Beef Stilton And Ale Pie Recipes

THE BEST STEAK & ALE PIE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Fry the bacon and onions until pale golden in colour and then add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Set aside using a slotted spoon.
• Season the steak with salt and pepper and dredge with flour. Now heat 1-2 tbsp of oil to the frying pan and add the steak, you may have to do this in batches. Fry the meat until it is well browned all over. Add more oil if necessary. Set aside.
• Deglaze the frying pan with half of the ale. Bring the ale to the boil and stir hard to remove all the sediment from the base of the pan. Transfer the steak and bacon to the frying pan then add the remaining ale, stock, tomato puree, horseradish and herbs to the dish. Bring to the boil and then cover, simmer for 1 ½ hour or until the meat is very tender. Mix the corn flour with 2tbsp of cold water and add to the pan. Continue to simmer uncovered for a further 5 minutes or until the juices are thick. Season to taste and allow to cool.
• In the meantime preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Remove the bay leaves and then strain the liquid from the meat but add some of the gravy to the meat suit your taste. Set aside the rest of the gravy to serve with the pie.
• Roll out the short crust pastry to 4mm thick and line a 1.2 litre pie dish, leave the excess pastry hanging over the edge. Spoon the cooled beef mixture into the dish, brush the edge of the pastry with the beaten egg.
• Roll out the puff pastry to 4mm thick and large enough to cover the pie. Place the pastry over the pie and press the edges firmly together to seal and trim neatly. Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg. Decorate with trimmings and brush with more egg to glaze. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the pastry has puffed and is golden brown. Serve with mash, seasonal vegetables and the remaining gravy. Enjoy!

STEAK & BLUE CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• First, make the pastry. Put the flour, mustard powder, ½ tsp salt, the lard and butter in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add 1 egg and pulse again. Add 1 tbsp cold water, if needed, until it forms a short pastry. Knead quickly into a ball, then wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins. Can be made three days ahead or frozen for two months.
• Season the steak generously and toss with the flour and mustard powder. Heat half the oil in a large pan. Brown the meat in a few batches, adding more oil as you need to and making sure you don't overcrowd the pan. Turn the meat only when the underside has a nice dark crust. Transfer the chunks to a plate as you go.
• Add the bacon to the pan and fry until beginning to crisp. Tip in the carrots, onions and bay leaves and cook for another few mins until the veg is soft. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and tomato purée for 1 min, scraping the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan, then add the stock, thyme and browned beef. Season, cover the pan and simmer gently for 2½ hrs, stirring now and again to prevent the sauce from sticking, until the beef is tender. Remove the lid for the last 30 mins to thicken the sauce. Alternatively, braise in the oven at 160C/140C fan/gas 3 for the same amount of time. Leave to cool. Can be chilled for up to three days, or frozen for two months.
• Transfer the beef to a pie dish and crumble the cheese over the top. Place the marrowbone in the centre, nestling it into the meat. Alternatively, use a pie funnel or piping nozzle. Roll out the pastry on a floured worktop until large enough to cover the pie and about ½cm thick. Brush the remaining beaten egg over the edges of the pie dish, drape the pastry over, trim the excess and pinch around the edge to seal. Cut a hole for the marrowbone or pie funnel to poke through, and brush the top all over with beaten egg. Use the pastry trimmings to decorate the pie however you like. Chill for about 30 mins while you heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• If you have any beaten egg left, give the pie a final brush for extra glossiness. Bake for 45-50 mins until the pastry is deep golden.

BEEF, GUINNESS AND STILTON PIE

Steps:

• Put the seasoned flour in a large bowl or bag. Add the beef and coat it well. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan and cook the beef in 2 batches for 3-4 minutes until browned all over.
• Transfer it to a casserole dish. Preheat the oven to or 160°C (150 fan) Add the onion and garlic and another tablespoon of the oil to the pan and cook them for 5 minutes until softened.
• Pour in the Guinness and stock. Bring to the boil and add the sugar, salt, Worcestershire sauce, dried herbs and bay leaf. Stir well and then pour over the meat.
• Cover and cook in the oven for two hours. Add the button mushrooms for the last 30 minutes of cooking. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C (180 fan) Roll out the pastry on a lightly-floured surface to at least 5cm (2in) larger than the top of a pudding or pie dish. Cut out a circle, and then score it. Spoon the meat mixture into the bowl and add pieces of Stilton. Wet around the top of the dish, place a collar of pastry around, made from trimmings, and then put on the lid. Seal the edges well; tuck the excess pastry under the rim.
• Glaze with beaten egg. Place on a baking sheet, below the centre of the oven, and bake for 45-50 minutes, until the pastry is golden.

