Beef and Oyster pie

Name: Beef and Oyster pie
Prep time: 27 min
Cook time: 2 h 35 min
Total time: 3 h 2 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 2 lb beef; 3 tbsp olive oil; 3 shallots; 2 cloves garlic; 4 oz bacon; 1 tbsp thyme; 2 bay leaves; 1 ⅓ cups + 1 tbsp stout; 1 ⅔ cups + 1 tsp beef stock; 2 tbsp corn flour; 8 oysters; 14 oz all-purpose flour; pinch salt; 9 oz butter; To Glaze egg

A weekend British dinner. Ready in about 3 hours 2 minutes. Difficulty: more effort.

27 minPrep (about)
2 hr 35 minCook (about)
3 hr 2 minTotal time
4Servings
More effortDifficulty

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Ingredients

How many people?

− 8 people +

Changed from 4 to 8 people · Back to 4

Main ingredient

4 lb beef Shopping tip: Chuck roast or stew beef, cut in cubes.

Fresh & other

6 shallots
4 cloves garlic
9 oz bacon
2 ¾ cups stout
3 ½ cups beef stock Shopping tip: Beef broth (carton or can), or a beef bouillon cube in hot water.
¼ cup corn flour Shopping tip: Cornstarch (UK: cornflour).
16 oysters
1.8 lb all-purpose flour Shopping tip: All-purpose flour (UK: plain flour).
1.1 lb butter
To Glaze egg

Sauces & oils

⅓ cup + 2 tsp olive oil

Spices & seasonings (3): thyme, bay leaves, salt

2 tbsp thyme Shopping tip: Fresh sprigs or dried both work (1 tsp dried = 1 tbsp fresh).
4 bay leaves
pinch salt

How to make it

Steps in our own plain words.

Season your beef cubes with salt and black pepper.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in your frying pan.
Fry the meat over a high heat.
Do this.
Do it in three batches so you don’t overcrowd your pan, transferring the meat to a big flameproof baking dish when it is browned all over.
Add extra oil if your pan seems dry.
Add another tablespoon of oil in the same pan.
Cook the shallots for 4-5 minutes.
Add the garlic.
Fry for 30 seconds.
Add the bacon.
Fry until slightly browned.
Move the onion and bacon mixture to the baking dish.
Add the herbs.
Turn the oven on to 350°F.
Pour the stout into the frying pan.
Bring to your boil, stirring to lift any stuck-on brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Pour your stout over the beef in the baking dish.
Add the stock.
Cover the casserole.
Place it in oven for 1½-2 hours, till your beef is tender plus the sauce is reduced.
Skim off any surface fat, taste.
Add salt and pepper if necessary.
Stir in the cornflour paste.
Put the baking dish on your hob – don’t forget it will be hot –.
Simmer for 1-2 min, stirring, until thickened.
Leave to cool.
Increase oven to 400°F.
To make the pastry.
Put your flour and salt in a very big bowl.
Grate the butter.
Mix it into the flour in three batches.
Add 2 ¾ cups water – you may not need it all –.
Mix with a round-bladed knife till the mixture comes together.
Knead the pastry lightly in a ball on a lightly floured surface.
Put it to one side 1.1 lb for the pie lid.
Roll the rest of the pastry out till around ¾ inch/¾in larger than your dish you’re using.
Line your dish using your pastry then pile in your filling, tucking the oysters in as well.
Brush your edge of the pastry with beaten egg.
Roll the rest of the pastry till slightly larger than your dish and lift over your filling, pressing the edges firmly to seal.
Trim with a sharp knife.
Brush with beaten egg to glaze.
Put the dish on a baking tray.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, till your pastry is golden-brown plus the filling is bubbling.