Happens every time, how to stop pastry falling into pie

cherydee

I have this problem everytime I make steak and kidney pie, attempting to do it correctly tomorrow. I usually make two as everyone loves the pastry top. Ive tried using pie funnels, upturned egg cups, and teacups to keep the pastry up, but no joy - slowly the pastry falls into the gravy. Anybody got any tips, and I can surprise everyone tomorrow with a perfect pie.

candlelight_2013

cherydee, is your pie filling hot when you put the pastry lid on? I say this because watching Paul Hollywood on TV a few weeks ago on his program Pies and Puds and he mentioned this. Evidently the pie filling needs to be cold, and I didn't know this.

Might help you, I have tried it and it worked for me. He says the pastry will collapse if the filling is hot.

Candlelight x

Seakay

Candlelight is right; cooked cold filling is essential plus pie funnel or eggcup to hold up the pastry until it is cooked.

Or you could take the attitude that we always did, that the crisp on top, soggy underneath pastry is part of the joy of steak and kidney pie!

candlelight_2013

How true Seakay, and isn't it delicious? Nothing wrong with a bit of soggy pastry.

Candlelightx

cherydee

Yes it is hot and it just seems to melt into it when I put it on,. Seems simple when you know the answer, and I suppose the meat will have time to heat up when pastry is cooking. Thanks very much for the info, I'll surprise them all tomorrow.

cherydee

Well I had high hopes for my steak and kidney pie today, but afraid the pastry still slipped into the dish, as you say nothing wrong with soggy pastry.

Owain_Moneysaver

I think you need to put more pie filling in.

candlelight_2013

I was wondering how it went Cherydee, perhaps as Owain Moneysaver says a little more filling just to top it up or a smaller dish, it doesn't really matter though. As long as it tasted delicious that's fine.

Candlelight x

tanith

Make it with a suet crust pastry which just sits on the filling and goes nice and brown and crispy we love it and I always use it when making a savoury pie.

cherydee

I think you could be right, I use large roasting tins because we like a lot of gravy but there is quite a gap between filling and pastry I just thought the teacups would keep it lifted.

krlyr

I would perhaps try a different dish. You could always keep some of the gravy back and serve in a jug - my mum always serves her steak pie with 'meat gravy' to pour on top, yum!