Beef pie help please.

rosie383

I had some beef which looked a bit sinewy so chucked it in the SC. After many hours it is now nice and dark brown and yummy.
It isn't enough to make into a stew to feed four, so I was thinking of making it into a pie. I really would love to make a plate pie as I have my late mum's enamel pie plate but I have never managed to make one that doesn't have a very soggy or undercooked bottom.
So do I add tiny diced spuds? Diced carrots? Thick gravy?
BTW don't recommend steak and kidney because that is never going to happen!

Savingdad

You can add what you like, if the beef is cooked I would at least part boil any root veg before adding or you could slice some mushrooms and add them.
For the plate pie I would line the plate and then egg wash it and flash it in a hot oven for a few mins to set the egg, this will stop the liquid in the pie from soaking the pastry. Add your filling, egg wash the rim and top the pie then bake as normal remembering the filling is mostly cooked so its mainly the pastry you need to finish off.

rosie383

Thanks saving dad. I have never done that with the base before. I have a sheet of ready rolled shortcrust pastry that was YS for 20p. Happy days.
Just need to find out what oven temp and which shelf.

rosie383

Please help with oven temp someone. I've been googling and have found gas 7 for 20-30 mins or gas 3-4 for 45-50 mins. So if anyone has a failsafe temp or tip for me I'd appreciate it as I have served up a few dinners lately that have been just about passable. I seem to have lost my ability to cook just now! I would really like to feed my family some yummy food for a change.

Butterfly_Brain

Rosie if the meat is already cooked I would us gas 6 for 30 mins until the pastry is golden.

BTW I always put pies onto a preheated oven tray, this helps to prevent soggy bottoms

suki1964

Definitely place on a hot baking tray to cook the pastry bottom

puppey

could par cook the pastry first before adding the filling, or just do pastry on top if you want it to be quick

rosie383

I made the pie yesterday and it was tasty but still had a flippin soggy bottom! I did line the plate, brushed with egg and put in the oven untill it looked golden. Added the filling, and the lid with a slit on top. Baked at gas 5 til well cooked looking but the bottom was still pale and uninteresting.
Am I ever going to crack it? If I had cooked it much longer the crust would have been burnt.

jackyann

I don't think you will ever, in a domestic setting, get a decent meat pie with good gravy that doesn't have a soggy bottom.
I just settle for pastry, crumble or mash topping, and really like it.
If you need to stretch the filling a bit, either make stuffing balls to go with, or head don the "plenty of herb dumplings" route.

rosie383

I even put it on a hot baking tray.
And I didn't have any graviness in it. Just lots of hot gravy over the top. Served with mash and veg. It was good just soggy bottomed.

meritaten

Rosie - did you let the filling get stone cold before filling the pie? because I find that the colder the filling the less chance of a soggy bottom.