Pork Pie with Chestnuts (Tourte de Porc au Chataignes)

This is a very simple pie with marinated diced pork and a few chestnuts. At the end of cooking, we add a little cream to bind everything together. Ideally the meat should marinate the day before serving.

Pastry:
1 recipe Pâte Brisée
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp. water, for glaze

Filling:
boneless pork loin, boneless (500 g)
onion (100 g)
1 sprig thyme
2 bay leaves
dry white wine (200 mL)
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1 tsp. French Quatre Épices
black pepper, freshly ground
chestnuts in a jar (200 g)
liquid crème fraîche (100 g)
1 egg
1 Tbsp. Port wine

Make the Filling:
Cut the pork into small cubes and place them in a deep dish.

Peel the onion and slice it finely, add it to the meat. Add the thyme leaves and bay leaves. Drizzle with wine, cover and leave to marinate overnight.

Make the Pastry:
Prepare the pastry dough according to recipe, divide in half. Wrap each disc in plastic and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

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

Roll out the dough and cut out a lid the size of the circle. Line the circle with the rest of the dough, letting it overlap all the way around. Cover and keep cool.

Carefully drain the meat and onions. Add the chopped chestnuts. Season with salt, pepper and Quatre Épices (4 spices). Pour the mixture into the bottom of the pie. Make a chimney in the lid and place it on the stuffing. Seal and pinch the edges all the way around. Brush with egg yolk.

Place pie in a preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the cream, egg and port and season.

Take out the pie and pour the cream through the chimney.

Return to oven for 10 minutes.

Uncircle and place on the serving platter.

Serve very hot with a salad.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Cook's Notes: You can also use puff pastry, but I preferred to make shortcrust pastry with - 380g flour - 1 large pinch of salt - 190g butter - 95g water