The vines have turned to red, orange and yellow hues which mean one thing, time to dust off the slower cooker and crack open our 2014 Ghost Wines Clare Valley Shiraz. This month we’re bringing you our take on a classic South Australian dish. The humble (yet iconic) Pie Floater goes beautifully with our Ghost Wines 2014 Clare Valley Shiraz. The rich gravy of the pie and the tanginess of the broad bean puree pairs incredibly well with the lifted flavours of red fruits, dark cherries and liquorice, beautifully wrapped up in subtle toasty French notes.
Those familiar with the Pie Floater will know that this is South Aussie street food at its best and became a South Australian Heritage Icon by the National Trust of Australia in 2003.
Normally served as a meat pie submerged upside down in a dense pea soup, our version uses a broad bean puree as the base topped with rich slow-cooked topside gravy encased in shortcrust pastry accompanied by a dollop of rich tomato sauce and a glass of Ghost Wines 2014 Clare Valley Shiraz.
We sourced our premium topside from Crestcut Meats, Henley Beach. They also offer grass fed, organic and gluten free options.
Slow Cooked Steak & Gravy – Meat Pie Filling
Toss beef with the seasoned flour to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick pan/skillet and fry beef in batches, without overcrowding your pan, until browned all over. Transfer to slow cooker ensuring you add the pan juices.
Heat oil in pan and cook onion, garlic and thyme until fragrant and the onion has softened. Transfer to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients to the slower cooker, mix, cover and turn on to low settings. Cook for 6 hours or until beef is tender and falling apart. Once cooked, shred the beef and set aside to cool. Place in the fridge overnight to ensure your filling is cold and the flavours have had time to strengthen.
Assembling Your Pies
Shortcrust Pastry Recipe
Whizz the flour and salt together in a food processor. Add the butter and whiz again until the mixture resembles medium-fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, pour in the iced water and process only until the pastry forms a ball around the blade.
Take the pastry out and shape it into a ball. Flatten into a disc and wrap it tightly in cling wrap. Chill the disc for about 40 minutes or until the pastry is firm but still pliable. If you cool it overnight or for a couple of days, you’ll need to bring it back to cool room temperature so it becomes pliable again.
On a lightly floured board, roll out the pastry. Cut out the rounds, making them a little bigger than the dishes. Press each pie base into each pie dish lightly with your fingers and draw the pastry up the pie dish so the pastry is 1cm above the pie dish. Sit the pie dishes on a baking try (makes it much easier to manoeuvre into and out of your oven) and chill the pie bases for 40 minutes or until the pastries are firm (these can be put into the freezer if you’re short on time).
Preheat oven to 200C (adjust for fan-forced).
Spoon cold beef mixture into each hole, brush edges with a small amount water, top each with a pastry lid (puff pastry) and press the edges together to seal in the filling. (Use a fork if needed, or crimp the edges.)
Brush the pastry tops with beaten egg and prick the tops with a fork to allow stream to escape. Cook for 25 minutes or until pastry is golden.
Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Broad Bean Puree
Thaw your broad beans by either placing in them on a tray and putting them in the fridge overnight or by putting them on the kitchen bench for approximately 10 minutes. Bring a large fry pan to medium heat, adding coconut oil and half the butter. Add eschalots, cooking until soft.
Bring stock to boil in a separate pan. Add the beans to the eschalot mixture along with the herbs and lemon juice. Pour the hot stock over bean mixture, bring to boil quickly and then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Blend or process until mixture is fine and season to taste.
