Beef and Ale Pie

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the pastry

   Whisk the flour and salt together in a wide bowl. Drop in the cold butter cubes and toss them to coat, then flatten each one between your fingertips into a rough sheet. Keep going until the bowl is full of floury butter flakes ranging from pea-sized to almond-sized. Those visible pieces of butter are what turn into steam pockets and give you layers, so resist the urge to rub them into a uniform sand.

2. 2

   Bring the dough together

   Drizzle in the ice water a few tablespoons at a time, tossing with a fork after each addition. Stop as soon as a handful of the shaggy mixture holds together when you squeeze it. Divide into two discs, one slightly larger than the other, wrap tightly, and refrigerate at least 1 hour. The larger disc becomes your bottom crust.

3. 3

   Sear the beef

   Pat the beef dry and toss it with the flour, salt, and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high until it shimmers, then brown the cubes in two or three batches, leaving space between the pieces. Crowding the pan steams the meat instead of browning it, and that browning is most of your flavor. Move each batch to a plate as it finishes.

4. 4

   Build the base

   Lower the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same pot. Add the onion, carrots, and mushrooms and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and the onions are soft. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook another 2 minutes, until the paste darkens to a brick red and smells sweet rather than sharp.

5. 5

   Deglaze and braise

   Pour in the ale and scrape the bottom of the pot clean with a wooden spoon. Let it bubble for 3 minutes to cook off the raw alcohol edge, then return the beef and any juices to the pot along with the stock, Worcestershire, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover, and either hold it at the barest simmer on the stove or slide it into a 325°F oven. Cook 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until a cube of beef collapses under light pressure from a spoon.

6. 6

   Reduce to gravy thickness

   Fish out the bay leaves. Uncover the pot and simmer hard for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and a spatula dragged across the bottom leaves a trail that fills in slowly. Taste and adjust the salt now, while you still can. The filling should look almost too thick for a stew, because any looseness will soak straight into your bottom crust.

7. 7

   Cool the filling completely

   Spread the filling in a shallow dish and let it cool to room temperature, then chill at least 2 hours or overnight. This is not optional and it is not a step to shorten. Warm filling melts the butter in the pastry on contact and you will never get a crisp base. The filling is also better the next day, so making it ahead is a genuine upgrade.

8. 8

   Par-bake the bottom crust

   Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the lower third. Roll the larger disc into a 13-inch round and fit it into a deep 9-inch pie dish, pressing it into the corners without stretching. Trim to a 1/2-inch overhang, prick the base all over with a fork, and chill 15 minutes. Line with parchment, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake 18 minutes. Lift out the weights and bake 6 to 8 minutes more, until the base looks dry and pale gold.

9. 9

   Fill and seal

   Spoon the cold filling into the warm shell and level the top. Roll the second disc into an 11-inch round and lay it over. Trim, fold the overhang under itself, and crimp firmly all the way around. Cut a 1-inch cross in the center plus three or four short slashes so steam has somewhere to go. Beat the egg with the milk and brush the whole top, getting into the crimps.

10. 10

    Bake and rest

    Bake at 400°F for 40 to 50 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and you can see filling bubbling slowly at the vents. If the edges color too fast, cover them with a ring of foil. Let the pie rest 20 minutes before cutting so the gravy sets enough to hold a clean slice.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Make the filling a day ahead. It tastes better, the gravy sets firmer, and it breaks a long recipe into two manageable sessions.

• 2.

  If your gravy refuses to thicken, mash 1 tablespoon of soft butter with 1 tablespoon of flour and whisk the paste into the simmering liquid a little at a time.

• 3.

  A glass or ceramic dish lets you check the bottom crust's color before you commit to pulling the pie out.

• 4.

  Flour your rolling pin rather than loading more flour onto the dough, which dries the pastry and makes it crack at the crimps.

• 5.

  A splash of the braising liquid tasting bitter is normal with very dark stouts. A teaspoon of brown sugar rounds it right out.

• 6.

  Dough scraps re-roll fine once. Cut leaves or a lattice strip, brush with egg wash, and use them to patch any thin spots on the lid.

Equipment

• Deep 9-inch pie dish
• Dutch oven or heavy lidded pot
• Rolling pin
• Pie weights or dried beans
• Parchment paper
• Pastry brush
• Kitchen scale

Storage