Pie Party GE Potluck & a Potato, Bacon & Gruyere Pie w/ Shallots, Creme Fraiche & Fresh Herbs

Potato, Bacon & Gruyere Pie1

Potato, Bacon & Gruyere Pie1

I recently got invited to the Annual Pie Party GE Potluck with a group of food professionals from NYC, NJ and PA, and in order to attend you had to be a food professional and of course, bring a unique and delicious pie. Tickets to this awesome event were a hot commodity and sold out as always, so thanks to Harvard Common Press for releasing an extra ticket last minute me! I knew everyone would probably bring an array of sweet, and gooey pies and tarts – enough to make you swoon and pass out from a sugar coma.

Kristen Hess The Artful Gourmet

I’m not really a huge sweets person so I decided to make a savory Potato, Bacon & Gruyere Pie with Shallots, Creme Fraiche & Fresh Herbs, which is really more like a tart or quiche, just to switch it up and bring something different to the party.

Sweet Pies

The 3 hour party had hundreds of gorgeous sweet and savory pies from food bloggers, writers, and local Chefs in the food industry, and was planned and hosted by Jackie Gordon aka The Diva That Ate New York and Ken Leung aka Hungry Rabbit at the gorgeous GE Monogram Design Center in NYC.

Pie Party GE

We had tons of fun meeting other foodies

Savory Pies

and sampling the goods,

Chef Tagere

watched a cooking demo by  Chef Tagere showing us how to make gorgeous handmade Empanadas,

Sweet Pies 2

and did lots and lots of eating

Bartender

and drinking and mingling with some of the best foodies on the East Coast!

Anolon

Our awesome sponsors of this amazing party were: OXO, Jarlsberg, Kerrygold, Dub Pies, Wusthof, Snapware, Woolwich Dairy and Anolon.

Wusthof

Plus we got some great swag bags full of goodies from our generous sponsors to take home with us to enjoy all the leftover pie for the next week.

Dub Pies

Pie pans from Anolon, gorgeous knives from Wusthof, measuring spoons and a strawberry huller from OXO, a take home container by Snapware, a gorgeous Aussie Beef Pie from Dub Pies, mini Jarlsberg cheese and lots of beautiful creamy butter from Kerrygold USA.

KerryGold USA

All hail to the pie makers!

Savory Pies 2

Spaghetti Pie

Now back to my pie. This is one of my favorite recipes ever. It has a delicious buttery crust with a savory filling of thinly sliced potatoes, crispy bacon, Gruyere cheese, sage, shallots and garlic, with a touch of cream and crème fraiche inside to make it extra creamy and give a nice sauce to envelop all those delicious potatoes. It’s then baked into a golden brown and topped with a dollop of crème fraiche, chopped Italian parsley, sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper for a finishing touch. It’s kind of like a big cheesy potato casserole you’d make for Thanksgiving dinner except it’s a pie. And who doesn’t love a good homemade fresh pie right out of the oven? I advise making two, though, (just double the pie filling recipe below) because this one will get snatched up quicker than you can grab your fork and say “pie”.

Potato, Bacon & Gruyere Pie2

Potato, Bacon & Gruyere Pie w/ Shallots, Creme Fraiche & Fresh Herbs

Yield: 4-6

The pie has a delicious buttery crust with a handmade dough and a hearty filling of thinly sliced potatoes, crispy bacon, Gruyere cheese, sage, shallots and garlic, with a touch of cream and crème fraiche inside to make it extra creamy and give a nice sauce to envelop all those delicious potatoes. It’s then baked into a golden brown and topped with a dollop of crème fraiche, chopped Italian parsley, sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper for a finishing touch.