WARWICK DAVIS' STEAK & STILTON PIE

Steps:

• Slice the beef into 2.5cm chunks, then toss with the flour and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
• Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil into a large pan on a medium heat, then brown the beef all over. Remove to a plate, leaving the pan on the heat.
• Peel and roughly chop the onions, carrots and celery. Add to the pan with the bay leaves and cook for 5 minutes, or until starting to soften, stirring occasionally. Remove to the plate with the meat.
• Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and chop into 1cm cubes. Pour the wine into the empty pan and leave it to reduce by half, then add the meat and softened veg back to the pan, along with the potatoes.
• Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours 30 minutes, or until the meat is tender, adding splashes of water to loosen, if needed. Once cooked, season to perfection and leave to cool.
• For the pastry, put the flour and a good pinch of sea salt into a food processor, cube and add the butter, then pulse until just combined. Pick and roughly chop the herb leaves, add to the processor with 100ml of ice-cold water, and pulse again until it forms a rough dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3 and lightly oil a 20cm loose-bottomed round cake tin.
• Roll out two-thirds of the pastry on a clean flour-dusted surface to 2mm thick. Loosely roll it around the rolling pin and unroll it over the cake tin, gently easing it into the shape of the tin. Patch up any holes and trim the edges.
• Spoon in two-thirds of the cooled filling (freeze the rest and serve as a stew another day). Crumble over the Stilton and brush the pastry edges with beaten egg.
• Roll out the remaining pastry so it's slightly bigger than the tin and top the pie, crimping the edges to seal. Make a small incision in the centre so steam can escape. Use any spare pastry to decorate the pie, if you like.
• Eggwash the top, then bake at the bottom of the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the pastry is golden and the pie is piping hot. Leave to stand for 30 minutes, then serve up. Delicious with creamy mash, extra gravy and steamed seasonal greens.

BEEF, STILTON AND GUINNESS PIE

Steps:

• Cut 1kg braising beef into large chunks. Put the beef, 2 chopped cloves of garlic, a small bunch of thyme leaves, 1 tbsp black peppercorns and 500ml Guinness into a bowl. Cover and marinate for 2 hours.
• Take out the beef, pat dry and toss in 6 tbsp flour. Strain the marinade and keep the liquid. Heat some oil in a casserole dish and brown the beef all over. Remove, brown 8 halved shallots in the dish, then return the beef and the marinade to the pan. Cover and simmer for about 1½ hours or until tender.
• Heat the oven to 200c/fan 180c/gas 6. Roll out a 500g block of puff pastry to the thickness of a pound coin. Sprinkle 100g stilton over one half, fold the other half on top and roll again to the same thickness. Cut out pastry to fit the tops of 4 pie dishes (or use one big one). Divide the filling between the dishes, brush a little beaten egg around the rims and top with pastry. Crimp the edges and brush with more egg. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden.

BEEF ALE AND STILTON PIE

Steps:

• Put the porter ale, beef, garlic, thyme and peppercorns into a bowl.
• Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight.
• Remove the beef from the marinade, pat dry with kitchen paper and dredge in the seasoned flour.
• Strain the marinade through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and set aside.
• *Note: you only want the liquid so throw away all the other bits (peppercorns and thyme etc).
• Heat the oil and one tablespoon of the butter in a flameproof casserole and fry the beef in small batches for 2-3 minutes each time, or until browned all over.
• Once the meat is browned, remove from the casserole dish and set aside.
• Return the casserole dish to the heat and fry the mushrooms and onions for about 5 minutes, or until softened.
• Add the tomato puree, and cook for a minute before adding the Worcestershire sauce and redcurrant jelly.
• Now return the beef and the reserved marinating liquid to the casserole and add the beef stock.
• Cover with a lid and gently simmer for about 2½ hours, or until the beef is nice and tender.
• When the beef is lovely and tender, strain off half of the cooking liquid from the casserole dish and set aside to make the gravy for serving.
• Remove from the heat and crumble the Stilton into the casserole and stir until nicely melted.
• Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside to cool right down.
• While that's happening you can preheat your oven and get the pastry at the ready!
• Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of about 3 quarters of an inch and cut large enough to cover your pie dish.
• My dish was about 10 inches by 7 inches.
• Line the edge of your pie dish with a strip of pastry like in the picture.
• I'm not good with pastry but whatever it tastes okay and that's all that matters, isn't it?!
• Brush the edges of the pastry with some of the beaten egg and lay over the pie dish.
• Crimp the pastry all around the edge to seal, then trim off any excess pastry.
• Make a small hole in the middle of the pie top so that the steam can escape whilst cooking. Brush all over some of the beaten egg.
• Put the pie into the oven to bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden and the filling is piping hot.
• Put the reserved cooking liquid into a small saucepan and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until reduced to a gravy consistency.
• Stir in a knob of butter until melted, and the sauce is smooth and glossy.
• Keep it warm until needed.
• When the pie is cooked serve with mashed potato and the gravy.

BEEF AND ALE PIE

Steps:

• Dip the meat into the seasoned flour, then place a large lidded pan on the hob.
• Heat half the butter in the pan and add the meat. Sear all over until golden brown.
• Add the vegetables and herbs, then pour in the ale and stock. Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and gently simmer on the stove for 1½ hours.
• Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
• Once cooked, season the stew, add the remaining butter and tip into an ovenproof serving dish. Brush the edge of the dish with the beaten egg.
• If necessary, roll out the pastry using as little flour as possible and place over the dish. Pinch the edges of the dish so that the pastry will stick to it and trim off any remaining pieces of pastry from around the edge. Cut the leftover pastry into leaves and add them to the top, using the beaten egg as a 'glue', for decoration.
• Brush the pastry top thoroughly with the remaining beaten egg and place on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown on top. Serve.

