Page 204 - Pie Squared

½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces (225 g) fontina cheese, grated (about 2 cups)

½ cup (50 g) thinly slivered scallions, white and green parts (about 4)

½ cup (20 g) fresh basil leaves, stacked and slivered
¼ cup (10 g) snipped fresh chives

For the crust: In the food processor, pulse the flour, lard, butter,

and salt until the fats are in small pieces coated with flour, about 15
times. Add the water all at once and process until the mixture almost
forms a ball. Form the dough into a 6- by 4-inch rectangle using

plastic wrap and a bench scraper to firmly press the dough into a
cohesive form. Wrap tightly and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to warm
slightly. Roll out the dough to 11 by 15 inches and place in the slab
pie pan. Crimp the edges. Using a fork, poke the bottom of the crust

until it is dotted with holes. This is called docking and it will help to
keep the crust from rising up as it bakes. Line the crust with
parchment paper or foil. If there is time, chill for 30 minutes. Fill the

parchment-lined crust with uncooked dried beans or rice or pie
weights. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the paper and pie weights,
and bake the crust for an additional 5 minutes to dry it out. Cool on a
wire rack.
Heat the oven to 400°F; if you have one, place a baking stone,

Baking Steel, or inverted baking sheet on the center rack to heat
(see here).
For the filling: Trim the asparagus stalks to 10 inches. If the

asparagus are large or at all tough, use a vegetable peeler to scrape
the base down to the more tender center. Heat a small skillet over
medium heat and cook the pancetta until crisped. Remove from the
pan and drain on paper towels. Whisk the eggs, cream, salt, and
pepper until frothy. Deftly scatter the pancetta and half the fontina

across the crust, then scatter all the scallions, basil, and chives over