Ingredients

  • Pie Crust (For two 9-inch crusts):
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter; cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 6 tablespoons ice water
  • Potato Pie Filling (For one 9-inch Pie):
  • 6 slices of bacon or pancetta
  • 4 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced into 1/16”
  • 2 shallots, peeled and minced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, minced
  • ¼ cup half and half
  • 2 tablespoons crème fraiche
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons crème fraiche (for garnish)
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. For the dough, mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse to mix until a coarse meal forms. Gradually add the ice water in until moist clumps form in the dough. Gather the dough and form into a ball. Divide in half and flatten into disks. Wrap each dough disk in plastic and chill it for at least one to two hours before rolling it out.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  3. Gently roll out the pie dough on a floured surface and place into a lightly greased nine-inch round pie dish. Trim and flute the edges, set aside.
  4. Cook the bacon slices in a large sauté pan over medium heat until crispy and browned. Drain on paper towels, crumble into small pieces and set aside.
  5. For the potato pie filling, peel and slice the potatoes thinly (about 1/16” rounds) with a mandolin or knife; chop shallots, garlic and sage leaves. Whisk two tablespoons of crème fraiche into the half and half in a small bowl.
  6. Toss the sliced potatoes with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Layer 1/3 of the potatoes in the dish in a circular overlapping pattern, then sprinkle with 1/3 of the shallots, garlic, sage, Gruyere cheese, half and half/crème fraiche mixture, and crumbled bacon. Repeat 2-3 more layers until all of the potato mixture and fillings are inside the pie shell. Top the pie with a little extra shredded Gruyere cheese and olive oil.
  7. Bake the pie for about 45 minutes until crust is golden brown and the cheese on top is melted and bubbly.
  8. Cool the pie on a baking rack for about 5 minutes and then top with a dollop or two of more crème fraiche, chopped parsley, sea salt and pepper for garnish.

Notes

You can also substitute pancetta or ham for the bacon, and mix in some Swiss or Emmenthaler cheese to the Gruyere if you want to make it extra cheesy and melty. Play around with the herbs too – throw in a little rosemary or thyme if you like. This recipe makes two 9-inch piecrusts, so if you want to make two pies, just double the pie filling recipe.

https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2014/05/pie-party-mania-potato-bacon-gruyere-pie/

Photo Gallery from the Event (just click the photos to enlarge and see slideshow)

Sponsors

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Celebrate St Patty’s Day with Authentic Irish Food from Good Food Ireland

Good Food Ireland Authentic Irish Food
Good Food Ireland Authentic Irish Food
Good Food Ireland Authentic Irish Food

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Good Food Ireland (www.goodfoodireland.ie), the first-ever, all industry network driving food tourism in Ireland, offers the perfect online destination to shop, plan a food trip, obtain great Irish recipes and learn about authentic Irish food experiences.  Good Food Ireland sets criteria for the “best in class” of Irish food and products and has created the Good Food Ireland Approved Provider status. There are over 450 Approved Providers that ensure consumers that all products and services meet the standards. At the newly redesigned website, www.goodfoodireland.ie you can:

  • Plan a food journey to Ireland via “My Food Trip.”  This feature is supported by a host of information including locations and details about hotels, restaurants, cookery schools, producer experiences, markets and festivals as well as an ongoing calendar of events. In addition, there’s the opportunity to meet the people behind the products. The feature allows the user to create, save and share their favorite food trip around Ireland. It’s like a wish list for the user when they come to Ireland.
  • Shop for authentic Irish products at Good Food Ireland’s online store where Good Food Ireland Approved Provider foods are available for purchase 24-7 (LIVE early March 2013).  All products are the highest quality food the island has to offer and include:  Kilbeggan Organic Porridge, Ditty’s Oatcakes, Irish Farmhouse Cheese, Ballymaloe Relish, Burren Smoked Irish Salmon, Seymour’s Traditional Irish Shortbread and more.
  • Find and create delicious contemporary Irish dishes at home with recipes from Ireland’s top chefs including Ed Cooney, Executive Head Chef of Dublin’s five star The Merrion Hotel, and a chef for the  Obamas when they were in Ireland and Maurice Keller, Good Food Ireland Ambassador Chef.  Some of the recipes include Bircher Muesli made with Irish Porridge Oats, Traditional Irish Stew, Brown Bread and Salmon Fishcakes.

“St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect time to learn about Ireland’s secret gems — its locally produced ingredients, great food and great people,” says Margaret Jeffares, founder and managing director of Good Food Ireland. “Good Food Ireland was created to make it easy for food lovers everywhere to travel to Ireland and to experience our bounty first-hand, but even if you can’t do that, we now offer some of our finest products, bearing the Good Food Ireland Approved Provider seal, here in the U.S. and are happy to share delicious recipes that can be enjoyed not only on St. Patrick’s Day but every day.”

I had the opportunity to meet the Good Food Ireland’s Ambassador Chef Maurice Keller, TV Personality Clodagh McKenna and Founder Margaret Jeffares at Dean & Deluca flagship store in Soho in New York City earlier this week for a special cooking demo and tasting event of some of their authentic Irish foods.

