Mushroom and Sous Vide Brisket Individual Pies

These individual beef pies are full of flavour and super tender chunks of beef. The beef is cooked sous vide for 24 hours and then combined with a rich mushroom gravy before being coated in pastry and finished in the oven. 

Author

Christina Wylie

Christina Wylie is an award-winning writer, author, editor, food stylist, recipe creator, entrepreneur and radio host whose work has been featured in The Times & The Sunday Times, Time Out (Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong and Dubai), Traveler’s Digest, Fah Thai Magazine, Broadsheet, Wining & Dining and many other internationally renowned publications. In 2013, after almost a decade of working as an international journalist, Christina founded the online lifestyle magazine The GAB Magazine, for which she now leads a team of 60 writers based all across Australia. She then founded Samui Life Magazine in 2016. After working as a recipe creator for Anova Culinary for over a year, she signed a cookbook contract with the American-based, international publishing company Quarto. Her cookbook, titled The Sous Vide Kitchen: Techniques, Ideas, and More Than 100 Recipes to Cook at Home, was published worldwide in 2017. She wrote, styled, and photographed everything that you see within that book. In 2017 she opened her first restaurant, Bootlegger, in Koh Samui, Thailand. She is currently in the initial stages of launching Bootlegger 2 in Phuket in 2018, and is looking to open Bootlegger 3 in Bangkok in 2019. She is currently working towards stepping into the world of food and travel presenting. As an entrepreneur herself, Christina co-founded the charity initiative Project Gen Z in 2015 to teach orphaned Cambodian children entrepreneurial skills. A British expat born and raised in Hong Kong, Christina has worked across the globe, and has lived in Thailand, London, Hong Kong, Australia and South Africa over the years.

Prep Time: 01:00

Recipe Time: 24:00

Temperature : 185F / 85C

Ingredients

• 1 pound (about 500g) brisket
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 white onion, roughly chopped
• 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry
• 1 cup sliced Portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour mixed with 3 tablespoons water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg, beaten

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 185ºF (85ºC).
2. Combine brisket, carrot, onion, celery, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, and 1 tablespoon butter in a large zipper lock or vacuum seal bag. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the dry setting.
3. Place the bag in the water bath and set the timer for 24 hours. Cover the water bath with plastic wrap to minimize water evaporation. Add water intermittently to keep the beef submerged.
4. About 30 minutes before beef is finished, remove puff pastry from freezer to thaw.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Remove the beef from the bag and transfer to a cutting board. Discard cooking liquid and cooked vegetables. Heat oven to 410ºF (210ºC).
2. When beef is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
3. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the wine and bring to a rapid simmer. Continue to simmer for 3 minutes. Add the beef stock, red wine vinegar, and flour-water mixture. Continue to simmer until sauce is thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the beef. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Divide beef mixture between two oven-proof single-serving bowls. Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry over the top of each bowl. Trim the edges and fold over the edges of the bowl. Brush with beaten egg.
6. Bake until pastry is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve.