Pork Pie (English Medieval)

Although making the crust pretty is a hassle, the pie filling itself is super easy to make. The flavour is amazing - those medieval folks ate very, very well. Serve with apples and cheese, just like they did.

Pastry Dough (English Medieval):
pinch saffron, dissolved in ½ cup water
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 egg, for egg wash

Filling:
1½ lbs ground pork
½ tsp. sea salt
6 egg yolks
2 tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1/3 cup pure honey
½ cup currants
½ cup dates, chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

Make the Medieval Pastry:
Dissolve the saffron in the water. Cut and combine the butter into the flour until crumb-size pieces of butter are formed. Add the egg yolks and the saffron water. Mix until everything just sticks together (add more water if needed). Dough can be chilled up to 3 days or frozen indefinitely.

Filling and Assembly:
Brown the pork over medium heat. Let cool slightly, and mix well with all the other ingredients - The filling should be very moist.

Place mixture in pie shell and add lid. Fold top dough under and pinch edges shut. Cut decorative steam holes in the top of the pastry, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a golden brown.