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madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Beef Cheek and Stout Pie with Stilton Pastry.
This recipe comes from the British chef of Duck & Waffle in London. I have made a few of his recipes before but this one is a bit more indulgent.
Pastry:
6 oz crumbled Stilton, or any strong blue cheese
2 2/3 cups flour
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup ice-old water
1 egg, lightly beaten
Filling:
1/2 cup olive oil
5 lb beef cheeks or brisket, trimmed and halved
salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic (Ha! I used... more.)
3 large onions - one roughly chopped, 2 thinly sliced
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, ditto
16 oz stout beer (I used Guinness)
3 cups beef stock (I used house-made)
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig thyme
1 cup Worcestershire sauce (! I halved the amount)
Make the filling: heat oven to 375. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper; cook in batches as needed until browned, 6-8 minutes. Transfer beef to a plate and set aside. Add garlic, chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until golden, 8-10 minutes. Add beer and cook until reduced by half, 5-7 minutes. Return beef to pan along with stock and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven. Braise the beef until very tender, 2-2 1/2 hours.
Let beef cool. Remove to a cutting board and shred into bite-sized pieces. Strain the sauce into a bowl and stir in beef.
Meanwhile, caramelize the onions for 35-45 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce; cook until evaporated, 2-3 minutes. Stir into beef mixture.
Meanwhile meanwhile, make the pastry. Pulse the Stilton, flour, butter, and salt in a fud processor into pea-size crumbles. With the motor running, slowly add water; mix until dough forms. Flatten dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until ready for use.
Assemble and bake the pie: Heat oven to 350. Pour filling into a 9x13 baking dish. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry about 1/6" thick and 13x17" rectangle. Brush edges of baking dish with egg. Place pastry over filling and trim excess. Use a fork to press pastry to edges of plate. Brush top with egg and cut three slits in the top. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 75 minutes.
What worked: This was a rich, hearty, indulgent winter dish - sort of a beef cheek cobbler. It was quite good. The blue cheese (surprisingly to me) was quite noticeable in the top crust. I made a half batch and used an 8x8" dish, partly because I only had 2.5 lb beef cheeks, mostly because the two of us didn't need a 9x13 dish of it.
I doubled the caramelized onions and that worked well. I didn't bother straining the sauce (most of it had actually cooked off) so left the soft veg in, which was fine.
What didn't: This was a rich, hearty, indulgent winter dish - and it was 85 degrees out. I accidentally made a full batch of pastry, so half of it went into the freezer. (I'm thinking it would work well to top a butternut squash cobbler.)
Will I make it again? On fairly rare occasions, sure. I am more likely to make the blue cheese pastry for other dishes.
This recipe comes from the British chef of Duck & Waffle in London. I have made a few of his recipes before but this one is a bit more indulgent.
Pastry:
6 oz crumbled Stilton, or any strong blue cheese
2 2/3 cups flour
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup ice-old water
1 egg, lightly beaten
Filling:
1/2 cup olive oil
5 lb beef cheeks or brisket, trimmed and halved
salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic (Ha! I used... more.)
3 large onions - one roughly chopped, 2 thinly sliced
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, ditto
16 oz stout beer (I used Guinness)
3 cups beef stock (I used house-made)
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig thyme
1 cup Worcestershire sauce (! I halved the amount)
Make the filling: heat oven to 375. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper; cook in batches as needed until browned, 6-8 minutes. Transfer beef to a plate and set aside. Add garlic, chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until golden, 8-10 minutes. Add beer and cook until reduced by half, 5-7 minutes. Return beef to pan along with stock and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven. Braise the beef until very tender, 2-2 1/2 hours.
Let beef cool. Remove to a cutting board and shred into bite-sized pieces. Strain the sauce into a bowl and stir in beef.
Meanwhile, caramelize the onions for 35-45 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce; cook until evaporated, 2-3 minutes. Stir into beef mixture.
Meanwhile meanwhile, make the pastry. Pulse the Stilton, flour, butter, and salt in a fud processor into pea-size crumbles. With the motor running, slowly add water; mix until dough forms. Flatten dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until ready for use.
Assemble and bake the pie: Heat oven to 350. Pour filling into a 9x13 baking dish. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry about 1/6" thick and 13x17" rectangle. Brush edges of baking dish with egg. Place pastry over filling and trim excess. Use a fork to press pastry to edges of plate. Brush top with egg and cut three slits in the top. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 75 minutes.
What worked: This was a rich, hearty, indulgent winter dish - sort of a beef cheek cobbler. It was quite good. The blue cheese (surprisingly to me) was quite noticeable in the top crust. I made a half batch and used an 8x8" dish, partly because I only had 2.5 lb beef cheeks, mostly because the two of us didn't need a 9x13 dish of it.
I doubled the caramelized onions and that worked well. I didn't bother straining the sauce (most of it had actually cooked off) so left the soft veg in, which was fine.
What didn't: This was a rich, hearty, indulgent winter dish - and it was 85 degrees out. I accidentally made a full batch of pastry, so half of it went into the freezer. (I'm thinking it would work well to top a butternut squash cobbler.)
Will I make it again? On fairly rare occasions, sure. I am more likely to make the blue cheese pastry for other dishes.
