Braised beef in bitter beer, with mushrooms and green peppercorn pie
Item 1 of 1
- medium
- 6
- 2 hours
In this comforting beef and ale pie recipe from Paul Heathcote, beef is braised in bitter and served with a delicious flaky mushroom pie topping. This is a perfect beef dish when you're looking for some tasty comfort food. When selecting bitters to cook with, choose a British ale that has a nice malty character, such as a session bitter or mild, that will accentuate the richness of the beef as opposed to lager or pale ale.
First published in 2015
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Braised bitter beer beef
- 1.2kg 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
- 75ml of red wine vinegar
- 200ml of bitter beer
- 1.1l beef stock
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1 dash of gravy browning
- 1 handful of chives, chopped
Mushroom pies
- 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
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Thermometer
- 6 ramekins
- Large saucepan
Method
1
For the braised beef, season with salt and brown the beef in oil in a pan until golden brown all over
- 1.2kg braising beef
- sea salt to season
- 1 dash of vegetable oil
2
Add the peeled carrots, halved onions, bay leaf and garlic to the pan
- 6 carrots
- 3 small onions
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 garlic clove
3
Sprinkle in the sugar and allow the beef and vegetables to caramelise
- 10g of sugar
4
Remove the meat and vegetables from the pan and deglaze the pan with the red wine vinegar followed by red wine
- 75ml of red wine vinegar
- 125ml of bottle of red wine
5
Place the meat, vegetables and sprig of thyme back into the pan. Add the bitter beer next, bring the liquid to the boil and then add the stock. Cook this for about 1 ¾ hours at 160°C until very tender
- 200ml of bitter beer
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- 1.1l beef stock
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
- 1 dash of gravy browning
- 1 tsp cornflour
7
For the pie, fry off the button mushrooms in a few drops of oil until golden
- 24 button mushrooms
- 1 dash of vegetable oil
8
Add the shallots and stir for about 15 seconds until golden, then remove from the heat and scrape onto a plate. Set aside
- 1 shallot
9
In a thick bottomed pan add the butter and leave to melt. Stir in the flour and make a roux base
- 25g of butter
- 25g of plain flour
10
On a low heat, add the hot milk (making sure the bay leaf has been removed) incrementally, and stir in well each time
- 600ml of milk
11
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
- 25g of green peppercorns
- 2 handfuls of parsley
- sea salt to season
12
Place the mix into small pie dishes, 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
- 1 egg
- 1 sheet of puff pastry, cut into 6 equal circles the same size as your ramekins
13
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 (as in the image above)
- 1 handful of chives
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