Dijon Beef Mushroom Pie (Newfoundland)

canadian-newfoundland-dijonbeefmushroompie A comforting, delicious, classic British pie gets a bit of a French twist, but you can leave it purely British with our suggestions too.

2 lbs blade or cross rib roast, cut in 1” cubes
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
3 Tbsp. Canola oil
1 cup button or cremini mushrooms cut into quarters.
3 Tbsp. butter
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 medium red onion, diced
2 large stalks celery, diced
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
4 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. nutmeg, freshly ground
2½ cups beef stock

Pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
½ cup salted butter, cold
1 large or extra large egg, lightly whisked with 1 Tbsp. water

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.

Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper and dredge them in the 1 cup flour, coating them on all sides. Discard the unused flour dredge.

Add the Canola oil to the heated skillet and brown the beef on all sides.

Transfer the beef to a 3 quart covered casserole dish.

Deglaze the cast iron skillet with the beef stock and pour over the beef in the casserole dish

In a separate sauté pan, lightly brown the mushrooms in the butter, then add the garlic, red onion, shallots and celery and cook until the onions have softened.

Add to the casserole with the beef and stock. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, thyme and nutmeg.

Cover and place in a 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3) oven for about 3 hours until the beef is fall apart tender and the liquid has reduced to a thin gravy.

Remove from the oven and skim any excess fat off the surface.

Cook’s Note: You can chill the braised beef overnight and add the pastry the next day if that is when you are serving it or let the beef cool for at least an hour before adding the pastry topping in advance of serving.

Prepare the Pastry:
Using a food processor or a pastry cutter, pulse or cut the butter into the flour until only small pieces of butter are visible in the mix, about the size of small peas.

Whisk the egg together with the water and pour over the flour and butter mixture.

Mix gently with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for half and hour.

Place the dough on a well floured surface and roll out to the approximately one” larger than the length and width of the casserole dish.

Cut a small disk the size of a dime out of the center of the dough to let the steam escape.

Place the dough on top of the cooled braised beef and mushrooms, pressing it over the edges of the baking dish to get good contact.

You can brush an egg wash on top of the pastry if you like to ensure even browning.

Bake in a 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5) oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the top is evenly golden brown and the filling bubbling.

Serve immediately with steamed vegetables and if you like, roasted potatoes.

Makes 8 servings.

Cook’s Notes: I don't use a pastry bottom with this pie, just a single layer of top pastry. But you could easily make more pastry for a bottom layer if you like.