This week’s recipe is another comfort food. I’ve adjusted my favorite pie crust by decreasing the sugar in it for you. Save the sweet crusts for desserts! If you don’t feel like you have the time or energy for a homemade crust, go get two pie crusts from your local grocer, although the homemade pie crust will be a million times better. That’s my (humble- hee hee) opinion.
This recipe was adapted from The Best Make-Ahead Recipe book by the editors at Cook’s Illustrated.
Enjoy!
Tawna
Beef Pot Pie
Make pie crust, pat into two balls, cover, and set in the fridge until your filling is ready.
Pie Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1/2 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cups chilled vegetable shortening
6 Tablespoons butter, chopped and chilled (pull from the fridge right before you add it). NO SUBSTITUTES!
2-5 Tablespoons ice water
Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender, then butter. The texture should be grainy and have chunks about the size of small peas. Sprinkle ice water over the top, and incorporate with a fork until the dough comes together.
Filling:
3 lb. chuck roast, cut into one inch cubes
Salt and pepper (I love fresh ground)
2-4 Tablespoons canola oil
1/2 stick butter
12 ounces chopped mushrooms
1 medium yellow onion, minced
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, smashed with the back of your knife and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup cooking sherry (I found it near the vinegars at Wal-Mart)
4 cups chicken broth (low sodium is best….if regular, reduce salt when you add to taste)
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 bag petite frozen peas
Cut roast. Put canola oil into a heavy bottomed frying pan, and brown the meat with salt and pepper over medium-low heat. Leave a little pink inside the meat (the low heat, slightly undercooked meat helps with tenderness). Transfer the meat to a plate, then using the same frying pan, add butter and melt. Add your mushrooms, onions, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir and cook until the vegetables have released their liquid and have started to brown (10-15 minutes).
Next, add flour and coat the vegetables. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add the sherry, scraping up all the browned bits. Slowly whisk in broth and evaporated milk. Cook and stir until it all begins to simmer and become smooth.
Add the meat back into the sauce, add the peas, and pour into two greased, 9 inch pie plates. Get your dough out of the fridge, roll out, and cover the top of the meat mixture. Crimp edges. (Yes, you want a top crust ONLY).
Bake in a 375 degree oven until the filling is hot and the the crust is golden, 30-40 minutes.
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