Watch our historic foodways staff cook this recipe, then try it at home
Pies have been part of the European diet since antiquity. The advantage of a pie is that it encases the ingredients inside a hardened crust that protects the ingredients. Sometimes, the pastry wasn’t intended to be eaten, but merely served as a casing. Cheshire pork pie combines the classic pairing of pork and apples.
18th Century
Take a loin of pork, skin it, cut it into steaks, season it with salt, nutmeg, and pepper; make a good crust, lay a layer of pork, then a large layer of pippins pared and cored, a little sugar, enough to sweeten the pie, then another layer of pork; put in half a pint of white wine, lay some butter on the top, and close your pie: if your pie be large, it will take a pint of white wine.
— Glasse, Hannah. “The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy”
21st Century
Ingredients
- 1 lb. pork tenderloin
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- ¼ tsp.salt
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 2 large Granny Smith apples
- 2 large MacIntosh apples
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- ½ cup Rhine wine
- Pastry, homemade or store bought
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Remove one piece of dough from refrigerator and let stand until soft.
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll out dough into a 12-inch circle. Then, wrap the dough around the rolling pin to transfer into a 9-inch pie pan. Unwrap the dough from the rolling pin into the pie pan, making sure the dough is form-fitted to the pan. Allow the dough to overhang the lip of the pan. Return pie pan with dough to the refrigerator until it is needed.
- Slice the tenderloin into round slices that are ¼ inch thick. Season with salt, nutmeg and pepper. Sear the slices in a frying pan with butter and set aside.
- Peel, core and quarter the apples. Cut the quarters into slices that are ¼ inch thick.
- Retrieve the pie pan from the refrigerator. Fill the pie by alternating layers of pork, apples and sugar. When the pie is filled, lay the butter over the filling. Pour in wine.
- Roll the second piece of pastry dough into a 12-inch circle. Then, wet the bottom lip of the dough and place the top piece over the filling. Trim the dough so it is flush with the edge of the pie pan. Flute the edge or press with a fork to seal. With a knife, cut 4 slits on the top of the pie.
- Place a rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Place the pie in the middle of the sheet. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes.