Beef-steak Pie
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the beef
Use two to three pounds of rump steak for a family pie.
Trim off the coarse skin and cut away excess fat if desired.
If the beef is not tender, gently beat it with a paste-roller until the fibre is broken, then divide into slices half as large as the hand, and lay into a dish bordered with pastry.
Season the meat with salt, pepper, or cayenne, and pour enough water to make gravy, keeping the meat moist.
Cover and bake
Lay the pastry cover over the filling, brush the edge with egg or cold water, then join it securely to the pastry rim, trim both close to the dish.
Pass the point of the knife through the middle of the cover, lay a slight roll or ornament of pastry around it, and decorate the border of the pie.
Bake in a well-heated oven for 1 to 1½ hours.
Variations
For a richer pie, add bearded oysters in alternate layers with the meat, add their strained liquor to a little good gravy, simmer for a few minutes, and make a light puff pastry crust.
Some caterers like it seasoned with minced onion or eschalot when oysters omitted.
Mushrooms improve all meat-pies.
Veal pies may be made by this recipe, or by the second of those which follow.
Slices of lean ham or parboiled ox-tongue may be added.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Rump steak
- Provides the main meat, whose fibre softens into tender slices during long baking.
- Pastry (in the method)
- Forms the rim and cover that enclose the filling and brown in the oven.
- Water (in the method)
- Creates a gravy that keeps the meat moist as it cooks.
The step that matters
Beating tough beef before filling. Breaking the muscle fibre with a paste-roller helps tougher steak become tender during baking, so the meat is not chewy in the finished pie.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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