Below are some great photos of the event and the tasty Irish goods that I sampled, available at www.goodfoodireland.ie or at Dean & DeLuca:

Chef Maurice Keller
Chef Maurice Keller
Good Food Ireland Chefs
Good Food Ireland Chefs
Salmon Fishcakes
Salmon Fishcakes
Salmon Fishcakes
Salmon Fishcakes
Making Salmon Fishcakes
Making Salmon Fishcakes
Chef Maurice Keller and Founder Margaret Jeffares
Chef Maurice Keller and Founder Margaret Jeffares
Ditty's Celery & Sea Salt
Ditty’s Celery & Sea Salt
Ditty's Irish Oatcakes
Ditty’s Irish Oatcakes
Ditty's Irish Oatcakes & Dubliner Irish Cheese
Ditty’s Irish Oatcakes & Dubliner Irish Cheese
Burren Smoked Salmon & Irish Trout
Burren Smoked Salmon & Irish Trout
Kilbeggan Irish Porridge & Seymours Biscuits
Kilbeggan Irish Porridge & Seymours Biscuits
Ballymaloe Relish
Ballymaloe Relish
Smoked Salmon on Oatcakes
Smoked Salmon on Oatcakes
Dubliner Irish Cheese & Ballymaloe Relish on Oatcakes
Dubliner Irish Cheese & Ballymaloe Relish on Oatcakes

Good Food Ireland also shared their recipe for the amazing Salmon Fishcakes and Irish Porridge so you can make some Irish goodies yourself for St Patty’s Day! enjoy.

Salmon Fishcakes

Ingredients:

2 shallots finely chopped
1 lb Salmon Filleted and skinned
Kerrygold Butter 1 Tablespoon
Dry White Wine 5 fl oz
Chopped Parsley 1 Tablespoon
Mashed Potatoes – no cream no butter

For the Coating:

2 Tablespoons Plain Floor
2 Eggs
2 oz soft white Breadcrumbs

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 200c/400f gas 6

Butter and season a tray.  Sprinkle with the shallots and sit the salmon on top.  Drizzle with white wine and season with salt and pepper.  Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes – the salmon should be firm to touch but still pink in the middle.

Sit the salmon in a colander over a pan to collect all the juices.

When all the juices have drained, place in a small pot and reduce on a stove to a nice syrup consistency.

Break up the salmon into flakes, add the syrup and chopped parsley, then fold in the potato until you have a binding texture. Check for seasoning and roll into 12 to 18 ball shaped cakes.

To Breadcrumb – Lightly pass through the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs, repeat the process again.

To Cook – Deep fry at 180c/ 350f for 4-5 minutes drain well.

Serving suggestion

Serve 3 per portion on a bed of steamed baby spinach and lemon butter sauce.

—-

Irish Porridge

Traditional Recipe Cooked with Water or Milk

Ingredients:

Porridge Oats   2 oz
Milk                  7 fl oz

Instructions:

Heat the milk, add porridge oats and cook for 1 min serve with honey or salt

—–

Bircher Muesli made with Irish Porridge Oats

Ingredients:

Porridge Oats               5oz
Irish Honey                   1oz
Milk                              20 fl oz
Natural Yogurt             14oz
Sultanas                      4oz
Banana                        1 whole chopped
Apple                           1 Grated
Blueberries                  4oz

Instructions:

Combine ingredients and devour!

—–

Good Food Ireland Products

Ballymaloe Country Relish:  A delicate balance of tomatoes and gentle spices, this delicious relish was created by Myrtle Allen of the famed Ballymaloe House in County Cork. It is made from only the finest ingredients, containing no artificial additives. The relish is extremely versatile and is excellent with beef burgers, French fries, cold meats, cheese, sausage rolls and salads. It is also wonderful in sandwiches or served with light meals, picnics or barbecues.

Burren Smoked Irish Salmon:  All Burren Smoked Salmon is 100% Irish. It is farmed in the most pristine waters off the west coast of Ireland where there is no pollution. The entire smoking process, from filleting to packing is still done by hand in the small, family-owned smokery.

Cooleeney Cheese: Established in 1986. Jim and Breda Maher established Cooleeney Cheese on the family farm with the ambition to produce a range of artisan cheeses using the milk from their own Friesians. They launched their first cheese on the Irish market that same year and national and international awards over the next two years created a great awareness and interest in Cooleeney Farmhouse Cheese.

Ditty’s Irish Oatcakes: Handmade with rolled oats from County Armagh, these light, nutty, wholesome biscuits have a just-baked crispness. They are made by Ditty’s Home Bakery, a third-generation bakery based in Castledawson, Northern Ireland. The delicious biscuits that reflect a combination of sweet and savory flavors are handmade using only the finest locally-sourced ingredients.

