SPAM PIE

I was still studying in Singapore when I first tasted this Spam Pie. One day my auntie (not my real aunt, but a lady who rent us a room, and took care of us while studying there) came back from a cooking course and brought back a medium size spam/luncheon meat pie that she made. Since there were , if not mistaken, 11 of us, she had to cut the pie into many small slices for all of us to share. Small but lethal! :D It was an unforgetable perfect tasting pie ever.

I've tried to make Spam Pie a couple of times, most of them were OK, but not good enough. Only one recipe made it to my recipe folder to be kept. The taste is good, but the texture is different. Still trying to figure out how to get the same texture as my auntie's pie (we lost contact, that's why I could not ask for the recipe from her).

PATE BRISEE (a.k.a pie crust)

From Joy of Baking

1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon granulated white sugar

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.54 cm) pieces

1/4 cup 60 ice water

Method:

Place flour, salt, and sugar is a bowl, mix well. Add the butter, and mix until it resembles coarse meal. Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) water and mix until the dough just holds together when pinched. Add remaining water, if necessary. Do not over mixed.

Turn the dough out onto your work surface and gather it into a ball. Flatten dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour before using. This will chill the butter and allow the gluten in the flour to relax. At this point you can also freeze the dough for later use.

Roll out the pastry to fit into a 8 or 9 inch (20 to 23 cm) tart pan. To prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from the center of the pastry outwards to get uniform thickness). To make sure it is the right size, take your tart pan, flip it over, and place it on the rolled out pastry. The pastry should be about an inch larger than your pan. When the pastry is rolled to the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin, dusting off any excess flour as you roll. Unroll onto the top of your tart pan. Never pull the pastry or you will get shrinkage (shrinkage is caused by too much pulling of the pastry when placing it in the pan). Gently lay in pan and with a small floured piece of pastry, lightly press pastry into bottom and up sides of pan. Roll your rolling pin over top of pan to get rid of excess pastry. With a thumb up movement, again press dough into pan. Roll rolling pin over top again to get rid of any extra pastry. Prick bottom of dough (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten.

To prebake the tart shell: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line the unbaked pastry shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill tart pan with pie weights or beans, making sure the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire surface. Bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes or until the crust is dry and lightly browned. Remove weights and cool crust on wire rack. Proceed with desired recipe that calls for a pre-baked shell.

Read more: Joy of Baking - Pate Brisee

SPAM FILLING

1 can of SPAM / luncheon meat (I personally prefer Korean spam, not too salty)

1/2 onion (finely chopped)

3 eggs (lightly beaten)

3/4 cup whipping cream

Pepper

Garlic powder

1/2 - 1 cup Cheddar cheese (shredded)

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 215 degree Celcius.

Cubed SPAM (for me the smaller the better).

In a bowl, beat together eggs, whipping cream, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir in cubed SPAM, onion, and cheese.

Pour the mixture into your prebaked pie shell.
Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until eggs are set.

Happy trying!