Steak and Ale Pie (English Medieval)

In searching around for medieval-style english meat pie recipes, I noticed they fell into two camps, the modern pub-fair steak and ale pie, and those with fillings of dried fruits like raisins/prunes and crusts made with Suet (animal fat). Suet is very hard to come by in North America (I’ve tried) and while the stone fruit filling is very authentic to the medieval-era, it requires days of preparation to really do right and I just can't imagine tasting that wonderful with a modern palette. It is this kind of recipe that evolved into the modern sweet Minced-Meat pies that the English eat as a treat at Christmas. After some experimentation, I decided to include some raisins in my final recipe as a nod to the "authentic" way, and I'm glad that I did. They add a slight sweetness to the bites they work their way into and pair well with the other flavours.

Crust:
½ cup water, ice cold
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2¼ tsp. kosher salt
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
½ Tbsp. sugar
1¾ sticks butter

Filling:
1½ lbs beef stew steak, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 bottle or can Guinness beer
2 Tbsp. raisins
2 carrots, chopped
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 cup beef broth
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs rosemary, without the stalks
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
7 oz cheddar, chopped/grated

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Make the Crust:
Take the butter and divide it into two. Freeze one half for at least 20 minutes, and chill the other in the refrigerator.

Combine salt, sugar, and flour in a food processor.

Add in the chilled butter and mix until you get a sand-like texture. Then, add in the frozen butter and mix again.

Pour vinegar into the water, then add 4 Tbsp. of the vinegar-water to the food processor and pulse. Check the mixture and if its not holding together into pee-sized globs, add in more vinegar-water and repeat.

Pour on to a floured surface and knead the dough with your hands into a ball. Split the dough ball into two, wrap, and chill.

Filling and Assembly:
Add some olive oil to a large pot or ideally, a Dutch oven over a medium-high heat.

Add steak, let brown, and remove from the pot and set aside.

Add in bacon and let cook for a few minutes. Fend off family members inquiring about smell of bacon. Add in the carrots, onions, shallots, garlic, mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until they soften.

Add 2 Tbsp. of flour, bay leaf, and rosemary. Now, add in the cheese, steak, broth, and beer and stir. Place pot in the oven and cook for one hour.

Meanwhile, flour a pie plate and line with one of the rolled-out dough balls. Poke with a fork to vent.

Once the filling is ready, remove from the oven, fill the pie and cover with the other rolled out dough ball. Seal the two layers of dough around the edges with your fingers and vent the pie by slicing a few lines across the top.

Turn the oven up to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

Bake the pie for 40 minutes.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes before handing off to your serving boy who is secretly a prince in disguise.