Kohlrabi-Bacon Pie

PIE CRUST

• INGREDIENTS
• Use your favorite recipe a pre-rolled or this all butter recipe below:
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8-10 tablespoons ice water

1. INSTRUCTIONS: Put the butter, flour and salt in the food processor, pulse lightly until the mixture resembles wet looking particles (some recipes say pea sized). Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing a couple times after each tablespoon. Keep adding water until the dough just starts to gather into larger clumps. Split the dough in half and place each into a re-sealable plastic bag, pat each into a disk. Let the dough sit in the refrigerator 30 minutes.

THE PIE

• PIE INGREDIENTS
• 5 strips of thick bacon
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 of rosemary and 1 of sage
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4-1/2 cups kohlrabi sliced into thin half moons (see note below)
• * I like have made a mix of leek, rutabaga and carrot with potato, thinly sliced, too…it all depends what you might have available.
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cups shredded gruyere
• Salt & fresh ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Cream or milk for brushing on the top crust

1. INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Peel and slice the veggies thinly; place in a large bowl, add the flour and stir to incorporate and coat.
2. Cook the bacon until just crispy. Drain on paper towel and crumble when cool enough to touch.
3. In a small sauce pan, heat the herbs and cream or ricotta whey on low heat just to a simmer. Turn off the heat and let steep for about 5 minutes. Remove the herbs.
4. Roll out one of the dough disks into an 11-inch round and line a 10 inch pie pan. Arrange an even layer of sliced vegetable, season with salt & pepper, and 1/4 of the crumbled bacon.
5. Continue layering until the pie pan is nearly full. Pour the cream over the entire pie, and let it seep down. Top with the gruyere.
6. Roll out the remaining dish of dough and cover the pie with it. Crimp the edges closed. Brush the top and edges of the crust with cream or milk. Make a few slits in the center of the top crust, for the steam to escape. Put the pie pan on a baking sheet.
7. Bake until the crust is browned and crispy, 60-70 minutes, depending on your oven. Cover the edges of crust with foil if it gets too brown.
8. Remove pie from the oven and let rest at least 20 minutes before serving.
9. NOTE: I have made this pie using Infused Ricotta Whey in place of the heavy cream, recipe found onsite:
10. http://www.food52.com/recipes/6791_infused_ricotta_whey