We were feeling like a pastry meal…so Heather requested a Steak and Mushroom pie. I found a great recipe calling for the beef to be braised in Stout. I also made the choice to make the rough puff pastry from scratch. That was perhaps not a great choice, but it still tasted great. The pie itself was put together after the beef and carrots and mushrooms along with celery, thyme, and chicken stock and a bottle of Guiness braised in a simmer for about 4 hours. To enhance the flavor, I had added Marmite, fish sauce, malt vinegar, worcester sauce and soy sauce. It smelled wonderful and before I put it in the pie plate I adjusted the salt and pepper levels for flavor. I used frozen butter for the crust and with a few 2 hour rests in the fridge, it came together nicely. In the end, I allowed the crust to cook in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes till broiling it for a minute to get the golden brown I was looking for. WE both enjoyed it accompanied by an ice cold Guinness Stout and a small green salad. (If you look carefully, in the middle, to the left, you can see the Pi symbol we tried to create and there are also 3 mushrooms at the top right that are well disguised!)
My Life: A Memoir 