Weaver’s Walliser (Savory Apple, Pear & Bacon Pie)

Rough Puff Pastry (this can be made alongside the filling or ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to two days)

1. First, sift flour, sea salt and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Add cold cubed butter and rub between fingertips until incorporated (the butter should look smeared, yet also crumbly).
2. Adding a spoonful at a time, sprinkle in ice water and toss the flour-butter mixture with a fork to moisten throughout. Continue adding spoonfuls (not all at once) and tossing until the dough holds together well (about 5-7 tbsp. water). It will look a little shaggy. Turn onto a flour board and pat until about an inch thick. Shape into a square or rectangle before covering with plastic wrap and setting in the fridge for 20 minutes.
3. Remove dough from the fridge and turn onto a lightly floured board. Roll out in a rectangular shape until about 1/4” thick. Use the sides of your hands or a bench scrapper to lightly tap and shape the dough into a rectangle with straight edges. Fold the top third of the dough down and the bottom third of the dough up on top of that (like folding a business letter), brushing away excess flour with a pastry brush. Return to the fridge for 15 minutes.
4. Remove dough from the fridge, and repeat step 3, adding more flour to the board as needed.
5. After the dough has sat in the fridge now three times and has been folded twice, remove from the fridge for the last time and roll out until 1/8 ” thick. You are now ready to place the puffed pastry into a deep-dish pie pan (or a parchment-lined spring-form pan). Reserve half of the rolled dough for the top crust and place on a plate. Return the top and bottom crusts to the fridge to chill until ready to use.*Note: If using store-bought dough, roll out until 1/8” and press half into a deep-dish pie pan, crimping edges. Place the other rolled half onto a plate and put that and the pan into the fridge to chill.

Savory Pie Filling

1. First, fill a small sauce pot with water and bring to a boil
2. Wash and prep your fruit and vegetables, slicing and coring the apples and pears, slicing the potatoes, and dicing the scallions. Shred cheese and set all prepared ingredients aside.
3. When the water is ready, parboil potatoes until a fork can just poke through them (do not over boil), about 4-5 mins. Drain and set aside.
4. Cut bacon into bite-sized pieces (about 1/2” thick) and put in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Save the bacon fat as you go, ladling from the pan into a ramekin as necessary. Cook until slightly crisp (it will continue cooking within the pie), then remove and place bacon bits on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the grease.
5. Add parboiled potatoes to the same frying pan on medium heat, add bacon fat and fresh black pepper to taste. Sauté until slightly brown (about 5-6 minutes), flipping potato slices with a fork to evenly brown. Remove from pan, reserving leftover bacon fat, and set potatoes aside.
6. Finally, add diced scallions to the same hot pan and crack fresh pepper on top. Pour in 1/3 cup Weaver’s Apple Cider to deglaze the pan and make a scallion-bacon-cider reduction with the diced scallions. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the sauce is syrupy and bubbly, and the scallions have wilted down a bit. Remove from pan and set aside.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Remove chilled and prepared pie pan from the fridge and gather all of your filling ingredients before you begin.
2. This pie involves layering all of the filling ingredients into the pie shell. Here is a recommended ordering: First, make an even layer of the sliced apples on the bottom of the pie pan, fanning the fruit in a circle. Next, add half of the shredded cheese and top with pepper and ½ tsp. nutmeg. Next come the potatoes; spread these evenly, adding a pinch of salt. After this, add the generous portion of cooked bacon. Next, add a layer of the sautéed scallions. Afterwards, add half of the remaining cheese (1/4
   of the original amount) for a light layer of cheese and add the remaining 1/2 tsp. nutmeg. Finally, add the sliced pear, fanning the fruit so that it completely covers the surface of the pie. Top with remaining cheese and fresh-cracked pepper.
3. Cover the heaping pie with your top crust and crimp edges until sealed. Add steam holes by poking with a fork or making slits with a knife. Cut out any extra dough pieces with cookie cutters and arrange as decorations on top of the pie if you wish.
4. Beat egg in a small bowl and, using a pastry brush, coat the pie in an egg wash to better brown crust. Optional: One additional recommendation is to use a metal crust shield or strips of aluminum foil to cover the edges of the pie to avoid burning.
5. Pop the pie into the oven and bake for 25 mins at 350F. Raise the temperature to 375F and remove aluminum foil edges or crust shield. Continue to bake another 5-15 minutes (30-40 mins in total) or until crust is a golden brown. Remove from oven and wait 5-10 mins to allow the pie to set. Cut hearty slices and enjoy by itself or with a favorite Swiss-inspired side!