French food friday...Beef bourguignon pie

 recipe and photo from here

Bonjour mes belles,

Hope that you have all had a fabulous week.  We are in the mood for cosy as here in SW France the weather has been mixed and there is nothing nicer than the smell of beef bourguignon simmering away on the stove, that and the fact that the beef was on special this week and our local butcher saved us the best pieces and this recipe is perfect as it is a French classic with a slight twist...

Beef bourguignon pie

Serves:  4
Preparation time:  15 minutes  
Cooking time:  2 hours 30 minutes

You will need
 1 kg beef shin or chuck steak, cubed  
1 1⁄2 tbsp plain flour  
1 tsp salt  
1 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, diced  
3 garlic cloves, crushed 2 onions, diced  
2 bay leaves  
675ml red wine (Burgundy is traditional)  
2 tbsp tomato purée  
1 tsp sugar  
2 tbsp cassis or sherry (optional)  
150g lardons or streaky bacon, cut into strips  
200g button mushrooms, halved
 375g puff pastry  
1 egg beaten  
4 ovenproof bowls or pudding containers

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C/gas mark 8. Dust the beef in the flour, salt and pepper. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a casserole dish over high heat, and brown half of the meat. Remove and add another tablespoon of oil before browning the other half (try not to crowd the pan – you don’t want the meat to stew).
2. Remove the meat and add one tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Sauté the carrots, garlic and onions until the onion is translucent. Return the meat to the pan. Add the bay leaves and red wine. Scrape up the sediment on the bottom of the pan with a spoon and encourage it to join the stew. This is where the flavour is.
3. Simmer over a low heat with the lid off for two hours, or longer if you have it. An hour before serving, add the tomato purée and sugar. (If you feel inclined, add the cassis or sherry.)
4. Just before serving, brown the lardons in a frying pan. Add the mushrooms and fry them in the fat that’s been rendered from the lardons. Add both to the beef stew. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Divide the stew among four pie dishes. Divide the pastry into four, roll out on a lightly floured surface and place on top of the pies. Seal around the edges of the dishes. Brush with beaten egg, make a cut in the centre to allow the steam to escape and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden.

....bon appetit à tous, Leeann x