I came up with this pastry at about 9pm on Christmas Day a few years ago. Having cooked a feast I thought I would get a start on doing something with the leftovers so I didn't have the daunting prospect of more cooking the next day. Facing some suet into cupboard, which was leftover from making an xmas pudding and some mincemeat, I thought I would chuck it into a shortcrust pastry mix. Suffice to say this is a very easy and forgiving pastry and is perfect for leftover pies. It can hold its shape and doesn't need to be chilled, so you can work with it immediately after it has been made, which to be honest is what you need if you've already been in the kitchen all day.
Recipe suggestion: Leftover Pie(s)
Makes approx 750g
Hands-on Time 5 minutes
Ingredients
450g Plain flour
1 tsp Fine salt
50g Shredded suet
150g Unsalted butter (cubed and chilled)
125ml Water
1 Egg, medium
Equipment
Bowl
Spoon
Mix the flour, salt, and suet together in a bowl.
Add the butter, and using your thumb and forefingers, rub into the flour until you have breadcrumbs. I always find it easier to coat the butter in the flour, then flatten each piece between my fingers so you have flat pieces before rubbing in.
Add the water and egg to the breadcrumbs and stir using the spoon.
As the dough starts to come together tip it out onto a clean surface and gently knead until all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
There is no need to chill the pastry, you can immediately roll it out and use.
Enjoy!