Meat Pie.

The other day I was driving, and heard this song come on the radio...

And it brought back so many memories of being in Australia, almost two years ago! I am not sure why the song picked that exact moment to trigger memories, as I've heard it many times since then... but whatever the case may be, it also triggered an intense craving for meat pies.

Meat pies are one of those things that everyone has their own way of doing. I had a French-Canadian tourtière over the holidays - they tend to be ground meat spiced with cloves and cinnamon. Very delicious, but also very different from the Aussie meat pie.

Australian meat pies are typically a single-serving size, and filled with minced meat and a thick gravy. They are a national favorite, and popular at sporting events like hot dogs are in North America. I used this recipe because it looked like it would give me a pie closest to how I remember them. I followed the recipe almost to a T... I only had to use a single, large pie plate, and needed to up the cooking time to ensure my puff pastry was cooked.

Isn't it cute?

The end result was everything I'd hoped for... a little stroll down memory lane. Almost like being back at the MCG watching a game of Aussie Rules Football (the friends that introduced me to the sport are Essendon Bombers fans, making me one by proxy)... A little taste of Oz in the Great White North.

Of course, served with "tomato sauce" on top!