère or Parmesan
- 3/4 cup ice water plus more as needed
Bacon Jam:
- 1 pound bacon finely chopped
- 1 large sweet onion minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Coarse ground black pepper
- 1 large egg beaten with a splash of water
Topping:
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup shaved parmesan optional
Instructions
- To make the pie dough, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the butter and work it in with either your hands or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the shredded cheese and add the water. Use a rubber spatula to work the dough until it just comes together, adding more water a tablespoon at a time, if needed. Form the dough into a large disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes before using.
- Make the bacon jam: heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until the fat renders and the bacon is crispy, about 7 to 9 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pot. Add the onion and cook until tender and translucent, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring often, until fully dissolved. Stir in the apple cider and cider vinegar and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until the liquid reduces almost entirely and the onions are very tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic.
- Season the mixture with the chili flakes and lots of black pepper and stir until well combined. Return the bacon to the pot and stir. Use an immersion blender (or transfer to a food processor) and puree mixture until thicker and slightly smoother. Allow to cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a square slightly larger than 16 by 16 inches. Trim the edges with a pairing knife so they are straight. Cut the dough into 16 equal pieces. Transfer the squares to the prepared baking sheets, staggering them slightly (they can be close to each other).
- Brush the squares with egg wash and prick all over with a fork. Press a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter gently into the center of each square, not pressing all the way down, to score the dough and give you a guide for filling. Scoop about a rounded tablespoon of the bacon jam mixture into the center of each square of dough. Transfer the pans to the oven and bake until the crust is deeply golden brown and the bacon jam has deepened in color, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
- In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, tomatoes, olive oil and a large pinch of salt and pepper until evenly combined. Top each cooled pie with this mixture and with the shaved parmesan if using. Enjoy!
Notes
