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Cheddar Cheese and Onion Pie

Source of Recipe

Aunt Saunny

Shortcrust pastry dough made with 3 cups all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup
unsalted butter (recipe follows)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, peeled and chopped finely
2 1/2 cups good strong Cheddar, coarsely grated
1/4 pound potatoes (about 1 medium), peeled, steamed and diced
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons heavy cream
A sprig of thyme or a bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Beaten egg for glaze

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Divide the dough into two balls, keeping one a little larger than the other. Melt the butter in a pan and gently fry the onion until softened and translucent, then let cool. Throw the onions into a bowl with the
grated cheese, potato, eggs, cream, thyme or parsley, and the seasoning, and mix everything together with your fingers. Roll out the larger ball of pastry and line a shallow greased 9-inch tart pan. Tip the cheese and onion mixture into the pie crust. Moisten the edges of the crust and cover with the rolled-out top piece, crimping
the edges together carefully. Brush beaten egg over the top and bake in the oven for 30 minutes until crisp and golden brown. You can use leeks instead of onions, or add buttered apple slices instead of the potato. Makes 6 servings.

Shortcrust Pastry Dough
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold
2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons ice-cold water

If you're using a food processor: Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a food processor, then cut the cold butter into small pieces on top of it. Process it for 20 to 30 seconds, then add ice-cold water through the top, a tablespoon at a time -- 2 to 2 1/2 should be enough for
about 10 ounces of dough -- with the machine running. If the paste is still in crumbly little bits after a minute or two, add a tablespoon more water, but remember, the more water you use, the more the crust will shrink if you bake it blind. One solution is to use a bit of cream or egg
yolk instead of water. The moment the dough has cohered into a single ball, stop, remove it, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
If you're making pastry dough by hand: Sift the flour into a large bowl with the salt, add the chopped butter, and work as briskly as you can to rub the fat into the flour. Use the tips of your fingers only, rather like running grains of hot sand through your fingers. Add the water bit
by bit as before; wrap and chill the dough. If you're making a double-crust pie, divide the dough into roughly
two-thirds and one-third. Then scatter a bit of flour on your work surface, roll your rolling pin in it, dust the palms of your hands, and start rolling. Always roll away from yourself, turning the dough as you go, and keep the rolling pin and work surface floured to prevent sticking.