a gluten free pie that really works

Lizzy made this beautiful gluten free pie last night and it actually worked! No way I would have tried it - I don't make pastry, let alone gluten free pastry - but Lizzy is an enthuasiastic cook.

So we hunted up these instructions from The Art of Gluten-Free Baking. They explain it all, even for baking dummies like me. It's actually easier to make than normal pastry - the instructions tell you why.

(We took out the sugar and added a bit of salt to make a savoury crust. Oh, and forget the fancy flours - we used a standard mixed gluten free flour - though this may change how much water you need.)

And away she went:
 
 We blind-baked the base using the white casserole dish in the picture above to weigh it down (it tells you how here).

I made the filling from this chicken and leek pie recipe. (Cut down the butter and maybe use milk instead of cream, plus some cornflour to thicken. Oh, and I added a little white wine, whole-seed mustard, plenty of garlic and chicken stock for flavouring.)

We added the top layer, painted it with egg, and pierced it in a few places. I pinched the edges (funny how these old skills come back to you) and Lizzy added a heart for Valentine's Day. Then into the oven.

Here it is. The chicken and leek filling was sensational, and the pastry worked a treat.