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Guinness Pie

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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.