INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

* Note: See the "Fast French Puff Pastry" recipe which is included in this
collection.
Cut the ham into thin irregular slices about 1- by 1- by 1/8-inch and saute
briefly in the butter with the shallots or scallions, just to warm through
thoroughly. Remove from the heat. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks with
the cream; stir this mixture into the ham along with drops of
Worcestershire and pepper sauce and freshly-ground pepper to taste. Warm
over low heat, folding the ham into the sauce, until it thickens but does
not boil. Set aside to cool and thicken even more. It should be cold when
it goes into the Pithiviers. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 18
by 9 inches and cut into thirds crosswise; refrigerate 2 pieces, wrapping
and storing one of them for another use. Roll remaining pieces, which will
be the bottom of the tart, into a square 12 inches to a side; using a pie
plate or cake pan to guide you, cut a 9 1/2-inch disk out of the center of
the dough. Remove surrounding dough and set on a bake sheet for
reconstituting later. Lightly fold disk in half and set upside down on
dampened baking surface. Roll out second piece of dough to a thickness
slightly more than 1/4-inch and cut into a disk the same size as the first.
Refrigerate it along with the surrounding dough pieces from both disks.
With the balls of you fingers, push and pat the bottom disk of the dough
out onto its baking surface to make an even circle slightly larger than
your cutting guide. With a roller-pricker or two forks, prick the dough all
over at 1/2-inch intervals, going down through dough to pastry sheet to
keep this bottom layer from rising too much. Form the ham into a round cake
about 4 1/2 inches across and place in the center of the dough. It is
important to leave a 2-inch border of clear dough all around the ham to
prevent leakage of the filling during baking. Preheat the oven to 425
degrees. Paint the border of the dough with cold water, and immediately
center the top layer in place, stretching gently as necessary. With a
sharp-pointed knife make a little hole 1/8-inch wide in the center of the
dough, going down into the filling, to allow for escaping steam during
baking. Then, with the ball of your first three fingers, firmly press the
two pieces of dough in place all around. Bake the Pithiviers for about 20
minutes, until it has puffed and is beginning to brown nicely. Turn down
the oven to 400 degrees and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes. If the
Pithivier begins to brown too quickly, cover the pie with foil loosely and
continue to bake. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes
before slicing. Slice the pie into wedges. This recipe yields 8 to 10
servings.
Recipe Source: EMERIL LIVE with Emeril Lagasse From the TV FOOD NETWORK -
(Show # EM-1A39 broadcast 04-25-1997) Downloaded from their Web-Site -
http://www.foodtv.com
Formatted for MasterCook by Joe Comiskey, aka MR MAD - jpmd44a@prodigy.com
~or- MAD-SQUAD@prodigy.net
05-11-1997
Recipe by: Emeril Lagasse
Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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