Low-Carb Beef & Beer Pot Pie

Ingredients

• 1 kg braising beef (2.2 lbs)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ¹/₂ tsp black pepper
• 1 medium red onion, chopped (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 large celery stick (64 g/ 2.2 oz)
• 1 small carrot, sliced (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
• 200 g brown mushrooms, sliced (7.1 oz)
• 4 tbsp ghee or avocado oil, divided (60 ml)
• 500 ml low-carb, gluten-free beer (17 fl oz)
• 500 ml beef stock or bone broth (17 fl oz)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (15 ml)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard or English mustard
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 bay leaves
• 3-4 sprigs of thyme
• 1 ¹/₄ cups almond flour (125 g/ 4.4 oz)
• 2 tbsp coconut flour (16 g/ 0.5 oz)
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• pinch of sea salt
• ¹/₂ stick cold unsalted butter (57 g/ 2 oz)
• 1 large egg, plus ¹/₂ egg for brushing on top

Instructions

1. Cut the braising beef into large chunks, 4 to 5 cm (1.5 to 2 inch) each. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Slice the onion and mince the garlic. Slice the celery, carrot and mushrooms.
2. Grease an ovenproof casserole dish with a tablespoon of ghee. Add the beef and cook on high heat until seared and browned from all sides, for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium.
3. Preheat the oven to 150 °C/ 300 °F (fan assisted), or 170 °C/ 340 °F (conventional).
4. Grease the casserole dish with the remaining ghee and add the sliced onion. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, and then add the minced garlic, sliced celery and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the sliced mushrooms.
5. Pour in the stock and beer. Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, tomato paste, 2 bay leaves and 3-4 thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over a high heat, cover with a lid and then transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for 2 hours until the meat is fall-apart tender.
6. To make the crust, place the almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum, salt, cold butter and one egg into a food processor. Process until smooth dough forms.
7. Wrap in a piece of cling film, flatten with your hands and refrigerate while you cook the beef.
8. After 2 hours of baking the beef, remove the lid and bake for another 30 minutes.
9. When baked, transfer when whole content into a deep pie dish. I used a 25 cm (10 inch pie dish with the inside diameter slightly smaller at 22 cm (9 inch).
   Note: If you end up with too much sauce, use a ladle to transfer the excess sauce into a saucepan. Cook over a medium-high heat for a few minutes until reduced enough. Pour back into the pie dish.
10. Place the dough on a strong piece of parchment paper or a silicon mat. Roll the dough into a round, flat crust. To prevent the dough from sticking, use a silicon covered rolling pin or wrap it in a piece of cling film. Measure it to make sure it's big enough to cover the whole pie (in my case it was 25 cm/ 10 inch). The crust will be fragile when the dough warms up. Carefully transfer into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.
11. Preheat the oven to 180 °C/ 355 °F (fan assisted), or 200 °C/ 400 °F (conventional). Remove the crust from the freezer and put on top of the pie, peeling the parchment off the other side.
12. Use a fork to create a decorative effect around the top of the pie crust. Brush with the remaining egg (you won't need more than half an egg). Using a sharp knife, poke a small hole in the middle to help the steam escape as it cooks.
13. Transfer into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, turning the pie halfway to ensure even browning. Remove from the oven and let it cool down for a few minutes before serving.
14. Eat warm or let it cool down and refrigerate for up to 4 days. This pie can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition (per serving, ¹/₆ pie)