Seymour’s Shortbread: Seymour’s biscuit bakery hand makes these Irish butter shortbread cookies with the finest Irish butter. They are created in Bandon, West Cork using local creamery butter, freshly delivered from the nearby co-op. The shortbread has a dense, crumbly texture but is not too sweet. It’s perfect for pairing with tea, hot chocolate or a glass of cold milk.

Kilbeggan Porridge: The oats in this “creamiest-ever porridge” are grown by fifth-generation farmers on the Lalor family farm in Kilbeggan, Ireland. Grown and processed naturally with no synthetic chemicals, this is perhaps the most delicious oatmeal you’ll ever eat.

——

About Good Food Ireland

Good Food Ireland is a grassroots industry network aimed at promoting innovations in Irish food, the country’s commitment to sustainable, authentic products across food, hospitality and travel industries – incorporating farmers, chefs, hoteliers and outposts of cultural interest. The organization seeks to promote its authentic products in the U.S. and to inspire Americans to travel to Ireland to experience the contemporary cuisine and engage with its citizens and culture. The cross section of agriculture, food & culinary, production/manufacturing and tourism industries seek to grow and sustain the Irish economy.

Margaret Jeffares, Founder & Managing Director of Good Food Ireland. Margaret’s career in tourism and hospitality has spanned almost 25 years. Living on a farm with her husband, Des, in Co. Wexford, she had a strong knowledge of the agri-food industry in Ireland. This combined with her experience in tourism led Margaret to identify a major gap in the market for the development of a strong food and tourism proposition for the island of Ireland. Therefore, she launched the all island umbrella brand “Good Food Ireland” and set the standard for Food Experience in Ireland.

Maurice Keller has travelled the world as Ambassador Chef with Good Food Ireland, showcasing the highest quality food that the island has to offer.  Formerly, he was the chef-proprietor of Arlington Lodge Country House Hotel in Waterford City, Ireland.  Having worked for many dignitaries, Maurice’s philosophy is simply based on using the best quality local produce he can find.

Clodagh Mc Kenna is a well known TV food personality and the familiar face of “Irish Food Trails” on PBS. She is also the author of four best-selling cookbooks that include Clodagh’s Kitchen DiariesThe Irish Farmers’ Market CookbookFresh from the Sea and Homemade.  A trained chef from the famed Ballymaloe Cookery School, Clodagh will share her culinary vision regarding the incorporation of farm fresh produce.

Dean & DeLuca | 560 Broadway at Prince Street | SoHo NYC

Good Irish Food for a Good Cause: Good Food Ireland makes a U.S. Debut with Authentic Irish Food Products

Good Food Ireland Website

Good Food Irelandthe first-ever, all industry network driving food tourism in Ireland, kicks off its international debut in the U.S.. Seeking to promote innovations in contemporary Irish cuisine and the country’s commitment to sustainable, authentic products, the organization also hopes to inspire Americans to travel to Ireland to experience and engage with its citizens and culture.

Good Food Ireland was established by Margaret Jeffares to link the agri/food sector with the hospitality industry. It was her philosophy that by supporting Irish farmers and producers, she could establish a healthy business environment where commercial opportunities for agriculture could be promoted through tourism and visa-versa.

“It is my mission to grow Ireland as a food tourism destination and to establish the ‘Good Food Ireland’ brand as the brand of choice for good food lovers everywhere,” says Jeffares. “One of Ireland’s greatest secrets is its locally produced ingredients and Good Food Ireland aims to set the standard for quality across a variety of industries – agriculture, food, manufacturing, tourism and hospitality.”

The premise is that by creating trusted and authentic Irish food experiences, Good Food Ireland will drive business to the hospitality sector and that, in turn,

inspires consumer purchase of more Irish food from farmers and purveyors,

contributing greatly to the local Irish economy.

Good Food Ireland’s U.S. launch includes:

They have kicked off the debut of Good Food Ireland Approved Provider foods at Dean and DeLuca’s flagship store in NYC, featuring the highest quality food the island has to offer. The foods available for sale in the Dean and DeLuca Store include:

Kilbeggan Porridge

Good Food Ireland’s Kilbeggan Organic Porridge,

Dittys oatcakes

Ditty’s Oatcakes,

Irish Farmhouse Cheese

Irish Farmhouse Cheese,

Ballymaloe Relish

Ballymaloe Relish,

Burren Smokehouse Salmon Plate

Burren Smoked Irish Salmon,

Seymour's Traditional Irish Shortbread

Seymour’s Traditional Irish Shortbread and more. For those living outside the NYC area, there is the opportunity to purchase products from Good Food Ireland’s online shop.

