BACON AND EGG PIE

It appears as though I've been neglecting egg recipes here on my blog so I'll spend the next few days posting some dishes that work for brunch. This one is from a farm in New Zealand. I found it in an issue of Saveur, one of my favorite cooking magazines (although lately it's been too devoted to ethnic food for my taste). This uses puff pastry, which dries out quickly so work quickly.

BACON AND EGG PIE

serves 12



1/2 C ketchup

1/4 C Worcestershire sauce

2 9"x11" sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed and chilled

20 eggs (yes, 20; you are feeding 12 people!)

1 T heavy cream

1 lb sliced bacon, roughly chopped

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Whisk together ketchup and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Using a rolling pin, roll one sheet of puff pastry on a floured work surface to form an 11" x 14" rectangle; transfer to a 9" x 12" baking pan and let excess dough hang over sides. Try not to stretch the dough.

4. Separate one of the eggs and place the egg yolk in a small bowl; stir in the cream and set the egg wash aside.

5. Place remaining egg white on top of pastry. Crack and drop the remaining eggs on top of the pastry, spacing them evenly apart, and sprinkle evenly with bacon. Drizzle ketchup mixture evenly over eggs and bacon, and season with salt and pepper.

6. Fold dough hanging over the edge of the pan back over the ingredients and brush with some of the egg wash. Roll second pastry sheet into 10" x 13" rectangle and place on top of eggs and bacon, tucking edges into sides of pan so the dish is totally covered.

7. Cut four slits in the top of pastry with a paring  knife, and then brush completely with egg wash. Bake until golden brown and eggs and bacon are cooked through, about one hour. Cut into squares and serve.