How To Make Our Luxurious Beef Featherblade Pie

Name: How To Make Our Luxurious Beef Featherblade Pie
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 h
Total time: 5 h 20 min
Yield: Serves 4-6

20 mins
5 hours
easy
Serves 4-6

Recipe by

Jeff Baker

Ingredients

Ingredients for the pie
1kg Beef featherblade
400ml Stout
200ml Ruby port
12 juniper berries
a pinch of ground allspice
beef dripping or oil for searing
1 large brown onion diced
2 large carrots, peeled & diced
1 tsp. Tomato puree
2 tsp. F&Co English mustard
400ml beef stock
Salt & black pepper
Small bunch flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
Corn flour mixed with a little cold water to thicken
1 batch shortcrust pastry (or 500g pack store-bought)
1 egg yolk mixed with a splash of milk to glaze
Ingredients for the short crust pastry
300g all purpose plain flour
100g unsalted butter (cold & diced)
50g lard (cold & diced)
Pinch fine sea salt
1 free-range egg
Splash ice cold water

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Introduction

Pies are one of my all time favourite items whether I'm searching for a quick fix or entertaining special guests. There so versatile from the varying fillings & styles of pastry, here we are staying quite traditional making homemade pastry (optional) with the addition of a little luxury using ruby Port to counteract the savoury stout & aromatic spices, the end result being indulgent & rich hunks of beef in a rather classy stout & Port gravy, delicious!

Method

Sift the flour into a large bowl then add the salt, butter & lard.
Gently rub the fats into the flour until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the beaten egg & a little water mix together to create a dough, adding too much water or overworking will make the pastry tough.
Wrap in cling film & chill for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 2 days (if you want to pre make the pastry).

Preheat the oven to 160°C or 140°C fan assisted (gas 3).
In a heavy based casserole dish over a medium high heat sear the beef & vegetables until nicely browned, remove & keep to one side.
Add the tomato paste, mustard, spices, stout & port & reduce by half, then pour over the stock, bring to a boil & thicken with the corn flour mix before placing the beef & vegetables back in the casserole dish.
Place in the oven covered & braise for 3 hours, turning after 2 hours, basting regularly with the stock or until the beef is tender when pierced with a skewer.
Remove the beef & vegetables from the stock, place on a deep serving dish & cover with foil.
Reduce the stock until you reach a rich sauce like consistency, season to taste then, pull the beef using 2 forks then bind in a little reduced sauce with the chopped parsley leaving any excess to serve with the finished pie.

Serve with thick cut Parmesan wedges & tender stem broccoli or stay more traditional with glazed carrots, mashed potatoes & extra f&co mustard at the table.