I hesitated to call these “Sweeney Todd” meat pies, which would be truly macabre. I am sure there are Halloween parties that would make a perfect setting for macabre meat pot pies.
Can you imagine stabbing a fork into this meat pie? For me, no! I flipped mine over, I couldn’t look it in the “eye” even though it was “stitched” shut. Shudder. The filling is so dang good though, you forget about the scary outside from which it came.
If you truly are having a hard time looking at this, just click on over to Aussie Meat Pot Pie. It’s the exact same recipe without the macabre face staring back at you. If beef is NOT your favorite, try Chicken Pot Pie Filling.
Once you line the pot pie plates with the dough, fill with the meat filling of choice. I used Aussie Meat Filling (recipe below) so I had a nice dark background for any open wounds. Add two pieces of dough about where the eyes and nose will be. This will give you a base to work with.
Once you have placed the top crust on, use a small sharp knife and make cuts for eyes, scars, mouth, and stitch marks. Use a small round end of a fondant tool or chopstick for the nostrils.
I mixed the tiniest amount of red food coloring with a beaten egg for the “orange” color. In a separate bowl I mixed more red with another beaten egg. Using a paintbrush I let the red liquid run into the crevices of every cut mark made. I then brushed on more orange to blend the red. The last part was using black with a very small brush, also letting it run into the crevices (see below).
Bake these bad boys 45 minutes @ 375 and they’re ready for feasting.
I truly hope you make your Halloween party one to remember, Sweeney Todd style! You can’t go wrong with pot pies in the fall, scary face or not! Happy Halloween!
Aussie Beef Pot Pie
Ingredients
Aussie Steak Filling
- 2-1/2 pounds sirloin, London Broil, or skirt steak, cut across grain into bite size pies (about 1/2 inch)
- 4 slices bacon
- 1/3 cup flour or cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
- 8 ounces dark ale beer or beef stock
- 1 teaspoon umami seasoning (or mushroom powder)
- 4 sprigs rosemary, strip leaves from stems and chop (may substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2-1/2 cups rough chopped carrots (about 5 carrots, depending on size)
- 1-1/2 cups rough chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-1/2 pound rough chopped mushrooms
- 3 cups beef or vegetable stock
Pot Pie Crust (English Wig) – makes SIX (6) 5-inch 6-oz capacity pot pies***
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups butter (or 50/50 of each)
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
Instructions
Aussie Beef Filling
- On a large platter, toss the flour with the salt and pepper and nutmeg. Add the cut up steak and stir until coated with mixture, set aside.
- Place bacon in skillet over medium-high heat and cook until starting to crisp. Remove bacon and leave drippings in skillet.
- Add the steak to the skillet with bacon drippings and sear the steak for about about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Place seared steak and chop the bacon into a large dutch oven, set aside.
- In the same skillet over medium high heat, add the carrots and celery, cook and stir for 5 to 6 minutes, add to dutch oven with steak.
- Add the onions and mushrooms to the skillet, if no oil is left add in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until onions just start to brown on edges and mushrooms are starting to release liquid (about 3 to 4 minutes). Also add this to the dutch oven.
- Add the remaining ingredients to dutch oven, beer, broth, umami seasoning, and tomato paste. If there are any browned bits in skillet, swirl a couple of tablespoons of broth to deglaze and add to dutch oven.
- Reduce heat to very low, just enough for a small simmer, cover dutch oven with lid and let simmer (braise) for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Cool and chill the filling before filling pot pies.
Crust and Assembly:
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Place all dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Add the shortening/butter and cut in with a large fork until crumbly with pea-sized pieces, be careful not to over mix.
- In separate small bowl beat the egg, cold water, and vinegar
- Add egg mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and stir just enough to form a ball.
- Roll out have the dough about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick, cutting each pot pie bottom crust into a circle about 1 inch larger circumference to fit into pot pie tin (4 tins about five-inches in diameter).
- Divide filling equally into the four prepared bottom crusts.
- Roll our top crusts. Brush the edge of the bottom crust egg wash to adhere, and use fork to crimp edges of pies. Brush the top with egg wash.
- Bake @ 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Best served warm.
