Yes, I know, I know, even my savories tend to be sweet. To be honest, I made these a few weeks ago, and am only now getting around to posting about them. We finally unpacked the kitchen at the new apartment, though, but we got so caught up in making and eating our first meal here that I didn’t remember to photograph it. Soon, soon!

Freeform Caramel Prawn Pies
Dough
2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C chilled butter
5 tbsp cold water (or so)
Glaze
1 egg yolk
Filling
1 lbs raw medium prawns
12 spring onions (scallions)
8 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp coconut oil
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt

Mix the flour and butter together until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the water 1 tbsp at a time, until the dough just starts to come together. Gather it into a ball, pound out the air bubbles, then wrap it and chill for at least 15 minutes. This is not an extravagant or amazing pie crust recipe – I save those for the sweet pies. This is about as simple as a crust can get. But it gets the job done.

Peel and devein the prawns. If you’re the sort of person who likes fish stock, throw the shells into a ziplock bag and keep them in your freezer until you’re ready to make stock. Rinse the prawns and pat them dry.

Chop half of the scallions into fine rounds, and shred the other half into inch-or-so long fine strips.

Make the caramel sauce by combining the sugar with 6 tbsp water in a small pan. Boil and then simmer until it reaches a dark amber color that pleases your eye. Take the pan off the heat and add 8 tbsp boiling water. It will sizzle and splash about a bit, but once it calms down you can stir it into a liquidy caramel sauce. If there are any lumps, simmer the mess over low heat until they are dissolved.

Heat the coconut oil in a heavy pan over medium-high hear. Add the garlic and the scallion rounds, then throw in the prawns and stir until they are pink all around, about 3 minutes. Add the caramel sauce and the fish sauce and continue to cook and stir for another minute, then throw in the lime juice, brown sugar, salt, and scallion strips. Mix well, and remove from heat. There’s your filling.

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Divide the pastry into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each portion between sheets of wax paper into 8″ diameter circles. Place filling into the center of each circle, leaving a wide border. (Your amounts will vary depending on your preferred pie to prawn ratio.) Fold the edges up and around the filling. Lightly beat the egg yolk, then brush the pastry very lightly with it.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden.

Posted by Danielle in Pies and Tarts, Savories, Seafood on April 10th, 2006 | 2 Comments » | Permalink