Description:

Traditional Maryland recipe from Great American Seafood Cookbook

Source:

Driscoll

Serves/Makes:6

Ingredients

• Pie Pastry:
• 2 cups (475 ml) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
• 2/3 cup (150 ml) chilled unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) ice water or more
• Bechamel Sauce:
• 2 to 2-1/4 cups (525 ml) milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tbsp (60 ml) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) all-purpose flour
• liquor reserved from oysters
• salt and freshly ground white pepper
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• generous pinch of ground mace
• Filling:
• 2 dozen small (yearling) oysters, drained and liquor reserved for sauce
• 3 hard-cooked large eggs, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 14-1/2 oz (406 grm). can white or golden hominy, drained and rinsed
• salt and freshly ground white pepper
• mace

Preparation

• Pastry:
• Combine flour and salt in large bowl and shave fine slices of butter onto the flour and toss with fork to mix.
• Sprinkle in 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the ice water while tossing with fork until pastry is moist enough to form into a ball. Add more water if necessary.
• Wrap in waxed paper and chill for at least 1 hour.
• Roll out two thirds of the pastry, cut to 12 inch circle and line bottom of 10 inch tart pan (type with removable bottom).
• Roll remaining pastry into 11 inch circle for top of pie and place on baking sheet. Chill crusts for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees (200 C.).
• Cover bottom crust and top crust with foil and weigh down with baking weights or dried beans (keeps flat).
• Bake both crusts for 8 minutes then remove foil and weights and continue baking for 8 to 12 additional minutes uncovered, until golden brown, cool.
• Sauce:
• In small saucepan, scald 2 cups (475 ml) of milk with the bay leave over medium heat.
• Let steep (off heat) for 5 minutes then discard bay leaf.
• Melt butter in heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat being careful not to brown.
• Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes.
• Pour in the warm milk and continue cooking, whisking constantly until thickened.
• Whisk in the oyster liquor and additional milk if necessary to make a thick but pourable sauce.
• Season with salt, white pepper, cayenne, and mace to taste.
• Remove sauce from heat and add oysters, stirring gently to mix in.
• Cover bottom crust (still in tart pan) with egg slices.
• Sprinkle hominy over the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
• Pour in the hot oyster sauce spreading evenly to edge of pastry.
• Dust with additional mace.
• Gently set the top crust in place and set the pie on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees (200 C.) until pie is heated through, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Be careful not to brown the pastry or over-cook the oysters.
• Remove from oven and remove the sides of tart pan.
• Serve immediately.

Comments

This pie is actually named the Sotterley Oyster Pye for the historic Sotterly Mansion in Maryland where lavish banquets served the dish. Oyster pie is wonderful-sounds unusual and is but tastes great. Nice with a fruity white wine. Recipe recreated by William Taylor a Maryland caterer and historian.