What do ya do when you have leftover Boeuf Bourguignon?!? Why… make Beef Pot Pies, of course!

I love pot pies. I especially like a double-crusted pot pie, because I really like the crust. And… especially if your filling is already made – they’re pretty easy to put together.

A while back, I popped into a kitchen shop across from the local farmer’s market. I looked through the store to see what was new or interesting – and couldn’t find anything to buy. We already have everything. Sad, but true.

Well… almost everything… I saw a couple of little pie plates that I thought might come in handy since we were just starting our new food regime. At $4.99 a piece, I bought ’em – and they have been in the cupboard ever since.

Today, I decided it was time to put them to use – and to break in our new food processor.

Our close-to-25-year-old cobalt blue Kitchenaid food processor finally bit the dust. Or, rather, the work bowl did – and they don’t make them, anymore. I did my online search looking for a replacement, but to no avail. Time to bite the bullet and get a new one. It’s another Kitchenaid – still my preferred brand – and it has a few bells and whistles the old one didn’t – including an adjustable slicing disk. I tend to use my mandoline for precision slicing, but… what the heck. The downside to the new one is the base is lighter than the old one, so it doesn’t sit as steady – it bounced around a bit with the frozen butter for the pie crust. But… the price was right, so I’ll cope.

The crust came out perfect. I have to admit I do have pie crust down to a science. Light, flaky, and buttery – just as a crust should be. I play around with sometimes using vodka and sometimes not. This was one of the not times. For pie pies, I will often use 1/3 cup of pastry flour with 2 cups Italian “00” – or all-purpose. Tonight, I used all Italian “00” I also added a pinch of sugar. When making a crust for a sweet filling I’ll usually add a couple of tablespoons. Sugar helps with tenderness.

Pie Crust

• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 2 sticks butter, frozen
• pinch salt
• pinch sugar
• 1/2 cup ice water

Using a food processor, add flours, salt, and sugar. Pulse to mix.

Chop up frozen butter and add. Pulse until butter is incorporated and mixture looks grainy.

Slowly add ice water and pulse until mixed.

Turn out onto counter. Press and form mixture into two disks . Wrap in plastic and refrigerate about an hour to allow the flour to properly absorb the water and to relax the gluten.

Roll out crust and place in pie plate. Crimp edges and fill.

I cut it in half and froze part. The other half I made into 2 small bottom and 2 smaller top crusts. They went into the ‘fridge for an hour.

I rolled the crusts out, fitted them into the little pie plates, and then filled them with the cold beef filling. On went the top crust, brushed with egg and sprinkled with Maldon salt – I hafta use this stuff up, somehow…

I put them back into the ‘fridge to get nice and cold before going into a preheated 425°F oven for 30 minutes.

They were actually too big for either of us to finish, although we did put a good dent into them. The beef was just too good – and even better that last night after spending the night in the ‘fridge.

The rest, as they say, is history.

::burp::