Celebration of Tom Bowcock's Eve in Cornwall

Well, take Candy out tomorrow to celebrate this wonderfully quaint holiday

Bowcock's Eve in Cornwall, England

Tom Bawcock's Eve is an annual festival, held on 23 December, in Mousehole, Cornwall,  England.

The festival is held in celebration and memorial of the efforts of legendary Mousehole resident Tom Bawcock to lift a famine from the village by going out to fish in a severe storm. During this festival Stargazy pie (a mixed fish, egg and potato pie with protruding fish heads) is eaten and depending on the year of celebration a lantern procession takes place.

FOR THE CRUST:

2 1⁄4 cups flour, plus more for dusting

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. mustard powder

12 tbsp. unsalted butter

6 tbsp. ice-cold water

FOR THE FILLING:

6 slices bacon, cut into one inch pieces

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1⁄2 cup chicken stock

1⁄3 cup crème fraîche

2 tbsp. English mustard

2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 eggs, beaten

salt and pepper, to taste|

8 fresh sardines, cleaned, heads attached

3 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and sliced

Instructions

Crust: Whisk flour, mustard, and salt in a bowl. Using blend butter into flour mixture, forming pea-size crumbles. Add water.  Work dough until smooth but with visible flecks of butter. Divide dough in half and flatten into disks. Wrap disks in plastic wrap; chill 1 hour before using.

Filling: Heat bacon in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat.  Cook until slightly crisp, 5–7 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add butter and onion to pan.  Cook until golden, 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in stock, crème fraîche, mustard, parsley, lemon juice, half the egg, and salt; set aside.

Heat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of dough into a 12” round. Fit into a 9” pie plate; trim edges, leaving 1” dough overhanging edge of plate. Arrange sardines in a clocklike pattern with heads resting along edge of crust. Pour filling over sardines; top with reserved bacon, the hard-boiled eggs, salt, and pepper. Roll remaining disk of dough into a 12” round; cut eight 1” slits in dough about 2” from the edge. Place over top of pie and pull sardine heads through slits. Pinch top and bottom edges together and fold under; crimp edges. Brush with remaining egg and cut three 1”-long slits in top of pie; bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 35–40 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Happy Bowcock's Eve!!!