Swedish Ham Pie with Mushroom Sauce (Skinkpastej)

By norsegal8

This is a wonderfully rich company dish served with a savory mushroom sauce. You may substitute 1 pound of frozen puff pastry for the homemade. When you purchase flour for this recipe, check the nutritional label to besure it has no morethan 11 grams of protein per cup, to get the tenderest results. It may seem strange to have brandy or cognac in the pastry, but it tends to soften and tenderize the final product.

Ingredients

• SAUCE:
• 1 recipe puff pastry or 1 pound frozen puff pastry
• 1/2 pound smoked fully cooked ham
• 1/2 pound lean veal or extra-lean ground beef
• 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup fresh white mushroomsor wild mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 2 tablespoon brandy or cognac
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt ans white pepper to taste

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare the puff pastry or have frozen puff pastry ready.

Put the ham and the veal or beef through a food chopper, using the finest blade, or cut into cubes and place in a food processor. Process, using the steel blade, until ham and veal are minced.

In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs and cream. Mix in 3 of the egg yolks and blend in the minced meats, salt and pepper. Whip the 4 egg whites until stiff and mix with the meat mixture.

Roll out 3/4 of the puff pastry out to fit a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan lr oblong terrine, about a 2-quart capapcity, leaving a generous edge of dough all around the top. Fill with the meat mixture. Roll out the remaining dough and place on the top. Moisten the edges and seal. Crimp the edges decoratively. Pierce or slash the top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape. If there are any scraps of dough, you can use them to decorate the top of the pie.

Mix the remaining egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water and brush the pie generously around the crimped edge. Also use this mixture to adhere fancy dough cutouts to the top.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the pan on a larger pan (to prevent dripping in the oven) and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the pie is golden and the meat is done. Remove and let stand for a few minutes before serving. Serve with the mushroom sauce.

To prepare the mushroom sauce, chop the mushrooms. Heat the butter in a heavy skillet and add the mushrooms. Saute over high heat until the mushrooms are browned and the liquid has evaporated. Add the beef stock and brandy and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cream and simmer 5 minutes longer until the sauce is thickened. Taste and add salt and pepper.