4 Individual Steak & Cheese Pies
How to make 4 unbelievably delicious steak and cheese pies, easy step by step instructions, from start to finish.
Ingredients
Method
- The Pie filling:
- 500g / 18oz Lean Stewing Beef (diced)
- 300mls / ½pt Beef stock
- 1 Onion (medium size, diced)
- 2 Garlic cloves (Diced small)
- 45g / 3tbls Cooking oil (split into 2)
- 15g / 1tbls Tomato puree
- 12g / 2tsp Worcestershire Sauce (Optional)
- 2 or 3 Bay leaves
- 10g / 2tsp Cornflour/Cornstarch in 20mls cold water
- 200g / 7oz Cheddar cheese (grated)
- The hot water crust pastry:
- 500g / 18oz Plain or All-purpose Flour
- 215g / mls Water
- 115g / 4oz Butter
- 125g / 4½oz Lard or solid vegetable fat
- 8g / 1tsp Salt
- 1 Large Egg (Egg-wash)
- Making the hot water crust pastry:
- Mix the salt and flour together
- Place the water on a low heat, add the butter and lard to the pan, bring to a simmer.
- Soon as the fats have melted, pour the hot liquid onto the flour in the bowl, and bring it all together.
- Tip the contents of the bowl out onto a non-floured surface.
- Gently knead the dough until it all comes together.
- Cut the pastry onto 3 equal pieces.
- Cover in plastic wrap or food bags, and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour before using.
- Making the Pie Filling:
- Heat up half of the oil into a medium size saucepan, once hot, fry off the onions until soft.
- Meanwhile: fry off your meat in a wok or frying pan, until slightly browned, this should take approx, 5 minutes.
- Add the meat to the now softened onions in the saucepan and mix together.
- Add the beef stock to the pan, then add 2 bay leaves and salt to taste.
- Cover the pan, and bring to a low simmer, cook for at least 1 hour until the meat is very tender.
- After 1 hour your beef should be nice and tender.
- You can now thicken the filling with the corn flour and water.
- Once thickened, turn off the heat, cover the pan, and allow it to completely cool, best made the day before and kept in the fridge overnight.
- Putting the pies together:
- Grease four 12.5 cm / 5in non-stick individual pie tins, (See below if you want to add these perfect individual pie tins to your collection)
- Roll out your pastry to approx, 3mm / 1/8in, thick, and cut out 4, 16.5cm / 6½in circles for the bases of the pies, and 4, 12.5cm / 5n circles for the lids of the pies, (See below if you want to add my amazing adjustable rolling pin to your kitchen)
- Place the pastry bases in the pie tins, using a small piece of waste pastry, gently press the pastry right down into the corners, make sure to leave some pastry sticking over the rim of the pie tin.
- Prick a few holes in the bottom of the pastry cases using a fork, this is called docking the pastry, it prevents the pastry base from bubbling up when cooking in the oven.
- Add the now cold meat filling to each of the pastry cases, about three quarters the way up of the pie tin.
- Add 50g of the grated cheese onto the top of the pie filling.
- The filling does expand some in the oven, so do not over fill the cases.
- At this point, preheat your oven to, 160°C / 320°F / Gas mark 3.
- Brush egg wash all around the edge of the pastry in the tin, and some around the edge of the pie lid.
- Place the lid on the top of the pie base, and gently press it down, using your thumbs and forefingers crimp the 2 pastries together, try not to get egg wash between the pastry, and the tin, as this will stick when baking.
- Trim any excess pastry around the edge of the tins with a small dull knife, tidy up the crimping.
- Place all 4 pies on a baking tray.
- Cut 2 or 3 vent slits in the top of each pie.
- Give each pie a good coat of the egg wash.
- Place the tray on the lowest part of the preheated oven, and use the bottom element in your oven, if you have one, if you don’t have separate elements in your oven, bake these in the middle of the oven.
- Now set your timer for 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and place the 4 tins on a wire rack, allow them to settle and cool for 10 minutes.
- While they are still hot, carefully remove each pie from their tin, serve piping hot with mashed potatoes or chips/fries, peas and gravy.
- Enjoy.
Equipment & products used in my kitchen and videos
