Beef Potpie Wedges Food

BEEF POT PIES

Steps:

• Prep the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Sear the beef. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper. Add the meat in batches to the Dutch oven and sear for about 5 minutes or until meat starts to brown. Transfer meat to a plate and repeat with remaining meat.
• Saute veggies. Add the onion, carrots and mushrooms to the same pot and saute until the vegetables are softened, for 5 minutes. Stir the bottom of the pot to scrape all the brown bits.
• Add beef back and liquids. Add the beef back to the pot. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and vegetables and cook for 1 more minute. Add the tomato paste, garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Pour in the Guinness and cook for about 2 minutes. Pour in the beef broth, add the beef bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, thyme, bay leaf and stir everything together.
• Braise in the oven. Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 to 2½ hours in the oven or until beef is tender. Remove Dutch oven from the oven and stir in the peas. Discard the bay leaf.
• Prep the pastry. Roll out the puff pastry sheets and cut into 6-8 inch rounds, making sure each round is it's at least ½ to 1 inch larger than the baking dishes.
• Assemble the pot pies. Place beef mixture into each ramekin. Top each ramekin with pastry circle, pressing the edges to seal. Brush with egg wash and cut slits into the pastry.
• Bake. Transfer the ramekins to the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let the pot pies cool for 10 minutes before serving.

BEEF POT PIE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350F degrees. Pat beef cubes dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half the beef and cook until well browned all over, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer the beef to bowl or plate with the remaining uncooked beef. Note: you will not cook the remaining beef before placing in the pot pie. Cooking half the beef imparts some good flavor from braising but saves time not requiring all the beef to be browned before placing in the pie. It works, I promise.
• Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 ½ tablespoons oil to now-empty pot. Add mushrooms, onion, and carrots and cook until vegetables are lightly browned, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in wine (or water) and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour until the vegetables are well coated and cook for 1 minute. Add broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire, and bay leaf, stirring until combined. Scrape any bits that have stuck to bottom of pan to incorporate into liquids. Add all of the beef and bring to a simmer. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook until beef is tender, about 1 ¼ hours.
• Remove filling from oven and taste the beef to make sure it's tender to your liking. If it tastes chewy, add 1/4 cup water, stir and return to oven for another 20-30 minutes. Once meat is tender, remove and then increase oven temperature to 400F degrees. If the meat mixture looks to need more "juice", then remove mixture from pot to a plate and add ¼ to ½ cup water back to the Dutch oven and kind of tilt the pan to scrape off some of the crusty fond that's accumulated in the pot. This should create a thick meaty sauce to add into the meat mixture and thin it out a bit, plus it only adds to the flavor of the beef.
• Discard the bay leaf and stir in the fresh thyme and add the peas. Taste the filling and add salt and pepper to taste at this time (up to 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper).
• Spray the bottom of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and add meat mixture to the dish.
• Brush the rim and interior lip of the pie plate with egg (this will prevent the shell from sticking to the dish and cracking or breaking). Top the filling with pie dough so dough overhangs edges of pie plate only slightly. Fold overhanging pie down inward so folded edge is flush with inner edge of pie plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of pie using your fingers.
• Using a paring knife, cut a ½-inch hole in center of pie. Cut six ½-inch slits around the hole, halfway between center and edge of pie. Brush dough with remaining egg. Season the top of the dough with salt, pepper and remaining ½ teaspoon chopped thyme. Transfer pie to rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown, 20-30 minutes.
• Transfer pie to cooling rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Serve.

TRADITIONAL BEEF POTPIE

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine flour, cheese, salt, pepper and thyme; cut in the shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water just until moistened. Form into a ball. Cover and refrigerate. , Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, brown beef and onion in oil. Add mushrooms; saute for 1 minute. Add 1 cup broth, salt, thyme, garlic powder and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. , Add potatoes, carrots and celery; cover and simmer 20 minutes longer or until meat is tender and vegetables are crisp-tender. Combine flour and remaining broth until smooth; gradually add to beef mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in browning sauce if desired. Reduce heat; keep warm. , Roll two-thirds of the dough into a 14x10-in. rectangle. Line the bottom and sides of an ungreased 11x7-in. baking dish. Roll remaining pastry into a 6-in. circle; cut into six wedges. , Spoon beef mixture into crust. Place pastry wedges on top. Bake, uncovered, at 450° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 30 minutes longer or until pastry is golden brown.

