Beef Potpie Individual Size Recipes

Steps:

• Melt the butter with the olive oil in a heavy pot. Sear the meat over medium-high heat in batches until brown, 4 to 5 minutes; remove to a plate.
• Add the carrots, celery and shallots and saute until the vegetables start to wilt, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the mustard, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the flour and saute for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the wine, beef broth and 1 cup water. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir. Bring to a boil. Return the browned meat to the pot and reduce the heat to low. Add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs, then cover and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons flour with a little water and pour into the stew. Cook and thicken for 10 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry sheets one by one to get rid of the creases. Set a 6- to 8-inch ovensafe skillet upside down on a pastry sheet and cut a circle around it, making it 1/2 inch larger than the dish. Repeat with the remaining 5 skillets using all of the pastry sheets; discard the scraps.
• Put the 6 skillets onto 2 baking sheets and fill the skillets with the cooled beef mixture. Sprinkle over some chopped bacon and 1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley on each.
• Top each skillet with a pastry circle, pressing along the edges to seal. Mix together the egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush each pastry lid with the egg wash. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Steps:

• 1. Use two six-inch pie pans, or individual baking dishes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Note: Use top and bottom crust for each pie. If using individual baking dishes, you can use just a top-crust for each.
• 2. Remove pie crust from package and let sit fifteen minutes to come to room temperature or easily handled without breaking. Lay it out on a floured surface, and cut 4 circles bigger than the pie pan diameter (two for each) If making top crusts only, make each a bit larger than the baking dish diameter, and crimp around the inside of the dish.
• 3. Meanwhile peel and chop potatoes and carrots, and steam for about fifteen minutes. This can be done earlier in the day or the day before using. Divide the two vegetables evenly in the baking containers of choice, I made three pies the first time, but you can make more if you choose, just increase amounts of vegetables and beef.
• 4. I quickly stir-fried the beef, just a little in a small amount of oil. Divide it evenly into each pie pan or baking dish where you've already placed the vegetables. To the meat and vegetables, spoon about 2 Tbs. gravy into each.
• 5. Top each pie pan or baking dish with a second cut-out pastry round, and press around the edge inside the container to seal tightly. Cut slits in the top of each to vent the pies as they bake. Put in the oven on the center rack to bake, time about 40 minutes. *Place them on a baking pan with sides, to make it easier to remove from the oven if using individual baking dishes.

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, brown the pieces of meat on all sides. Pour in some water to almost cover. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer until meat is tender and falls apart easily; about 2 to 3 hours. Transfer meat to a large mixing bowl. Shred the meat slightly and add salt and pepper to taste.
• In another 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, pour in beef broth and add carrots and potatoes. Cook until almost tender; about 15 to 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• When the carrots and potatoes are done, transfer to the large mixing bowl with the beef; leaving the liquid in the pan. Combine the peas with the carrots, potatoes and beef.
• Dissolve the cornstarch with the 1/3 cup of water. Pour into the saucepan of beef broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat; cook for 5 minutes.
• Line a 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie crust following the package directions. Place the beef mixture into the pie crust. Pour the gravy over the top of the mixture, then cover with the other pie crust. Bake in a preheated oven until the crust is golden brown; about 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Procedure: Filling is made in 2 parts and then combined: the stew and the vegetables. The crust is partially baked before filling.
• The vegetables: Blanche the turnips and then the carrot chunks in rapidly boiling salted water until just tender, removing the vegetables from the water and immediately cooling them under running water to stop the cooking. Microwave the peas in a 1/2 cup of water for 20 seconds or pour some of the hot blanching water over them and then drain. Mix the vegetables together. This can also be done ahead, the same day as the pie will be served or even the night before, but don't freeze the vegetables.
• The stew: Cut beef into 1-inch chunks and dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and brown slowly in the casserole. Remove the bacon and set aside, and turn the heat to high. Brown the beef quickly in the bacon fat. Add olive oil if necessary. Remove the beef from the casserole and set aside with the bacon. Add the minced carrots, onions and celery and brown on medium high heat in the remaining fat. Remove the vegetables from the pot and add to the reserved beef and bacon. Add the clarified butter to the pot and sprinkle in the flour. Stirring constantly, brown the flour on medium high heat until it is a dark, nut brown. Return the bacon, beef and vegetables to the pot. Stir to coat them with the browned flour and cook for 1 minute on medium-high heat. Lower the heat, add the cayenne, wine, bouillon or stock, the tomato paste, the garlic and the herb bouquet tied in a cheesecloth. Stir to mix well and simmer for at least 3, preferably 4, hours, stirring occasionally. When done the meat should be very tender. Skim fat if necessary. Check for seasoning. Remove the meat from the gravy with a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove and discard the herb bouquet. Reserve the gravy in a separate container. The stew may be prepared to this point a 1 or 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated. It can also be frozen after preparation to be kept longer.
• The crust: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Process the flour, butter, shortening, and salt until mixture is like coarse cornmeal. Add the ice water and pulse processor a few times until dough begins to clump. Do not overprocess. Scrape dough onto a board, divide in half and put each half in a plastic bag. Working through the bag, quickly press the dough into a ball. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour. (May be frozen at this point for future use.) Roll 1 of the balls out to about 1/8-inch thick. Butter the tart pans and line with the dough. Roll the other ball of dough out and cut circular pieces about 1/8-inch larger than the individual tart pans (or 3/8-inch if using the single 9 or 10-inch pan). The circles for the top crust of the pot pie are cut larger because there will be shrinkage when it is baked. The edges can be crimped with a fork if desired. Leftover dough can be cut into decorative shapes for the top crust.
• Butter pieces of aluminum foil and line the crust in the tart pans with them. Fill the foil with dried beans or rice to a depth of about 1-inch -- this will keep the crust from puffing when it is baked empty. Place the top crust circles on a cookie sheet and prick with a fork. Bake for about 10 minutes. Crust should just start to brown. The top pieces will likely take a little less time. Remove the aluminum foil and return the beans or rice to their container. Leave the tart pan rings in place. The crust can be made up to 4 hours before the dish is assembled and served.
• Assembly: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If you have made the stew and gravy ahead of time, warm them separately on the stove until they just begin to simmer. Add gravy back to the stew a little at a time until it is liquid enough but not too soupy. Stir well to mix. The proportion will vary according to the cut of meat used and the actual cooking time. Once you've made it a couple of times you'll know how you like it. If there is leftover gravy, keep it warm on the stove while you bake the pie. Mix the vegetables into the stew just before you assemble the pie. Spoon the filling mixture into the partially baked pie shell. It should fill it right to the top. There may be some filling mixture left over. This is not a bad thing. Bake for about 8 to10 minutes, until the crust starts to look quite brown at the edges and the filling is bubbling. Allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Carefully remove rings from the pans and slide the pies onto warmed plates. If there is remaining gravy, serve on the side with the pie. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Steps:

