BEST EVER MINI BRAISED STEAK AND ALE PIES

 

GORGEOUS MOUTHFUL OF ALL A PIE CAN BE

 

 

MAKES 36

 

Ingredients

BRAISED BEEF IN ALE

1kg chuck steak diced

2 bottles ale

2 marrow bones

3 fresh bay leaves

6 peppercorns

1 tsp dry mustard powder

1 pinch of salt and pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 tsp curry powder

1 carrot fine diced

1 stick celery fine diced

1 lrg onion fine diced

1/2 a leek fine diced

1 tbsp plain flour

1 glug oil

1 knob of butter

 

PASTRY

110g cold lard grated

100g cold butter grated

550g plain flour

180ml cold water

1 lrg pinch salt

 

Place the flour in a large bowl season with the salt, add the grated lard and cut in with a knife, repeat with the butter, add the water and bring together with your hands, careful not to over mix or work the dough to hard.  The reason for this method is to keep the fat in whole pieces in the pastry so that when it is cooking the fat will melt and create a slight light puff making the pastry deliciously light, crispy and flaky.  Wrap in paper or cling film and chill for one hour.

 

Melt the butter and oil and soften the onion, celery, carrot and leek, remove from the pan and place in your braising tin, add another glug of oil to the pan and brown off the chuck steak in batches, add this to the tin along with a tablespoon of flour.  De-glaze the pan with some beer and add to the tin along with all the other ingredients, mix well, top up with a little water if needed, cover in foil well and slowly braise in the oven at 170 degrees for 3-4 hours until the meat is falling apart.  Remove the marrow bones and bay leaves, taste and adjust seasoning if required.  If the stock gravy is a little too thin, I place the tin on the hob and reduce a little, breaking down some of the tender chunks also thickens the gravy. 

 

For the size of the pies they can be any size you want, I have a silicon tray that has 12 small wells and this is perfect for pies, mini Yorkshires, cakes etc.

 

Roll out the chilled pastry and line each pie mould, fill with your braised steak and drizzle in some gravy to give your pie that extra juicy burst of flavour.  Egg wash the top rim and place the pastry disc on top and push gently on the rim to seal, this is not that important as having some glorious meat juices escape while cooking and becoming caramelised on the edges of the pastry just makes this pie more so.

 

Egg wash the top and bake in a pre-heated oven 180 degrees for approx18 minutes, until golden brown all over.