Egg wash1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon mustard, mixed to brush across pastry
8Raw Oysters served on the shell
Instructions
In a large skillet, caramelize the onions in butter with the herb bundle until golden brown. Add garlic and beef cubes that have been seasoned with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides.
Move the meat to the edges of the pan, add roux ingredients – 2 tablespoons butter/2 tablespoons flour, stir until flour and melted butter are blended. Mix the meat and onions together with the roux, stirring to coat the meat. Slowly pour in the Guinness and stir.
Add carrots and potatoes. Cover and allow the carrots and potatoes to soften and the sauce to thicken. Add peas, stir, turn off the burner and remove the herb bundle.
Pastry Instructions
On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry. Cut the pastry to fit the top of the individual baking dishes. Gather scraps of the pastry to use as trim.
Fill the baking bowls with the beef mixture. Place pastry on top. Use the strips around the edges to create an attractive edge. Brush the egg-wash across the pastry and the edges.
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden.
Oysters
Oysters add not only a lovely presentation but the surf and turf flavors are completed with the addition of the oysters. Serve the raw oysters in a shell or attractive decorative plate alongside the piping hot beef pie.
At Table - insert a knife into the pastry and slide the raw oyster into the beef pie. Allow it to sit for a few minutes. The oysters will steam, ever so slightly and maintain their delicious briny flavor.