Colonial Port Beef Pie Food

COLONIAL PORT-BEEF PIE

Steps:

• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot; cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Add port and thyme; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 35 minutes.
• Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Turn off heat and add half the mushroom slices. Let mushrooms soak, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer soaked mushrooms to a small bowl. Strain the chicken broth from the saucepan into a separate bowl, pouring it through a coffee filter or cheesecloth to remove any sediment.
• Dice the soaked mushrooms and transfer to the port sauce. Add the strained chicken-mushroom broth.
• Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook and stir until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes.
• Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water in a bowl. Whisk cornstarch slurry rapidly into the simmering sauce until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute beef until meat is still slightly pink in the center, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Saute remaining mushrooms and onion in the beef drippings until tender, about 5 minutes. Add to the bowl with the beef.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Cut 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter into the flour using 2 knives or a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Add 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cold water; mix until dough pulls away from edges of the bowl. Divide dough in half; set 1 portion aside and roll the other half onto a floured surface. Press dough into a 10-inch pie pan to form the bottom crust.
• Spread the vegetable-beef mixture over the crust in the pie pan. Pour sauce on top, spreading to the edges. Roll out the other half of the dough and cover pie with the crust; seal the edges.
• Bake in the preheated oven until flaky and golden, about 45 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes.

COUNTRY BEEF POT PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F Prepare pie crusts as directed on package for two-crust pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add beef and onion; cook and stir until beef is browned. Drain.
• In small bowl, combine gravy, cornstarch, sugar and pepper; mix well. Add to beef in skillet. Stir in vegetables and potatoes. Cook about 5 minutes or until vegetables are thawed, stirring occasionally.
• Spoon mixture into pie crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edges and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust; sprinkle with sesame seed.
• Bake at 400°F for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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.

FRENCH MEAT PIE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook the beef, pork and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. , In a small bowl, combine potatoes and seasonings. Roll out half of pastry to fit a 9-in. pie plate; trim pastry even with edge of plate. Fill with meat mixture. , Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. Brush with egg if desired. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

ITALIAN BEEF POT PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400ºF.
• Brown meat with vegetables in dressing in large skillet. Add tomato sauce; cook and stir 5 min. or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese.
• Spoon into 9-inch square baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with pie crust; trim excess crust, then flute edge. Cut several slits in crust to permit steam to escape.
• Bake 20 min. or until golden brown. Let stand 5 min. before serving.

COLONIAL GAME PIE

Steps:

• In a kettle, cook bacon until crisp; drain, reserving bacon and 1/4 cup drippings in pan. Brown beef in drippings. Add beef broth and jelly; cover and simmer 45 minutes. Cover rabbits with water in a pot; simmer for 1 hour or until meat falls from bones. , Remove meat; set aside (discard bones). To beef mixture, add chicken broth,, bay leaf, salt, pepper and cayenne; simmer 20 minutes. Add onions, carrots, potatoes and mushrooms; simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Remove bay leaf. , In another pot, cover duck with water; simmer until the meat nearly falls from bones. Remove meat; set aside. Mix flour and water; stir into beef mixture. Cook until thickened. Add rabbit and duck meat. Cut puff pastry into 3-in. squares and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes; place on individual servings of meat mixture.

COLONIAL SEAFOOD PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F 10 minutes before the pie is ready to go inches.
• Dissolve the chicken bouillon in 2 cups hot water and bring to a boil.
• Cook the scallops, oysters and fish in the chicken stock for 5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when pierced with a fork.
• Remove seafood and strain the stock.
• Reserve the stock.
• Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions and celery.
• Stir in the flour; add the stock and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
• Add the scallops, oysters, fish, lobster and sherry.
• Season with salt and pepper; cool.
• Line a 1-quart casserole, deep-dish pie plate, or four individual 5-inch casseroles with the pastry.
• Pour in the seafood mix and top with pastry.
• Cut vents int eh top so that the steam can escape.
• Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.