Steak and Stilton Pie

When Baby returned from London after an over-extended two weeks away for business, I thought, "What else to do but make Steak and Stilton Pie to welcome him back?" The latest Saveur magazine has had me in fits wanting to make every recipe stuffed into its contents. As this particular recipe is such a part of British tradition neatly tying in to my borderline obsession with making pies of late, I figured it would be just perfect to welcome him back home. I did change it up though: I purchased pastry shells instead of making my own dough or filling a pie tin and topping it with pre-made puff pastry as the recipe suggests. While the cubes of London Broil (instead of beef chuck), chopped vegetables and cheese slowly simmered stove top, I baked the shells in the oven and then covered them with my stuffing. The result? Abso-bloomin-lutely delicious! And it's hearty enough not to require any accompaniment, except for loved ones of course.

Here's the proud London Broil soaking in the seasoning while I chopped the vegetables...


and after too, having gone under my knife, browning in a little olive oil!


The gorgeous latticework of sliced onions with thickly cut carrots, celery, and rosemary stewed things over before the stout beer was poured in, and the beef was added back, simmered with beef stock, dried mustard, bay leaves, quartered browned mushrooms, frozen peas and crumbled Stilton.

Enjoy, mate!

Steak and Stilton Pies
Adapted from Saveur Magazine
Serves 4
Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
1 ¼ lb. beef chuck, cut into 1" cubes
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large yellow onions, sliced
2 ribs celery, thickly sliced
2 small carrots, thickly sliced
2 tbsp. minced rosemary
1 12-oz. bottle stout beer
¼ cup flour
2 cups beef stock
2 tsp. mustard powder
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
10 oz. mushrooms, quartered
6 oz. English Stilton, crumbled
1 10-oz. package frozen peas
1 14-oz. package puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method
1. Heat oil in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper, and cook until browned, 10–12 minutes; transfer to a bowl. Add garlic, onions, celery, carrots, and rosemary to pan; cook until soft, 10–12 minutes. Add beer; cook until almost dry, 18–20 minutes. Add flour; cook, stirring, until smooth. Return beef to pan along with stock, mustard, and bay leaf; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook, covered partially, until beef is barely tender, about 1½ hours; set aside. Heat butter in a 10″ skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring, until browned all over, about 8 minutes; stir into beef mixture along with cheese and peas.

2. Heat oven to 375°. Divide beef mixture among four 6" pie tins (12 oz. each). Roll pastry into a 14" square; cut out four 6" circles. Brush tin edges with egg; place 1 circle over each; press to seal. Cut slits into pastry; brush with egg. Bake until browned, about 40 minutes.