Description
Rustic, delicious little cheese pies perfect for parties.
Flaky crust and creamy filling make these a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 0.5 cups (118 ml) cold unsalted butter
- 2 cups (473 ml) flour
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 0.25 cups (59 ml) ice cold water
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cups (237 ml) half and half
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 3-4 oz (85-113 g) sharp cheese
- fresh ground black pepper
- a generous pinch of sweet Hungarian paprika
Instructions
- Mix flour with salt and dump it onto a chopping board.
- Using a pastry cutter or a knife, cut in the cold butter until pea-size crumbs form.
- Make an indentation in the middle of the crumb pile.
- Pour about 1/4 cup of ice-cold water into the indentation and, using the knife or your hands, mix it in to form the dough. Do not knead the dough; preserve the crumbliness.
- Keep adding ice-cold water in very small quantities and pat the dough together, just until it forms a ball without falling apart.
- Flatten the dough ball into a disk, cover with plastic, and chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a board into a 1/4 inch (or slightly thinner) crust.
- Using a 4-inch cutter or a glass with a similar size rim, cut out 12 circles. Re-roll dough scraps to cut more circles if needed.
- Using a medium muffin tin (12 slots) turned upside down, crown each muffin slot with a circle of dough, molding the dough around the slots to form an upside-down basket.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the little baskets are pale golden. Let cool on a rack.
- Arrange the pie shells, now properly turned bottom down, on a baking sheet, or set them into the muffin slots.
- Whisk the eggs with cream until uniform and smooth. Add the remaining filling ingredients and stir carefully.
- Pour the filling into the pie shells, dividing it as evenly as possible, and bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the custard is set in the middle.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use a combination of sharp cheddar and Gruyère cheese.
- To prevent soggy bottoms, pre-bake the pie crusts for 15 minutes before adding the filling.
- Leftover pies can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated gently in the oven or microwave.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven-Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pie
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 300
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 6
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 8
- Cholesterol: 150