iN VIDEO: Make this delicious fall stew from The B.C. Wine Lover's Cookbook

As the cooler weather begins, our bodies begin to crave comfort food. Soups, stews and braises are in order now and this change definitely makes the end of summer more palatable.

My latest cookbook, The B.C. Wine Lover’s Cookbook features some wonderful comfort food recipes including one of my favourites submitted by the late, great Harry McWatters. Harry, a legend in our wine industry, left us unexpectedly last year. I am so grateful that he is a part of this book and contributed this amazing recipe from his mother, Muriel Duke.

This is a super easy recipe and can be prepared the day ahead finishing with the puff pastry portion before serving. I love the method of baking the puff pastry crusts separately and just popping it on top at the end.
Enjoy!

Watch me make the stew here:

Muriel’s Stout & Beef Pot Pie

Serves 4

2 Tbsp flour
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 lb trimmed top sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 Tbsp butter
2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large (473 ml) can stout beer (like Naramata Nut Brown ale)
1 tsp grainy mustard
2 cups quartered mushrooms
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
Milk, for brushing

You will need four individual 12 oz ramekins or bowls for this recipe.
(My note: if you happen to have a heart shaped cookie cutter, it is lovely to have that shape sitting atop your stews to serve instead of a circle.)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mix the flour, salt and pepper together in a bowl, then toss the cubes of steak in the mixture until lightly coated.
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt half the butter and lightly brown the meat all over (you may need to do this in two batches). Transfer the meat to an oven-safe dish with a lid (the old-fashioned enamel kind works well).

Add the remaining butter to the frying pan and cook the onions until they are just changing colour, about 4–5 minutes. Spoon the onions over the beef.

Deglaze the frying pan with the beer and pour the liquid over the onions and meat. Cook in the oven, covered, until the beef is very tender (at least 2 hours).

Remove the dish from the oven and stir in the grainy mustard and mushrooms. Return to the oven for 30 minutes, then remove. Increase the oven temperature to the heat level recommended on the puff pastry package.

Roll out the puff pastry sheet, then cut into circles the same size as your ramekins (a biscuit cutter or water glass works). Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and brush with milk. Bake the pastry according to the instructions on the package until golden brown.

To serve, divide the beef stew into the ramekins and top each with a pastry round.

Pair with: McWatters Collection Meritage. This bold, elegant wine boasts velvety tannins, well-balanced fruit and oak characteristics. Expect blackberry and cassis with dark black fruits and supple texture. This Meritage is crafted with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, and matured in small French oak casks for 15 months prior to bottling.

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