• Place the bay leaves and thyme on a small piece of cheesecloth and tie the corners together tightly to form a bundle; set aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the beef with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Working in batches, add the beef to the pot and cook, turning, until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and add the bacon to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are coated, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
• Add the cognac to the pot and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the liquid has mostly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the wine, chicken broth, cheesecloth bundle, browned meat and any juices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer, stirring and scraping up the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the beef is tender and the sauce is thick, about 2 hours. Discard the cheesecloth bundle.
• Meanwhile, make the crust: Combine the flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the parsley and chives and pulse to combine, then add the butter and pulse 8 to 10 times until it looks like coarse meal. Add 1/2 cup ice water and pulse until the dough just starts coming together, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water if necessary. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and form into a disk; wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Finish the stew: Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add to the pot with the stew along with the pearl onions and butter; stir. Transfer the mixture to a 3-to-4-quart oval or 9-by-13-inch baking dish and set aside to cool.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water; brush the edges and outside of the baking dish with the egg wash. Drape the dough over the filling and press it against the sides of the dish; trim any excess to leave a 1-inch overhang. Cut a few slits in the top to vent.
• Brush the crust with more of the egg wash. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine flour, cheese, salt, pepper and thyme; cut in the shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water just until moistened. Form into a ball. Cover and refrigerate. , Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, brown beef and onion in oil. Add mushrooms; saute for 1 minute. Add 1 cup broth, salt, thyme, garlic powder and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. , Add potatoes, carrots and celery; cover and simmer 20 minutes longer or until meat is tender and vegetables are crisp-tender. Combine flour and remaining broth until smooth; gradually add to beef mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in browning sauce if desired. Reduce heat; keep warm. , Roll two-thirds of the dough into a 14x10-in. rectangle. Line the bottom and sides of an ungreased 11x7-in. baking dish. Roll remaining pastry into a 6-in. circle; cut into six wedges. , Spoon beef mixture into crust. Place pastry wedges on top. Bake, uncovered, at 450° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 30 minutes longer or until pastry is golden brown.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Boil prepared potatoes and carrots in a Dutch oven until tender, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile --.
• Melt butter in large saucepan over medium to medium low heat.
• Add chopped onions and cook until onions are soft and translucent.
• Sprinkle flour over butter/onion mix, stirring constantly, about 4-5 minutes.
• (This is an important step. Not cooking long enough will make the gravy have a "floury" taste).
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add broth and milk, stirring constantly.
• Bring to a slow boil.
• Remove from heat.
• Add potatoes, carrots, thawed peas, and shredded beef to gravy and mix thoroughly.
• Let mixture cool thoroughy.
• Line ramekins with bottom pie dough.
• Fill ramekins and cover with top crust, pinching edges to create a seal.
• Brush with beaten egg.
• Create slits in top crust with a butter knife.
• Bake about 35 minutes until golden brown.
• Enjoy.