Luxury Christmas Pie Recipe

By James Maddock

Published 27/06/2011

This recipe is part of the December 2005 Recipes Menu.

Instead of having a turkey for Christmas lunch, why not try this luxury Christmas Pie. This can be made in advance and placed into the freezer until the day before the meal, then taken out to defrost for the Christmas lunch.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 large onion, peel and sliced
• 8oz button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2lbs lean braising steak, cut into strips
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 4 rashers streaky bacon or pancetta, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 pint cider, ale or stock
• 2 tablespoons crème frâiche
• enough puff pastry for your chosen pie dish
• 1 egg

Method

• Heat the oil in a large pan.
• Fry the onion, garlic and bacon for 3-4 minutes to soften.
• Add the strips of meat.
• Cook until browned all over.
• Add the flour and stir well.
• Heat the cider, ale or stock and add the Worcestershire sauce.
• Whisk in the crème frâiche.
• Pour into the pan with the meat and stir well.
• Bring to the boil and simmer, covered for 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally.
• Preheat the oven to 200oC/400oF/gas mark6.
• Add the sliced mushrooms and celery to the meat in the pan.
• Stir and turn off the heat.
• Place the meat filling in a pie dish.
• Roll out pastry on a floured surface.
• Cut a strip to be placed around the rim of the pie dish.
• Brush the rim of the dish with water and press on the pastry strip.
• Brush the strip with water and top with the pastry lid.
• Make a stream hole in the pastry and decorate with trimmings.
• Beat the egg and brush over the pastry.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is puffy and golden.

Prep Time: minutes

Cook Time: minutes

Yield: