Guinness Christmas Beef Pastry Wreath
This recipe was created in paid partnership with Guinness Canada
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
For the filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 red pepper, diced
2 ¼ lb/1kg stewing beef, cubed
14 oz/400g mixed wild mushrooms
1 quart/950ml Guinness
1 bouquet garni, (sprig of thyme, parsley, rosemary and a bay leaf, tied together)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 oz/⅓ cup dark chocolate, grated
For the pastry wreath
1 sheet puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/170°/Gas Mark 3
2. Start by making the Guinness beef stew filling, it will take two hours to cook, so you could do this the day before. Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add the two tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil has warmed stir in the onions, red pepper and garlic, and cook for three minutes, then transfer them to a casserole dish. Next add the beef to the frying pan, season with salt and pepper and cook until browned all over, and then add to the onions. Lastly add the mushrooms to the frying pan and cook for two minutes. Season to taste and transfer to the casserole dish. Pour the Guinness over the beef and vegetables, add the bouquet garni, and the grated chocolate. Stir well and cover the casserole dish and cook in the pre-heated oven for two hours.
3. Once the beef stew is cooked, remove from the oven, discard the bouquet garni and allow to cool.
4. Pre-heated the oven again, but this time to 390˚F.
5. Roll the pastry out to around 5mm thick and cut a large circle out of the pastry. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lay the pastry on the prepared baking sheet. Mark a circle with a medium-sized bowl and with a sharp knife, cut 4 cuts into the center circle.
6. Spread the Guinness beef stew around the center of the circle. Bring one point of the center star over the filling as well as bringing the outer edge of pastry inwards. Press the two together and continue until you have a wreath.
7. Brush with beaten egg then place in the oven and allow to bake for 15 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
8. Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes then slice and serve.
