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Contestant: Zoe Nady
Yields: 2 8-inch pies
Ingredients:
(Pate Brisee Pastry Shells)
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup lard
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
(For the Custard Filling)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
3 large aubergines (eggplants), slice into 1/8” rounds-discard ends;do not peel!
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 cups yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup canned artichoke hearts, drain well, slice into uniform pieces
2 pkgs. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeeze moisture out
6 eggs
12 ounces drained, crumbled feta cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
6 tablespoons plain, unsweetened yogurt
½ cup heavy cream
3 cups cold steamed white rice
Kosher salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
3 teaspoons mace, or to taste
2 tablespoons fresh minced oregano leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried leaves, crushed
Directions:
For the Pate Brisee; combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut the lard and butter into the flour mixture until it is of uniform, lentil-sized pieces. Add cold water and mix lightly with a fork until the mixture can be molded with the hands into a ball but is not sticky. Divide into two balls and let rest in the refrigerator for two hours. Roll out each piece between two pieces of parchment paper to ⅛ inch thickness and line two 8” pie pans, large tart or quiche tins.
Prick the bottom and sides of the shell all over with a fork. Flute or crimp edges. Prebake the shells until light golden, about 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely.
For the custard filling; Sauté in hot olive oil all the eggplant slices until caramelized and almost crisp. Drain off any excess oil. Add oil as necessary between batches to keep from sticking. Set aside. Sauté onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons butter until onion is translucent and moisture has evaporated. Remove from pan and cool. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter and artichoke pieces to the same pan and toss, cooking for 2 minutes to coat well. Set aside and cool. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with whisk; then add drained spinach, crumbled feta, parmesan, yogurt, cream, sautéed onion and garlic, mace, oregano, white pepper, and salt. Mix well until uniformly lumpy and dried spices are dispersed.
To assemble the pie; Spread an even layer of rice (about ¼ inch thick when pressed lightly) over the bottom of the cooled shells. Arrange 1/4 of the eggplant slices on top of the rice for each pie. (Save the most uniformly sized and most attractive slices for the top garnish layer. Use slices that may have been torn up during cooking, etc. where they won’t be seen!) Very carefully, ladle the custard filling over the eggplant layer. Arrange the rest of the eggplant slices on top of the custard mixture, and stud the top with the artichoke pieces. Bake on middle rack in 350˚ oven for 30-40 minutes or until top is lightly browned and custard feels set. Remove from oven and let cool before slicing for service.
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