Guinness Pie
Ingredients
For the Stew:
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 2 large red onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 10 mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
- 3-pounds brisket or stew meat, chopped into bite-size pieces
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 cans Guinness beer
- 8 ounces Cheddar, freshly grated
For the Pastry:
- 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2-¼ tsp. baking powder
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, very cold, diced
- 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
Instructions
To prepare the stew:
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large, ovenproof pan fitted with a lid, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter, over medium-low heat.
- Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft; about 10 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are dark in color and the moisture released by them has evaporated; about 15 minutes.
- Season the beef pieces all over with salt and pepper.
- Add the beef, flour and rosemary to the pan and cook, over high heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
- Add enough Guinness to just cover the beef.
- Cover the pan and put it in the oven for 1-1/2 hours.
- Remove from the oven and stir; return to the oven and cook for 1 hour more.
- If it remains thin, set the pan over medium-low heat, remove the lid and reduce the liquid.
- Once cooked, season to taste with salt and pepper; add in about 1/2 of the cheddar.
To prepare the pastry:
- While the stew is cooking, prepare the pastry.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Using a pastry cutter, or your hands, quickly work the butter into the dough until it is the texture of coarse meal.
- Add ice water, a splash at a time, until a firm dough forms.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Remove from refrigerator and place the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap and, using a rolling pin, roll to the thickness of a computer mouse pad.
To assemble the Guinness pie for baking:
- Pour the stew into an 8-inch-square, 2-inch-high Pyrex dish or a deep 9-inch pie pan.
- Scatter the remaining cheese across the top.
- Place the dough on top of the pie and pinch it closed around the edges using the tines of a fork; slash the center lightly with a knife.
- Brush with the egg yolk, place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the pastry is puffy and golden.