BEEF POT PIE

Steps:

• Procedure: Filling is made in 2 parts and then combined: the stew and the vegetables. The crust is partially baked before filling.
• The vegetables: Blanche the turnips and then the carrot chunks in rapidly boiling salted water until just tender, removing the vegetables from the water and immediately cooling them under running water to stop the cooking. Microwave the peas in a 1/2 cup of water for 20 seconds or pour some of the hot blanching water over them and then drain. Mix the vegetables together. This can also be done ahead, the same day as the pie will be served or even the night before, but don't freeze the vegetables.
• The stew: Cut beef into 1-inch chunks and dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and brown slowly in the casserole. Remove the bacon and set aside, and turn the heat to high. Brown the beef quickly in the bacon fat. Add olive oil if necessary. Remove the beef from the casserole and set aside with the bacon. Add the minced carrots, onions and celery and brown on medium high heat in the remaining fat. Remove the vegetables from the pot and add to the reserved beef and bacon. Add the clarified butter to the pot and sprinkle in the flour. Stirring constantly, brown the flour on medium high heat until it is a dark, nut brown. Return the bacon, beef and vegetables to the pot. Stir to coat them with the browned flour and cook for 1 minute on medium-high heat. Lower the heat, add the cayenne, wine, bouillon or stock, the tomato paste, the garlic and the herb bouquet tied in a cheesecloth. Stir to mix well and simmer for at least 3, preferably 4, hours, stirring occasionally. When done the meat should be very tender. Skim fat if necessary. Check for seasoning. Remove the meat from the gravy with a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove and discard the herb bouquet. Reserve the gravy in a separate container. The stew may be prepared to this point a 1 or 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated. It can also be frozen after preparation to be kept longer.
• The crust: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Process the flour, butter, shortening, and salt until mixture is like coarse cornmeal. Add the ice water and pulse processor a few times until dough begins to clump. Do not overprocess. Scrape dough onto a board, divide in half and put each half in a plastic bag. Working through the bag, quickly press the dough into a ball. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour. (May be frozen at this point for future use.) Roll 1 of the balls out to about 1/8-inch thick. Butter the tart pans and line with the dough. Roll the other ball of dough out and cut circular pieces about 1/8-inch larger than the individual tart pans (or 3/8-inch if using the single 9 or 10-inch pan). The circles for the top crust of the pot pie are cut larger because there will be shrinkage when it is baked. The edges can be crimped with a fork if desired. Leftover dough can be cut into decorative shapes for the top crust.
• Butter pieces of aluminum foil and line the crust in the tart pans with them. Fill the foil with dried beans or rice to a depth of about 1-inch -- this will keep the crust from puffing when it is baked empty. Place the top crust circles on a cookie sheet and prick with a fork. Bake for about 10 minutes. Crust should just start to brown. The top pieces will likely take a little less time. Remove the aluminum foil and return the beans or rice to their container. Leave the tart pan rings in place. The crust can be made up to 4 hours before the dish is assembled and served.
• Assembly: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If you have made the stew and gravy ahead of time, warm them separately on the stove until they just begin to simmer. Add gravy back to the stew a little at a time until it is liquid enough but not too soupy. Stir well to mix. The proportion will vary according to the cut of meat used and the actual cooking time. Once you've made it a couple of times you'll know how you like it. If there is leftover gravy, keep it warm on the stove while you bake the pie. Mix the vegetables into the stew just before you assemble the pie. Spoon the filling mixture into the partially baked pie shell. It should fill it right to the top. There may be some filling mixture left over. This is not a bad thing. Bake for about 8 to10 minutes, until the crust starts to look quite brown at the edges and the filling is bubbling. Allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Carefully remove rings from the pans and slide the pies onto warmed plates. If there is remaining gravy, serve on the side with the pie. Garnish with chopped parsley.

