STARGAZY PIE

Stargazy Pie image

Provided by Jonathan Reynolds

Time 1h

Yield 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

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2 9-inch rounds short-crust or puff pastry, unbaked
10 fresh sardines, scaled, cleaned, filleted, heads on and tails removed
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Finely grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 ounces bacon, chopped, lightly fried
4 hard-boiled eggs (do not overcook), shelled, coarsely chopped
Egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
10 small sprigs fresh parsley for garnish

Steps:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange one pastry round in a shallow pie plate or on a baking sheet. Butterfly 4 of the sardines. Brush cut sides of all sardines with some mustard and sprinkle with chopped herbs, grated lemon rind, salt and pepper. Arrange sardines on pastry round or baking sheet equidistant from one another with filleted side down and heads resting on edge of pastry. Fold up and arrange remaining sardines among the butterflied sardines, heads resting on edge of pastry. Scatter bacon and eggs. Sprinkle lemon juice over sardines, bacon and eggs.
Trim about 1/4 inch from edge of second round of pastry and place over sardines. Brush bottom pastry at edges with egg wash and press top pastry onto bottom pastry between sardines, arranging a pastry edge around each sardine neck so that just the heads peek out. Gently press pastry around the bodies of the sardines to make a wavy surface. Cut a small vent hole in the center of the top crust. Brush top with remaining egg wash.
Bake pie for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 15 to 25 more minutes, until top of pie is a golden brown. Before serving, tuck a sprig of parsley in each sardine mouth.