Beef Pot Pie
Serves: 2
Leola Gaylord
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
52
Spice
51
Sweetness
49
Sourness
37
mins
Prep time (avg)
4.1
Difficulty
Ingredients:
2 medium
Carrot (minced)110 g
Bacon (lean)1 stalk
Celery (minced)6 tbsps
Clarified Butter6 tbsps
Flour1 pinch
Cayenne3 tbsps
Tomato Paste4 cups
All-Purpose Flour (sifted)1 cup
Vegetable Shortening3 tsp
SaltDirections:
1
Special equipment: Heavy fireproof casserole (10 inches across by 3 inches deep) or deep heavy soup pot 6 straight sided 4 1/2 inches round (or 1 (9 or 10-inch) tart pans with removable rings Food processor with steel blade
2
Procedure: Filling is made in 2 parts and then combined: the stew and the vegetables
3
The crust is partially baked before filling
4
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
5
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
6
Mix the vegetables together
7
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
8
The stew: Cut beef into 1-inch chunks and dry thoroughly with a paper towel
9
Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and brown slowly in the casserole
10
Remove the bacon and set aside, and turn the heat to high
11
Brown the beef quickly in the bacon fat
12
Add olive oil if necessary
13
Remove the beef from the casserole and set aside with the bacon
14
Add the minced carrots, onions and celery and brown on medium high heat in the remaining fat
15
Remove the vegetables from the pot and add to the reserved beef and bacon
16
Add the clarified butter to the pot and sprinkle in the flour
17
Stirring constantly, brown the flour on medium high heat until it is a dark, nut brown
18
Return the bacon, beef and vegetables to the pot
19
Stir to coat them with the browned flour and cook for 1 minute on medium-high heat
20
Lower the heat, add the cayenne, wine, bouillon or stock, the tomato paste, the garlic and the herb bouquet tied in a cheesecloth
21
Stir to mix well and simmer for at least 3, preferably 4, hours, stirring occasionally
22
When done the meat should be very tender
23
Skim fat if necessary
24
Check for seasoning
25
Remove the meat from the gravy with a slotted spoon and set aside
26
Remove and discard the herb bouquet
27
Reserve the gravy in a separate container
28
The stew may be prepared to this point a 1 or 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated
29
It can also be frozen after preparation to be kept longer
30
The crust: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Process the flour, butter, shortening, and salt until mixture is like coarse cornmeal
31
Add the ice water and pulse processor a few times until dough begins to clump
32
Do not overprocess
33
Scrape dough onto a board, divide in half and put each half in a plastic bag
34
Working through the bag, quickly press the dough into a ball
35
Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour
36
(May be frozen at this point for future use
37
) Roll 1 of the balls out to about 1/8-inch thick
38
Butter the tart pans and line with the dough
39
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)
40
The circles for the top crust of the pot pie are cut larger because there will be shrinkage when it is baked
41
The edges can be crimped with a fork if desired
42
Leftover dough can be cut into decorative shapes for the top crust
43
Butter pieces of aluminum foil and line the crust in the tart pans with them
44
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
45
Place the top crust circles on a cookie sheet and prick with a fork
46
Bake for about 10 minutes
47
Crust should just start to brown
48
The top pieces will likely take a little less time
49
Remove the aluminum foil and return the beans or rice to their container
50
Leave the tart pan rings in place
51
The crust can be made up to 4 hours before the dish is assembled and served
52
Assembly: Preheat oven to 400 degrees
53
If you have made the stew and gravy ahead of time, warm them separately on the stove until they just begin to simmer
54
Add gravy back to the stew a little at a time until it is liquid enough but not too soupy
55
Stir well to mix
56
The proportion will vary according to the cut of meat used and the actual cooking time
57
Once you've made it a couple of times you'll know how you like it
58
If there is leftover gravy, keep it warm on the stove while you bake the pie
59
Mix the vegetables into the stew just before you assemble the pie
60
Spoon the filling mixture into the partially baked pie shell
61
It should fill it right to the top
62
There may be some filling mixture left over
63
This is not a bad thing
64
Bake for about 8 to10 minutes, until the crust starts to look quite brown at the edges and the filling is bubbling
65
Allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving
66
Carefully remove rings from the pans and slide the pies onto warmed plates
67
If there is remaining gravy, serve on the side with the pie
68
Garnish with chopped parsley