Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
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Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
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Ingredients
10g dried porcini pieces
200g small shallots
50g plain flour
2 x 300g packs diced venison
2 tbsp olive oil
1 x 160g pack Taste the Difference smoked bacon lardons
1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
4 juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)
375ml red wine
1 beef stock cube, crumbled
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 x 300g pack mini portabella mushrooms, halved
For the suet crust
1 medium egg, beaten, to glaze
300g self-raising flour, plus extra to dust
150g beef suet
1 tsp chopped thyme leaves
½ tsp fine sea salt
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Make the filling to the end of step 5 and chill (or freeze). When ready to cook, make the pastry and top the pie; allow an extra 10-15 minutes cooking time from chilled.
Start by putting the porcini in a small bowl and covering them with 150ml boiling water. Set aside to soak. Put the shallots in another bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to stand for a while, as this will loosen the skins and make peeling easier. Preheat the oven to 140°C, fan 120°C, gas 1.
Mix the flour with a good amount of seasoning, and toss the venison in it to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan, add half the venison and brown well over a high heat, about 5 minutes. Transfer to an ovenproof casserole. Repeat with the rest of the oil and venison (keeping any flour that remains in the bowl). Meanwhile, drain the shallots, trim away the root end and peel off the skins.
Once the venison is all browned, add the bacon lardons to the frying pan; cook over a medium heat until the fat starts to render out and the bacon starts to crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Lift into the casserole using a draining spoon. Brown the shallots in the bacon fat, over a medium heat, about 5 minutes. Tip everything into the casserole and mix in any remaining flour. Cook for 1 minute.
Add the thyme, bay, juniper, if using, and the porcini plus their soaking liquid (don’t tip in the dregs, as they may contain grit). Pour in the red wine, crumble in the stock cube and add the sugar; season. Bring to a simmer, cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
Stir in the mushrooms, replace the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves and then leave to cool to room temperature. This is your pie filling. You can either continue from this point, or cool and chill the filling to bake as a pie later.
Set the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Tip the cooled filling into a 1.5-2 litre pie dish and brush the rim with some beaten egg.
For the suet pastry, mix the flour, suet, thyme, the salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper together in a mixing bowl. Add enough cold water to bind as soft but sticky pastry - about 200ml. Pinch off some bits of pastry, roll into thin sausages and press onto the rim of the pie dish (this will help the pastry lid hold on). Roll out the rest of the suet pastry on a floured surface to roughly the shape of the pie dish - it will be much thicker than shortcrust, about 1cm. Lift on top of the pie dish, press down the edges to seal and trim off any excess if you wish, or simply leave it overhanging. Brush the top with more beaten egg, cut a steam hole, the bake on a tray for 35-40 minutes until golden brown, crisp and piping hot.
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The term Pie is used loosely, 'Custard Pie' is custard with a pastry base, sides and no lid. Some eateries advertise pie, but it is a bowl of filling with just a lid. A Pie has pastry base, sides and most importantly - a lid. Without a lid it is a 'Flan' or a 'Tart' depending on the content being savoury or sweet.
Wrap and refrigerate 4 days or freezer 3 months. Thaw then bake for 30 minutes to reheat at 180°C/350°F, loosely covered with foil. Assemble and bake at the ready – Assemble the entire pie but do not do the egg wash (it just doesn't hold up well when done ahead).
I would reheat in the oven, lowish temperature, but it can go on the hob. From tasty stews and slow cooked roasts to delicious desserts and freshly baked bread, check out these recipe books for cooking up a storm in your slow cooker.
Blind-bake your base before adding a filling to help to firm the base and avoid liquid being absorbed into it. Prick the base with a fork to help steam escape, cover with foil or parchment, and weigh it down with ceramic baking beans, uncooked rice or white sugar.
You need a par-baked or fully baked crust if you're making quiche, no-bake pie, custard pie, cream pie, pudding pie, or simply want an extra-crisp pie crust. If you're making a pie that doesn't require a baked filling, you still need a baked crust.
Given that deer are leaner than cows, venison is generally healthier to eat than beef. An average cut of venison, in fact, has around half the calories and a sixth the saturated fats of a similarly sized cut of beef. It also has more proteins, vitamins and minerals than beef.
Ground venison is typically much leaner than ground beef, and can quickly become too dry when cooked. Sometimes I combine ground venison and ground beef 50-50 to make a better mix for any recipe that calls for ground meat.
The term venison comes from the Latin verb venari, meaning “to hunt.” It can refer to meat coming from boar, hares, and certain species of goats and antelopes, but is most commonly applied to deer meat. Deer meat is characterized by its fine grain and supple texture resulting from short, thin muscle fibers.
Most pies will freeze well from a raw or cooked state. However, custard filled pies do not tend to freeze well. When freezing a fruit pie, you'll see the best results if you freeze a combination of cooked fruit filling in a raw pastry. Raw fruit filling can become watery on thawing and may require additional thickener.
If you guessed Nigerian Meat pie, you guessed right! Nigerian Meat Pie is a savory, filling snack traditionally filled with minced meat, carrots and potatoes. It is one of the most popular snacks in Nigeria and its sold in restaurants, roadsides, etc.
Because stew meat is cut from muscles that do a lot of work during the deer's lifetime (like the neck & shoulder), it offers excellent flavor, but isn't suitable for fast cooking like searing, stir frying, or grilling.
You don't have to brown the meat, but you should do it anyway. However, you don't have to brown all of the meat. Browning is done to fully develop the meaty flavours, and if you put too much meat into the pan it will release too much moisture and not brown at all.
Some pie fans believe that you have to have a crust on the bottom to call it a proper pie, but sometimes midweek meals call for just a pie lid. Yes, it's controversial, but it's so much quicker than lining a pie dish and blind baking or risking a soggy bottom.
Pie is defined as a baked food in a pastry-lined pan or dish that has a fruit, meat, pudding, or other filling, and it often also has a pastry crust on top.
According to Matthew O'Callaghan, chairman of the British Pie Awards, being held on 22 April, a true pie has to have a filling completely enclosed in pastry. Anything not fitting this strict description is not eligible to enter.
Pies – This classic dish has a familiar and simple equation: bottom pie crust + filling + top pie crust = delicious pie. While the top pie crust is optional, when used it is pinched together with the bottom crust to make a seal.
Introduction: My name is Neely Ledner, I am a bright, determined, beautiful, adventurous, adventurous, spotless, calm person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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Prep time: 30 mins
