French Beef Meat Pie with Puff Pastry
Classic French tourte à la viande featuring beef chuck braised with mushrooms, carrots, onion and garlic in a rich brown sauce, encased in golden puff pastry. The filling simmers until tender and sauce reduces to coat the meat, then is baked until the pastry is crisp and golden.
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef chuck, cubed
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, sliced into rounds
- 5 ½ oz button mushrooms, thickly sliced
- ¼ cups flour
- 2 cups beef broth, from bouillon cube
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tbsp brown sauce anglaise, HP brandWorcestershire sauce1:1none
umami substitute but more intense
- 2 tsp tomato concentrate
- olive oil, for cooking
- 1 noisette butter
- 2 puff pastry sheetshomemade puff pastry1:1none
increases prep time significantly
- 1 egg, for egg wash
- pepper, to taste(optional)
Instructions
- 1
Slice carrots into rounds, slice mushrooms thickly, mince garlic, and slice onion.
- 2
Cut beef into small cubes.
- 3
Dissolve beef bouillon cube in hot water.
- 4
Heat oil in a heavy pot and sear beef on high heat until fully browned on all sides. Remove and set aside, leaving juices in pot.
- 5
Add garlic, onion, and carrots to pot and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside, leaving juices.
- 6
Add a small piece of butter to pot and cook mushrooms for 2 minutes.
- 7
Lower heat to medium, return beef, vegetables to pot, add flour, and stir for 2 minutes.
- 8
Add tomato concentrate, bay leaves, brown sauce, pepper, and beef broth until liquid covers meat.
- 9
Bring to boil, then simmer partially covered on low heat for 1 hour 30 minutes.
- 10
Uncover, bring to boil again, and stir constantly until sauce thickens.
- 11
Preheat oven to 220 degrees.
- 12
Place first puff pastry sheet in pie dish, letting edges hang over sides.
- 13
Spread meat filling on pastry.
- 14
Cut second pastry sheet to fit dish size.
- 15
Fold first pastry over second sheet and seal edges well.
- 16
Beat egg and brush over pastry surface.
- 17
Bake for 30 minutes.
Tips
Sear beef uncrowded in batches if necessary to achieve deep browning rather than steaming.
Keep filling slightly thick so it does not make pastry soggy; thicken sauce before assembly if needed.
Chill assembled pie before baking for cleaner pastry rise and easier handling.
Good to Know
Refrigerate covered up to 3 days. Reheat gently in low oven to avoid pastry drying.
Prepare filling up to 1 day ahead. Assemble and bake day-of for best pastry texture.
Serve hot, cut into wedges. Pairs well with green salad or pickled vegetables.
Common Mistakes
Crowd the pan when searing beef to avoid proper browning.
Skip the flour-meat mixture to result in thin, watery sauce.
Add cold broth directly to hot pot to cause temperature shock and tough meat.
Bake without egg wash to miss golden color and protective crust.
Substitutions
increases prep time significantly