Short-crust Pastry for Pie Top
6 T unsalted butter, chilled 1½ c all-purpose flour
and cut into ¼-inch bits 1 T sugar
2 T lard, chilled and cut into ¼ tsp salt
¼-inch bits 3 to 4 T ice water
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PASTRY DOUGH: In a large chilled bowl, combine the butter, lard, flour,
sugar and salt. With your fingertips, rub the flour and fat together until
they look like flakes of coarse meal. Do not let the mixture become oily.Pour 3 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture all at once, toss together lightly and gather the dough into a ball. If it crumbles, add up to 1 tablespoon more ice water by drops until the particles adhere.
Dust the pastry dough with a little flour and wrap it in wax paper. Refrigerate for at least one hour before using.
Pie
2 pounds boneless pork loin, 2 tsp salt
trimmed of excess fat and cut into Freshly ground black pepper
1½-inch cubes 1 c fresh apple cider
3 medium-sized tart cooking apples, 3 T sugar
peeled, cored and cut lengthwise 2 T butter, chilled and cut
into ½-inch-thick slices into ¼-inch bits
1½ tsp crumbled dried sage leaves 1 egg, lightly beaten
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Preheat the oven to 350°. Combine the pork, apples, sage, salt and a few
grindings of black pepper in a deep bowl and toss them about with a spoon
until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Spread the pork-and-apple
mixture evenly in a glass pie plate 9½ inches in diameter and 1½ inches
deep. Then pour in the cider and sprinkle the sugar and butter bits over the
top.On a lightly floured surface, pat the pastry dough into a rough circle about 1 inch thick. Dust a little flour over and under it and roll it out from the center to within an inch of the far edge. Lift the dough and turn it 2 inches; then roll again from the center to within an inch or so of the far edge. Repeat--lifting, turning, rolling--until the circle is at least 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick.
Drape the dough over the rolling pin, lift it up and unroll it carefully over the pie. Trim off the excess dough with scissors or a small knife, leaving a 1-inch overhang all around the rim. Fold the overhang underneath the edges of the pastry and secure the dough to the rim by crimping it tightly with your fingers or the tines of a fork.
Cut a 1-inch-round vent in the center of the dough and brush the surface with a few tablespoonfuls of the beaten egg. Bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 1½ hours, or until the crust is golden brown, brushing the top two more times with the remaining beaten egg. Serve at once directly from the baking dish. Serves 4 to 6.
