Filling
- Cut slab bacon into lardons approximately ½-inch long by ¼-inch wide. Heat a large rondo over medium heat and add lardons. Cook until soft and caramelized. Add mushrooms and pearl onions and continue cooking until onions are also caramelized.
- Add garlic, ginger, green onions, parsley and sesame oil. Continue cooking until soft and aromatic.
- Add flour and stir to incorporate to make a roux. Add butter if needed to finish roux.
- Whisk half and half, tomato paste and ponzu sauce together in a separate pan. Heat to a simmer and pour slowly into bacon mixture, whisking constantly and vigorously until sauce comes together without lumps.
- While filling is still warm, ladle into baking ramekins, approximately 8 to 10 ounces per ramekin. If bacon onion filling is cool, heat to a simmer before filling ramekin and topping with puff pastry. This will help ensure the filling is piping hot when the pastry is golden brown.
Pastry
- Cut puff pastry into circles large enough to drape over the top of baking ramekins by approximately 1 inch all around.
- Brush egg wash around perimeter on puff pastry and place over ramekin with the egg wash side down.
- Press egg washed pastry circle to baking ramekin and bake until pastry is domed and golden brown.
- Remove pot pies from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes.
- With a microplane, grate parmesan generously over pot pies and serve. If bacon onion filling is cool, heat to a simmer before filling ramekin and topping with puff pastry. This will help ensure the filling is piping hot when the pastry is golden brown.
As presented at Flavor Experience 2022 in partnership with Chef Andrew Hunter.
