Shepherd Pie.

Winter is the perfect time of the year to indulge in comfort Food. The Pies, Bakes and Gratins come to mind. A Cottage Pie is indulgent in my view. So is the Gratin Dauphinois. And I am not mentioning the Pasta Bakes which are the Wintery way to have your Pasta. But yes a Pie hot out of the oven makes me smile with enticipated delicious joy. I could clap my hands and sing a happy song in advance.

Home Made Pork and Celeriac Lattice Pie.

The combination for Savoury Pies are endless. Part Meat, Part Vegetables and part a wet agent which binds things together like Gravy, or Béchamel usually works for me. However I love Fish Pies, and just Vegetables Pie just as well. Let us not forget our Gratins and Bakes...

Home Made Eggs Florentine.  Eggs, Spinach, Red Onion, Béchamel, Seasoning, chopped Parsley and a pinch of Nutmeg ready to go to in the oven after the 'Gratinage', the covering of Gruyére cheese on top of the dish.

One thing is, out of the oven or on a plate, comforting Food rarely looks nice. It is probably a fact, however if it is not Michelin Star Food, those dishes that we all enjoy and which did pass the test of time... Why? One may wonder... It is all about taste and comfort food. 

Eggs Florentine out of the oven. Gooey goodness for your guts when a gale is raging outside.

For these dishes it is hard to make them pretty, but easier to make them tasty. With a Savoury Pie, pastry can allow you to try to go the beauty contestant way... It is about the dishing out upon the table and serve it to everyone the way we are loosing nowadays. A kind of nostalgic presenting your plate to a senior or Mummy who will make the gesture of feeding you with a portion which you should be grateful for, small or large. I am not going into Charles Dickens or his novel Oliver Twist but the look of Food, the taste of it and the necessity of it does count. They are necessities to just keep us going, physically.

Portion of Ham and Tarragon Pie  served with buttered Mash Potatoes, Red Cabbage and Beetroot Coleslaw and a Bistro Salad. Not an elegant plate by all means but a decent one nonetheless.

For Pies, there are a great range of Pastries or Mash to dress them up with or cloak them up. I would say that it does go from the basic to the very 'dressed up'. Myself, I am not refined and most informal in those matters but I do try to make my Pies, Bakes and Gratins to look nice and palatable. It is a bit of a mix of trying to learn traditional methods and trying to be creative. Therefore sometimes it does work but sometimes it falls a little bit flat. But as I always say, practice makes better.

Ham and Tarragon Pie's Short Crust Pastry design before going into the oven. Egg washing or Milk washing give a golden glow at the end of the baking to the Pie.

As I said there are multiple Pastries or Mash to choose from: Puff Pastry, Short Crust Pastry, Filo Pastry... At the end of the day texture is important in the delivery of the result. You can aim for soft or crusty, flaky or dense. 

Ham and Tarragon Pie out of the oven.

I tried to find a more delicate way to serve Pies, Bakes and Gratins but I must confess as it comes out as it comes out, I either do as I feel or make then serve individual portions. The logistic to prepare for everyone in an individual manner is more tedious I must confess, but it does look better on a plate whie serving.

Ham Hock, Tender Stem Broccoli and Asparagus Pot Pies served with Provencal Tomatoes. Encased with Filo Pastry for the crunch, the Pot Pies are a take on the Quiche. They can make a good all rounder Dish for all seasons when the weather is a bit of a crying shame: either too cold or too wet or too windy.

So individual Pies can look better rather than a large, Pie or Bake being portioned out of a large dish. But with a sense of proportion comes the sense of occasion.  Perhaps maybe the question is, do I want to feed my crowd in a familial way, the close to the heart way or the impressive way so they can stay close to my heart...

Smoked Salmon Parcel Pies for a Friend and Family Christmas.