Family Meal: Beef Pot Pies with Cheddar Stout Crust

Don’t you just love family time?  What’s even better when you are gathered around with your family than with a good hot meal?  So with that in mind, let’s do a family meal that will leave everyone feeling full and craving for more.  With a traditional recipe of pot pies with a few little twists, this recipe will be a family favorite for years to come.

Family Meal: Beef Pot Pies with Cheddar Stout Crust

Beef Pot pies with Cheddar Stout Crust

Image via:  Decorate this Blog Spot-Al Langnes

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 2 hr. 15 min.

Total Time: 3 hr. 15 min

Servings: 6

Ingredients

For the Dough:

1 ¾ cups of All-Purpose Flour (extra for dusting)

¾ teaspoon of fine Salt

1 stick of cold, Unsalted Butter (cut into ½ inch pieces)

¾ cup of Grated Cheddar Cheese (about 3 ounces)

6-7 tablespoons of stout beer

1 large Egg (lightly beaten)

For the Filling:

2 ¼ pounds of Beef Chuck Roast, trimmed of excess fat (cut into 1 inch pieces)

¼ cup of All-Purpose Flour

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

3 tablespoons of Unsalted Butter

1/3 cup of Stout Beer

3 medium Leeks, white and light green parts only (Halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces)

1 pound of Carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 Stalks Celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

Beef Pot Pie with Vegetables

Image via:  Heather Cristo

Directions

For the Dough:

1. First for your family recipe, begin taking the flour and fine salt and pulsing them in a food processor to help combining the two. Next, add in the butter and cheese and pulse those ingredients as well until the new mixture looks like a coarse meal with small specs of butter.
2. Now to the beer, drizzle in 6 tablespoons of beer and pulse. Squeeze the dough between your fingers and if the mixture doesn’t hold its shape, then pulse in 1 more tablespoon of beer. Then pat the dough into a disk, wrap it in a plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator until it has become firm(which should take about 1 hour or overnight).

For the Filling:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the beef, flour, 1 ¼ teaspoon of Kosher salt and ground pepper in a large bowl. Toss all of the ingredients in the bowl. Melt down the butter in a Dutch oven or large oven proof pot over a medium-high heat.
2. Start to add in the beef and cook, being sure to stir occasionally until the mixture is brown all over, which will take about 7 minutes. Add in the beer, 2 cups of water and scrap up any of the brown pieces from the bottom of the pot. Bring the pot to a simmer then cover the pot and transfer it to the oven to braise for about 30 minutes. Add the leeks, carrots and celery to the pot and continue the braiding for 1 more hour.
3. While the pot is braising, put six 10-ounce ramekins on a parchment-lined baking sheet, roll the dough between 2 lightly floured sheets of parchment into a 10-by-15 inch rectangle; cut into six 5-inche squares. Take a knife and make a few slits in the middle of each square to let steam escape.
4. Time to remove the filling from the oven and increase the temperature to 375 degrees F. Season the filling with salt and pepper and split the filling among the ramekins (there may be filling leftover). Top each of the pies with a square of dough, pressing the edges into the ramekin. Brush the top with the beaten egg and stick them into the oven and bake until the crust is crisp and golden brown, which is approximately 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Homemade Beef Pot Pie

Image via:  Simply Recipes

What better way than to draw the entire family together than with a great meal?  The Beef Potpies with Cheddar Stout Crust, gives you the hardiness of protein with the cheesy goodness that everyone adores.  So what are you waiting for, go out and create this family meal tonight.  So Stagetecture readers do you have any family recipes to share?

For more easy dinner recipes on Stagetecture, click here.