Help With Rudolph Pie

Our answer

The filling for Rudolph Pie (see link below) is made from minced venison and pork. The pie is then topped with mashed potatoes, similar to a Shepherd's Pie. There are a couple of slight problems with transferring the filling to a pastry case. The first is that the filling will be quite moist and could cause the bottom layer of pastry to become soggy as the juices will run out. The second is that when you cut the pie the filling will tend to fall apart as you lift the slices of pie out.

If you wanted to adapt the pie to a pastry version then we would suggest that you only give it a pastry top, similar to a pot pie. The top crust should come out crisp as it only sits over the filling and you can then cut the top into neat slices and sit a sllice of crust on top of each portion of the scooped-out filling. This type of pie is likely to take 30 to 40 minutes to cook in a 200c/400F oven. Make sure that the filling is cool before adding the pastry lid as otherwise the pastry doesn't bake as well.

If for your exam you need to make a double crust pie then we would also suggest researching a pie called "Quebec Pie". This is a pie that is traditionally served in Canada at Christmas. It is made with minced meats and could be easily adpated to use venison.

http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/nigella-lawson/christmas-shepherds-pie-aka-rudolph-pie-recipe