What Lisa Baked: Steak, Mushroom, Guinness & Stilton Pie and Fruit Crumble

So here is the recipe post I teased you with yesterday.

This blog in its previous incarnation was all about my love for cooking and baking, but due to the fact I don't tend to cook anything overly exciting during the week and find I have less and less time to bake it didn't get utilised to it's full potential, which is why I now use it as a vehicle for wittering on about my life in general.

However, on Sunday's I like to eat. A LOT.

Sunday is the one day of the week where I like to keep it simple and lazy. I'm so busy for the other six days that on the seventh I like to wake up late, then lay in bed watching a DVD or catching up on programmes I've missed on iPlayer. I tend to drag myself out of the comfort of my bed at about 10:30am, or whenever the growls of my stomach have become so loud they're drowning out whatever I'm watching, and make myself some brunch. I then retire to the sofa for a couple more hours and read the Sunday papers.

By the time 2:00pm comes around I start to get cabin fever, this is the point at which I'll throw on some scruffy clothes and go for a long walk. Or I take over my kitchen for some serious food preparation.

On Sunday I decided to make a big manly pie for my boyfriend and I, followed by one of my favourite autumnal Sunday desserts - crumble.

Now most of you probably know how to make pies and crumbles but I'll share my recipes with you anyway because it's fun and everyone likes reading about food surely?!

Firstly the pie. It serves two very hungry (and greedy people) or four moderately peckish people.

You will need:

approx. 400g of good quality beef, either diced, or casserole/stewing steak
440ml guinness
a glug of olive oil
a sizeable chunk of butter
2 tablespoons of plain flour
one red onion
one shallot
two cloves of garlic
approx 100g button mushrooms
a good chunk of stilton!
two sheets of chilled puff pastry (if you're lazy like me)
any herbs you'd like to add, rosemary or thyme is nice.
liberal amounts of black pepper, a conservative amount of salt

first peel and finely chop your onion, shallot and garlic

fry gently in the olive oil until golden and soft

dice the mushrooms and add to the onion, shallot and garlic along with the chunk of butter and fry until soft and browned

if your beef isn't already diced cut it into bite size pieces

and brown it in the pan

next add your guinness and flour and simmer on the hob for at least an hour or until the liquid has reduced to a thick gravy. cut up your stilton and stir into the mixture until melted, this will make the gravy even thicker!!

grease your pie dish and roll out one of the sheets of pastry then lay it into the pie dish so it covers the bottom and sides.

add your filling and then roll out the second sheet of pastry and lay over the top of the dish, crimping the edges to the top of the first layer of pastry.

lightly egg wash the top of the pie then put into the oven for one hour at 180 degrees.

sorry, i forgot to take photos of this stage!!

when your pie comes out of the oven it should be a delightful golden brown like this....

serve piping hot with peas and green beans (if you like those vegetables)

Now for my easy peasy Fruit Crumble!!

You will need:

two apples (I used Golden Delicious)

approx 100g of frozen berries

two tablespoons caster sugar

250g plain flour

150g sugar

200g butter

first either cut or grate the apples (i grate mine) and add to an oven proof dish

then add the frozen fruit and sprinkle the two tablespoons of caster sugar over the top

in a bowl mix the sugar, butter and flour together using your hands until you have a soft crumbly almost pastry...

add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to taste if you like that sort of thing

spoon over the top of the fruit filling and pat down firmly so it covers the dish completely

bake in the oven at 180 degrees for approx 40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is trying to bubble over the sides of the dish

serve with plenty of custard if you're so inclined.

Honestly after eating all of that I thought I was going to pop!! But it was so worth it.

Let me know if any of you decide to cook either of these anytime soon or tell me what your favourite Sunday food is!!

L xx

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