BEEF BOURGUIGNONNE POTPIE

Steps:

• Place the bay leaves and thyme on a small piece of cheesecloth and tie the corners together tightly to form a bundle; set aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the beef with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Working in batches, add the beef to the pot and cook, turning, until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and add the bacon to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are coated, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
• Add the cognac to the pot and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the liquid has mostly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the wine, chicken broth, cheesecloth bundle, browned meat and any juices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer, stirring and scraping up the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the beef is tender and the sauce is thick, about 2 hours. Discard the cheesecloth bundle.
• Meanwhile, make the crust: Combine the flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the parsley and chives and pulse to combine, then add the butter and pulse 8 to 10 times until it looks like coarse meal. Add 1/2 cup ice water and pulse until the dough just starts coming together, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water if necessary. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and form into a disk; wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Finish the stew: Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add to the pot with the stew along with the pearl onions and butter; stir. Transfer the mixture to a 3-to-4-quart oval or 9-by-13-inch baking dish and set aside to cool.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water; brush the edges and outside of the baking dish with the egg wash. Drape the dough over the filling and press it against the sides of the dish; trim any excess to leave a 1-inch overhang. Cut a few slits in the top to vent.
• Brush the crust with more of the egg wash. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

BEEF POTPIE WEDGES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the steak and cook until browned, 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the butter to the skillet to melt, then add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, for one minute.
• Stir in the beef stock, peas, and Worcestershire sauce.
• Return the meat to the pan and cook until the sauce thickens and the peas heat through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; remove from the heat.
• Unroll the piecrusts and halve them. Divide the cooled meat among 4 piecrust pieces, placing a mound on 1 side of each piece and leaving a small border.
• Brush the edges of each piecrust piece with some of the egg. Fold the pastry over to enclose the filling, pressing down on the edges; crimp with a fork.
• Brush the tops of the dough with more of the egg and transfer the pies to a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Bake until golden-brown, about 10 minutes.

BEEF POT PIES

Steps:

• Melt the butter with the olive oil in a heavy pot. Sear the meat over medium-high heat in batches until brown, 4 to 5 minutes; remove to a plate.
• Add the carrots, celery and shallots and saute until the vegetables start to wilt, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the mustard, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the flour and saute for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the wine, beef broth and 1 cup water. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir. Bring to a boil. Return the browned meat to the pot and reduce the heat to low. Add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs, then cover and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons flour with a little water and pour into the stew. Cook and thicken for 10 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry sheets one by one to get rid of the creases. Set a 6- to 8-inch ovensafe skillet upside down on a pastry sheet and cut a circle around it, making it 1/2 inch larger than the dish. Repeat with the remaining 5 skillets using all of the pastry sheets; discard the scraps.
• Put the 6 skillets onto 2 baking sheets and fill the skillets with the cooled beef mixture. Sprinkle over some chopped bacon and 1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley on each.
• Top each skillet with a pastry circle, pressing along the edges to seal. Mix together the egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush each pastry lid with the egg wash. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

BEEF POTPIES WITH CHEDDAR-STOUT CRUST

Steps:

• Make the dough: Pulse the flour and fine salt in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and cheese and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with some pea-size bits of butter. Drizzle in 6 tablespoons beer and pulse to combine. Squeeze the dough between your fingers; if it does not hold its shape, pulse in up to 1 more tablespoon beer. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Toss the beef, flour, 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, about 7 minutes. Add the beer and 2 cups water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover, transfer to the oven and braise, 30 minutes. Add the leeks, carrots and celery to the pot and continue braising, 1 more hour.
• Meanwhile, put six 10-ounce ramekins on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll out the dough between 2 lightly floured sheets of parchment into a 10-by-15-inch rectangle; cut into six 5-inch squares. Make a few slits in the middle of each square to let steam escape. Remove the filling from the oven and increase the temperature to 375 degrees F. Season the filling with salt and pepper and divide among the ramekins (there may be some filling left over). Top each with a square of dough, pressing the edges into the ramekin. Brush with the beaten egg. Bake until the crust is crisp and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let rest about 10 minutes before serving. Photograph by Anna Williams