Proof is in the pudding: Classic steak and kidney pie, Blueberry tart
IMPROVE your pastry skills with these classic recipes
Hi and a very good morning to all of you. As a chef, this has got to be the best time of year as kitchens are the warmest places to work, cooking delicious comfort food.
I love making lots of different soups on cold February days, especially with root vegetables and Italian beans, as these will keep you full and warm. But what could be cosier than a hearty pie? This week’s book, The Easy Kitchen Pies & Tarts, is full to the brim with fabulous winter recipes.
The steak and kidney pie is the perfect combination of fresh parsley, thyme and bay flavours with comforting kidneys, stewing beef and pastry.
And what could be better than a delicious, freshly baked blueberry tart to follow, too?
Ciao!
Classic steak and kidney pie
British
Main course
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- ●175g salted butter, chilled and cubed
- ●350g self-raising flour
- ● Salt, to taste
- ●200ml cold whole milk, plus extra to glaze
For the filling:
- ●4 lamb kidneys
- ●750g stewing beef, diced
- ●250g dark open-cup mushrooms
- ●1 large onion,finely chopped
- ●4-6 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- ●1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- ●½ tsp crumbled bay leaves
- ●1-2 tbsp plain flour
- ●600ml dark beef stock
- ●1 tbsp English mustard powder
- ● Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
You will also need:
- ● A 1.5-litre oval pie dish
- ● A pie funnel
Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. For the filling, prepare the kidneys by splitting them in half and snipping out and discarding the creamy core.
Slice or roughly chop the kidneys and add them to a large mixing bowl with the diced beef, mushrooms, onion, herbs, flour and plenty of salt and pepper.
In a separate bowl, combine the beef stock and mustard powder, stirring until the powder has dissolved, then pour into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients.
Stir and then pile the filling into the pie dish, pushing the pie funnel into the centre – it should fill the dish generously.
Now make the pastry. Put the butter, flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and use a round-bladed knife to chop and cut the butter into the flour until
it resembles rough breadcrumbs. Stir in the milk and mix to a soft dough. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to an oval shape that is slightly larger than the top of the dish.
Cut off an extra long strip of pastry that will fit around the lip of the pie dish. Brush the lip of the pie dish with milk and press the pastry strip around the lip. Brush this with milk and lay the pastry oval over the dish, letting it fall on top of the pie funnel in the centre.
Cut a cross in the pastry touching the pie funnel and gently push it over the funnel. Press the pastry onto the lip of the dish to seal and trim off the excess pastry. Crimp the pastry together and then brush the top of the pie with milk.
Stand the pie dish in a baking pan and bake in the preheated oven for 1¾ hours until golden and bubbling.
Blueberry tart with rye
British
Dessert
Ingredients
Preparation:
- ●100g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- ●85g caster sugar
- ●1 egg, lightly beaten
- ●100g plain flour
- ●60g wholemeal rye flour
- ●1 tsp baking powder
For the filling:
- ●100g crème fraîche or double cream
- ●150ml sour cream
- ●1 egg, lightly beaten
- ●40g caster sugar
- ●1 tsp vanilla extract
- ●250g blueberries
- ● A 24-cm loose based, fluted tart pan, greased
Preheat the oven to 200?C/400?F/Gas Mark 6. Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until well mixed. Gradually add the egg, mixing well. Tip in the flours and baking powder and mix again until a dough has formed.
Transfer the dough to the pan and press it into the pan until the base and sides are evenly covered with a neat layer of dough.
To make the filling, put the crème fraîche or double cream, sour cream, egg, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and mix well. Pour into the pastry case, then scatter the blueberries into the tart.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the filling has set and the pastry is golden brown.
Recipes taken from The Easy Kitchen Pies & Tarts, published by Ryland Peters & Small, priced £9.99. To order your copy with free UK delivery, call the Express Bookshop on 01872 562310, send a cheque or postal order payable to The Express Bookshop, to Express Bookshop, PO Box 200, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 4WJ of order online at expressbookshop.com.
