Nothing tastes like autumn, like a hearty pie and this one by renowned chef Paul Heathcote features tender slow-cooked beef, peppercorns, mushrooms, and a flaky pie topping. Cosy up at home with this classic, and enjoy with a glass of red or an ale.
Serves: 6 people
Cook time: 2 hours
Ingredients
Braised beef
1.2kg Rhug Estate braising beef, chopped into 200g slices
Sea salt to season
1 dash of vegetable oil
6 carrots, peeled
3 small onions, cut into halves
1 garlic clove
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh thyme
10g of sugar
125ml of bottle of red wine such as Fortnum’s Côtes du Rhône
75ml of red wine vinegar
200ml of HonestBrew Whiplash Ale
1.1l beef stock
1 tsp cornflour
1 dash of gravy browning
1 handful of chives, chopped
Mushroom pie
24 button mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 shallot, finely diced
1 dash of vegetable oil
25g of butter
25g of plain flour
600ml of milk, hot
25g of green peppercorns
2 handfuls of parsley
Sea salt to season
1 sheet of puff pastry, cut into 6 equal circles the same size as your ramekins
1 egg
Method
1. For the braised beef, season with salt and brown the beef in oil in a pan until golden brown all over.
2. Add the peeled carrots, halved onions, bay leaf and garlic to the pan.
3. Sprinkle in the sugar and allow the beef and vegetables to caramelise.
4. Remove the meat and vegetables from the pan and deglaze the pan with the red wine vinegar followed by red wine – the Fortnum’s Côtes du Rhône plays to the peppercorns and adds a deep, fruity complexity.
5. Place the meat, vegetables and sprig of thyme back into the pan. Add the beer next, bring the liquid to the boil and then add the stock. Cook this for about one hour at 160°C until very tender.
6. Remove the beef, lift out the carrots and onions carefully and set aside. Pass the remaining liquid through a sieve and boil in a pan until it reaches a sauce consistency. If necessary, add a few drops of cornflour to thicken, or gravy browning to colour.
7. For the pie, fry off the button mushrooms in a few drops of oil until golden. Add the shallots and stir for about 15 seconds until golden, then remove from the heat and scrape onto a plate and set aside.
8. In a thick bottomed pan add the butter and leave to melt. Stir in the flour and make a roux base.
9. On a low heat, add the hot milk (making sure the bay leaf has been removed) incrementally, and stir in well each time.
10. When all the milk has been incorporated, add the mushrooms, peppercorns, parsley and season with sea salt. Take off the heat and allow to cool.
11. Place the mix into a pie dish, place the puff pastry on top and make a small hole. Brush the pastry with egg wash and heat in an oven set to 160°C/gas mark 3 for 15 minutes. If the beef needs reheating, place it back in the oven at the same time to warm through.
12. Serve the beef with the onions and carrots and a little of the beer sauce. Place the mushroom pie alongside, either in its ramekin or removed and served open.
13. Enjoy with an ale or a red wine.
Recipe and images courtesy of Great British Chefs / Paul Heathcote.
