Name: Steak and Ale Pie (beef and dark beer pie)
Prep time: 55 min
Cook time: 145 min
Total time: 260 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: britisch
Ingredients: 700 g beef cheek or braising beef, cut into 3–4 cm pieces; 100 g smoked bacon, diced; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 onions, roughly chopped; 2 carrots, cut into large pieces; 2 tbsp plain flour; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 1 tsp malt vinegar or red wine vinegar; 300 ml dark beer (brown ale or stout); 400 ml beef stock; 3 sprigs thyme; 2 bay leaves; 200 g brown mushrooms, halved; salt (generously, as the bacon and stock are already salty); black pepper, freshly ground; 300 g puff pastry, frozen, thawed; 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tbsp water; butter and flour for the dish

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 160 °C (conventional). Heat 1 tbsp oil in an ovenproof casserole, fry the bacon for 5 minutes and remove. Brown the meat in batches over high heat for 5 to 8 minutes and set aside as well.
Sweat the onions and carrots in the same pot over low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, tomato purée and vinegar, return the meat and bacon with their juices and mix well.
Pour in the beer and stock, add the thyme and bay leaves, season generously with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover and braise in the oven for about 2 hours, until the meat is completely tender.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the mushrooms for about 4 minutes until golden brown. Stir them into the stew after braising and remove the thyme and bay leaves.
Let the stew cool completely, ideally in the fridge; a cold filling keeps the puff pastry crisp when baking. Turn the oven up to 200 °C.
Grease a pie dish and dust with flour. Spoon in the meat with a slotted spoon, adding only a little sauce and saving the rest for later; the filling may rise slightly above the rim.
Lay the puff pastry over the dish as a lid, press the edge down firmly, cut a hole in the top for steam and brush with the egg yolk. Bake at 200 °C for 20 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
Warm the remaining sauce and serve it with the pie; salad or rice goes well with it.

Drink with it

Dark beer · excellent match
Brown ale, porter or stout, only lightly chilled
The beer in the glass is the beer in the sauce: roasted malt links the two, and the hop bitterness stands up to the buttery pastry and braised meat.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Sherry-cask whisky · excellent match
Sherry-cask whisky from Speyside or the Highlands, neat or with a splash of water
The malty-sweet beer gravy meets the grain in the malt, and the dried fruit and nuttiness from the sherry cask suit the slow-braised beef.
What Does the Cask Do to Whisky?
Red wine · good match
Full-bodied red wine such as Rioja Reserva or Syrah
Tannin and dark fruit support the braised beef and the roasted flavours of the crust.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing

Why it pairs well

The sherry-cask whisky is the surprise: its malt and dried fruit suit the dark beer gravy.

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 160 °C (conventional). Heat 1 tbsp oil in an ovenproof casserole, fry the bacon for 5 minutes and remove. Brown the meat in batches over high heat for 5 to 8 minutes and set aside as well.
Sweat the onions and carrots in the same pot over low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, tomato purée and vinegar, return the meat and bacon with their juices and mix well.
Pour in the beer and stock, add the thyme and bay leaves, season generously with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover and braise in the oven for about 2 hours, until the meat is completely tender.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the mushrooms for about 4 minutes until golden brown. Stir them into the stew after braising and remove the thyme and bay leaves.
Let the stew cool completely, ideally in the fridge; a cold filling keeps the puff pastry crisp when baking. Turn the oven up to 200 °C.
Grease a pie dish and dust with flour. Spoon in the meat with a slotted spoon, adding only a little sauce and saving the rest for later; the filling may rise slightly above the rim.
Lay the puff pastry over the dish as a lid, press the edge down firmly, cut a hole in the top for steam and brush with the egg yolk. Bake at 200 °C for 20 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
Warm the remaining sauce and serve it with the pie; salad or rice goes well with it.

Drink with it

Dark beer · excellent match
Brown ale, porter or stout, only lightly chilled
The beer in the glass is the beer in the sauce: roasted malt links the two, and the hop bitterness stands up to the buttery pastry and braised meat.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Sherry-cask whisky · excellent match
Sherry-cask whisky from Speyside or the Highlands, neat or with a splash of water
The malty-sweet beer gravy meets the grain in the malt, and the dried fruit and nuttiness from the sherry cask suit the slow-braised beef.
What Does the Cask Do to Whisky?
Red wine · good match
Full-bodied red wine such as Rioja Reserva or Syrah
Tannin and dark fruit support the braised beef and the roasted flavours of the crust.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing

Why it pairs well

The sherry-cask whisky is the surprise: its malt and dried fruit suit the dark beer gravy.

Steak and Ale Pie (beef and dark beer pie)

Preparation

Drink with it

Brown ale, porter or stout, only lightly chilled

Sherry-cask whisky from Speyside or the Highlands, neat or with a splash of water

Full-bodied red wine such as Rioja Reserva or Syrah

This pairs well too.

Oven-Roasted Wild Boar

Venison Goulash with Porcini and Lingonberries

Venison Roast in Buttermilk and Red Wine Marinade

Wild Boar Goulash

Steak and Ale Pie (beef and dark beer pie)

Preparation

Drink with it

Brown ale, porter or stout, only lightly chilled

Sherry-cask whisky from Speyside or the Highlands, neat or with a splash of water

Full-bodied red wine such as Rioja Reserva or Syrah

This pairs well too.

Oven-Roasted Wild Boar

Venison Goulash with Porcini and Lingonberries

Venison Roast in Buttermilk and Red Wine Marinade

Wild Boar Goulash