STEAK AND BLUE CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a casserole or heavy-based lidded pan over a high heat, and fry the steak pieces until deep golden brown all over (you may need to do this in batches). Scoop the browned steak into a bowl as you fry.
• Reduce the heat slightly and add the onions to the pan with a dash more oil, if needed. Fry for 8-10 minutes, or until soft and lightly golden. Sprinkle over the flour and stir until combined, then slowly pour in the ale, a little at a time, stirring continuously until the flour has absorbed the liquid and expanded (this prevents clumps from forming). When all the ale has been incorporated, add the herbs and sugar. Bring to a simmer, then return the steak to the pan along with the stock. Return to a gentle simmer, cover and cook over a low heat for 2 hours-2 hours 30 minutes, or until the meat is very tender. Remove the lid for the final 20-30 minutes to reduce the gravy so it's thick enough to coat the meat.
• Season well and stir in the vinegar. Add a pinch more sugar if needed, depending on the bitterness of the beer used. Leave to cool completely, then chill overnight (this prevents the cheese dissolving into the gravy and the pastry from melting on top before baking).
• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Crumble the cheese into large pieces and stir through the cold filling mixture. Tip into a lipped pie dish.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface until about 5mm thick, and just a little larger than the pie dish. Brush some of the beaten egg along the rim of the dish. Lift the pastry lid over the top, press along the rim to seal, trim away any excess and crimp the edge. Glaze with more of the egg, and decorate with any pastry off-cuts, if you like. Cut a small steam hole in the top, and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden, puffed up and bubbling.

BRITISH OPEN TOP STEAK, ALE AND STILTON PUB STYLE PIES

Steps:

• Peel and chop the onions. Cut up the braising steak into small cubes.
• Heat some oil in a large and deep saucepan. Add the onions and sauté gently for about five minutes until soft.
• Add the meat and cook to seal.
• Add the flour and stir in to meat juices.
• Continue to cook to cook out the flour, adding the beer gradually to prevent sticking to the pan until all the beer has been added.
• Add beef stock cubes, salt and pepper to taste and stir until dissolved.
• Add water to thin down the gravy. The amount will vary according to how much juice has come out of the meat so add gradually until the right consistency is achieved.
• Add the English mustard and mix well.
• Once boiling reduce the heat, cover and simmer very gently for at least two hours.
• Allow to cool slightly.
• Pre-heat oven to 210C/425°F.
• Roll out the ready made shortcrust pastry and line 4 individual pie moulds with it - I used a Yorkshire pudding tin - the diameter of the moulds in the tin was 5" - or use individual aluminium pie containers.
• Line each pastry round with greaseproof paper and bake blind for about 5 - 10 minutes; using baking beans or heavy beans to keep the pastry flat.
• Remove the greaseproof paper and beans; divide the steak in ale mixture between the 4 pies.
• Mix the Stilton cheese into the ready-made and well seasoned mashed potato and pile on top of the steak and pastry bases.
• Place a knob of butter on top of each mashed potato topping and bake in the oven for about 10 - 15 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and the potato and Stilton cheese topping is golden brown & bubbling.
• Serve with extra ale gravy if desired and seasonal vegetables - OR allow to cool, wrap and take on a picnic!
• You can prepare and part cook your Steak and Ale Pie on the one day and then complete the cooking on the following day which will allow the flavours to come out even more.
• Suggested Ales: Theakson's Old Peculiar; Old Speckled Hen; Hobgoblin Strong Dark Ale; Hooky Dark.

BEEF AND STILTON PIE

Steps:

• Use the pastry to line a medium sized oven proof pie dish.
• For the pie filling, place the beef, garlic, thyme, peppercorns and ale into a bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours, but preferably overnight.
• Remove the beef from the marinade, pat dry with kitchen paper and dredge in the seasoned flour. Strain the marinade through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and set aside.
• Heat the oil and 1 tbsp of the butter in a flameproof casserole dish and fry the beef in small batches for 2-3 minutes each time, or until browned all over. Once the meat is browned, remove from the casserole dish and set aside.
• Return the casserole dish to the heat and fry the mushrooms and shallots for 4-5 minutes, or until softened.
• Return the beef and the reserved marinating liquid to the casserole and add the beef stock. Cover with a lid and gently simmer for 1½ hours, or until the beef is tender.
• Strain off half of the cooking liquid from the casserole dish and set aside to make gravy for serving.
• Crumble the Stilton into the casserole and stir until melted. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Put the pie filling into the pie shell and top with a layer of pastry. -Remember to cut slits in the top and crimp the edges together, then glaze with beaten egg.
• Cook for approx 40 mins until pastry is golden.
• Place the reserved cooking liquid into a clean pan and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until reduced to a gravy consistency. Stir in the remaining tbsp of butter until melted, and the sauce is smooth and glossy. Keep warm.
• Serve the pie with the gravy and veg (celeriac mash goes well).