Steak and Guinness Pie
How to make an outstanding and professional standard, Steak n Guinness Pie, easy step by step instructions, from start to finish.
Ingredients
Method
- Filling:
- 600g / 21oz Stewing Beef (diced)
- 1 Medium Onion (medium diced)
- 2 Cloves of Garlic (chopped small)
- 300g / 300mls Beef stock
- 300g / 300mls Draught Guinness Stout
- 2 Bay leaves
- 125g / 4½oz Shitake Mushrooms
- 25g / 1½tbls Tomato paste or puree
- 10g / 2tsp Corn-flour in 30mls of cold water (thickener)
- Salt n Black pepper to taste
- 60g / 4tbls Olive oil (split into 2 parts)
- Pastry:
- 330g / 11½oz Plain or All-purpose flour
- 165g / 6oz Cold Butter
- 60mls / 4tbls Cold Water
- 8g / 1tsp Salt
- 1 Small Egg (Egg-wash)
- Making the Pastry:
- By far the best way to make shortcrust pastry is to use a food processor. It’s very quick and easy, but more importantly, it keeps all the ingredients cold, which is essential when making shortcrust pastry.
- Add the flour, salt, and cold butter to the processor with the blade tool attached.
- Pulse the machine until you have a fine breadcrumb consistency; this should only take 30 to 45 seconds.
- Next step; set the machine running while slowly pouring in the ice-cold water.
- Once the pastry comes together and starts rolling around the machine, it’s done (see the video), once again, this should only take 30 to 45 seconds to complete.
- Once done, remove it from the machine.
- You should now have around 560g / 20oz of pastry.
- Divide it into 2 pieces, 1st, 300g / 11oz for the base of the pie, and 2nd, 260g / 9oz for the top or lid of the pie.
- Wrap each piece in cling film, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using it.
- Making the pie filling:
- In a large frying pan, on a high heat, stir-fry the diced steak until it has some colour.
- Transfer the meat to a medium size saucepan.
- In the same frying pan, fry the onions, garlic and mushrooms until soft, while those are cooking.
- Get the saucepan with the meat in, on a medium heat.
- Add the beef stock and the Guinness to the meat.
- Now transfer the onions and mushrooms to the saucepan too.
- Bring it to a boil, then add the tomato paste, stir it in, until it dissolves.
- Season the mixture with salt and black pepper.
- Add the bay leaves to the pan, give it a stir, get the lid on the pan.
- Reduce the heat to very low, simmer for 1 hour.
- Once the meat is tender, add the cornflour mixture a little at a time, until the filling has thickened, your filling is done.
- Allow it to completely cool, this is best made the day before and refrigerated overnight.
- You can however, cool it enough to use by floating the pan in a sink of cold water, this normally takes around 30 minutes.
- Beat the egg and a dash of milk in a container (egg-wash).
- Grease a suitable pie tin, see the video for the tin that I use.
- Roll out the larger of the 2 pastries, to 3mm thick, once rolled, line the greased pie tin with it, leave plenty pastry hanging over the rim.
- Fill the pastry case with the now cold filling, and level it off.
- Roll out the other piece of pastry to the same thickness as the base, 3mm. roll it up onto the rolling pin.
- At this point preheat your oven to 170°C / 340°F / Gas mark 3.
- Brush egg-wash all around the lip of the pastry base.
- Line it up, and unroll the pastry lid over top of the pie base.
- Gently press it down with the palm of your hands.
- Using your forefingers and thumbs, crimp all around the edge of the pie, (see the video for this technique).
- Trim off the excess pastry, and re-crimp to tidy it all up.
- Cut a few vent holes in the middle of the pie.
- Brush the whole surface with the egg-wash.
- Optional step. You can add various patterns and shapes to the pie using up any spare leftover pastry, (see the video for an example)
- Get the pie into the preheated oven, bake for 45 minutes.
- Halfway through turn the pie 180° for even baking.
- Once done, remove it from the oven, allow it rest for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
- Get it out of the pie tin, slice and serve with mashed potatoes or chips, mushy peas n gravy.
- Enjoy.
Equipment & products used in my kitchen and videos