In addition to bringing both providers and products to New York City, Good Food Ireland seeks to increase awareness for its hub at www.goodfoodireland.ie.

Hayfield Manor Hotel

Here consumers can book a food journey via “My Food Trip,” a feature that is supported by a host of information including locations and details about Irish tours and holidaysfarmers and producerscooking schoolsrestaurants and cafesfood shopsfestivalsmarketsand Irish bars and pubsas well as an ongoing calendar of events.

In addition, there’s the opportunity to meet the people behind the products. Special offers and recipes are also available online, and I’ve included a few below.

Salmon Fishcakes

Salmon Fishcakes

Ingredients

2 shallots finely chopped
1 lb salmon, filleted and skinned
1 Tablespoon Kerrygold butter
5 fl oz dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Mashed Potatoes – no cream no butter

For the Coating:

2 tablespoons plain flour
2 eggs
2 oz soft white breadcrumbs

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200c/400fgas 6

Butter and season a tray.  Sprinkle with the shallots and sit the salmon on top.  Drizzle with white wine and season with salt and pepper.  Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 8- 10 minutes – the salmon should be firm to touch but still pink in the middle .

Sit the salmon in a colander over a pan to collect all the juices.

When all the juices have drained, place in a small pot and reduce on a stove to a nice syrup consistency.

Break up the salmon into flakes, add the syrup and chopped parsley, then fold in the potato until you have a binding texture. Check for seasoning and roll into 12 to 18 ball shaped cakes.

To Breadcrumb – Lightly pass through the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs, repeat the process again.

To Cook – Deep fry at 180c/ 350f for 4-5 minutes drain well.

Serving suggestion: Serve 3 per portion on a bed of steamed baby spinach and lemon butter sauce.

—–

Irish Porridge

Porridge Oats

Ingredients

2 oz Porridge Oats
7 fl oz Milk

Heat the milk, add porridge oats and cook for 1 min serve with honey or salt.

—–

Bircher Muesli made with Irish Porridge Oats

5 oz porridge oats
1 oz Irish honey
20 fl oz milk
14 oz natural yogurt
4 oz sultanas (raisins)
1 whole Banana, chopped
1 apple, grated
4 oz blueberries

Combine ingredients and devour!!

—–

Good Food Ireland sets strict criteria for Approved Provider status based on a core commitment to using local Irish ingredients and operating at a standard that is “best in class” and its branding on packaging of authentic Irish products is already recognized as the standard bearer of the industry. Beyond food products, the Good Food Ireland brand can also be used by hotels, restaurants & cafes, cookery schools and markets that meet Good Food Ireland standards. To date there are 450 Approved Providers that ensure consumers that all products and services bearing the brand meet the strictest “best in class” standards. All products and service standards are independently assessed.

Since Good Food Ireland was founded approximately five years ago, almost 70% of its Approved Providers have increased their business profile or heightened their awareness of local food. As a result, 92% have increased their purchasing of Irish food over the last 3 years, directly contributing close to 50 million euro to the local economy. (Source: Grant Thornton Survey – April 2012).

VOTE IN THE GOOD FOOD IRELAND FOOD LOVERS’ CHOICE AWARD 2012!

The Good Food Ireland Food Experience Awards celebrates excellence in food experience, the Food Lovers’ Choice Award lets you have your say. Simply vote for your favourite shortlisted GFI Approved Provider from the list below. The provider that gets the most votes will be announced on November 20th in the Shelbourne Hotel and presented with an award from An Taoiseach Enda Kenny T.D.

Good Food Ireland logo

About Good Food Ireland:

Good Food Ireland is a grassroots industry network aimed at promoting innovations in Irish food, the country’s commitment to sustainable, authentic products across food, hospitality and travel industries – incorporating farmers, chefs, hoteliers and outposts of cultural interest. The organization seeks to promote its authentic products in the U.S. and to inspire Americans to travel to Ireland to experience the contemporary cuisine and engage with its citizens and culture. The cross section of agriculture, food & culinary, production/manufacturing and tourism industries seek to grow and sustain the Irish economy.

Visit Good Food Ireland on Facebook
Follow Good Food Ireland on Twitter
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