I absolutely love making this recipe, particularly when the weather turns cold and I am in need of a big hug in the form of a comforting homemade meat dish that fills the house with the most wonderful of aromas. Giving me the perfect excuse to invite some friends over for a couple of glasses of red wine and a big plate of homemade Beef Cheek Pie!
INGREDIENTS: serves 4 people
3 x Beef Cheeks approximate weight. 800g (ask your butcher for pastured raised beef cheeks)
1 x 330ml Stone & Wood Jasper Ale (you can substitute for other dark ales if you’d like)
1 x Brown Onion
1 x Carrot
3 x Springs Thyme
2 x Fresh Bay Leaves
Freshly ground white pepper
Olsson Sea Salt Flakes
1 sheet Puff Pastry
1 whole egg
COOKING METHOD: MARINATE OVERNIGHT:
- Place beef cheeks in a small bowl and pour over the beer, making sure the beef cheeks are fully submerged in the beer
- Cling Wrap the bowl and place in the fridge overnight to marinate
FOLLOWING DAY:
- Preheat your oven to 200 Celsius (fan forced oven)
- Remove the beef cheeks from the beer (keep the beer) and place the beef cheeks in an oven proof baking tray, place the beef cheeks evenly on the bottom of the tray (they can be snug next to each other – just not doubled up)
- Peel and cut the onion in half, before slicing thinly. Top and tail the carrot then cut across so you get rounds approximately two centimetres thick, then scatter both the onions and carrots evenly over the beef cheeks. Scatter the thyme and bay leaves over the top, season with freshly ground white pepper (approximately ½ TSP). Pour in the beer over the top of the beef cheeks and vegetables
- Place a piece of baking paper over the top of the beef cheeks and vegetables. Cover the baking tray with two layers of foil, press the foil and sides of the baking tray together firmly to create a good seal. Place the baking tray on the middle shelf in your oven, cook at 200 Celsius (fan forced oven) for 40 minutes
- After 40 minutes reduce the temperature to 125 Celsius (fan forced oven) and cook for 5 hours (or until the beef is pull apart soft)
- Remove the baking tray from the oven, place the baking tray on a cake rack and carefully remove the foil (the baking tray will be full of steam so take care when lifting and removing the foil and baking paper)
- Leave the baking tray on the cake rack to cool for 15-20mins
- Once cool, remove and discard the thyme and bay leaves
- Carefully pour most of the cooking liquid into a seperate bowl, whilst leaving approximately 1 TBS of cooking liquid in the baking tray
- Using two forks “pull apart” the beef cheeks, remove and discard any hard fat. Combine the pulled beef cheeks with the rest of the ingredients in the baking tray to create your pie mix (you want the pie mix to be reasonably thick / firm). Season with salt and pepper to taste (you can add a touch more liquid if you feel it needs more)
- Once mixed transfer the pie mix to a plastic container and put in the fridge to go cold (this might take 2 hours depending on your fridge)
- Preheat your oven as per packet instructions on your puff pastry packet
- Once the pie mix is cold remove from the fridge and spoon the mixture into your 1 litre Wiltshire Enamel Dish – pushing down the mixture to ensure it is compact and an even coverage – fill the dish with pie mixture until just under the raised part of the enamel dish
- Place your puff pastry sheet over the top of the enamel dish, press the pastry into the side of the dish just above the pie mix and then cut off any excess pastry – then again gently press the pastry into the enamel dish to create a good seal
- Crack an egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork until fluffy. Using a pastry brush evenly coat the top of your puff pastry with the egg mixture (you will not need to use all the egg)
- Place the enamel dish in the oven and cook as per puff pastry pack instructions until golden brown
- Once the pastry is golden brown, remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
- Serve with mash potatoes and peas
- You can also use the pie mixture to serve with pasta, simply add a little more of the cooking liquid to the pie mix, cook some pasta or gnocchi mix together and your done
- The pie mixture is also suitable for freezing
TIPS:
- I usually double the recipe and make enough pie mix for two pies, so I can freeze one for enjoying later
- You can also cook the beef cheeks in a slow cooker if you’d prefer
- It is important that you create a good seal as you do not want any of the moisture to escape during the cooking process
- Keep any leftover cooking liquid and use as a beef stock, the liquid is suitable for freezing once cold
- You can also use the cooking liquid as a base for a noodle broth, simple reheat, add some extra vegetables like; broccoli, peas, cabbage and noodles, season to taste and enjoy!
- The cooking liquid would also make a great stock for cooking a hearty mushroom risotto
We’d love to see you Beef Cheek Pie creations, be sure to tag us on Instagram @tastebyronbay so we can see your homemade awesomeness!
T x
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