In my early twenties I did a term abroad in Australia. I often woke up after a big night of drinking with the distinct smell of meat pie lingering on my fingers. Pretty disgusting, yet here I am, ten years later, still day dreaming about those freshly baked meat pies that I would often inhale after the bar. Here’s my attempt and recreating the infamous Aussie meat pies. I wanted to make my own pie crust from scratch so I can know exactly what’s going in there—absolutely no weird preservatives, just flour, butter and salt! Fortunately, Canada produces some of the world’s best wheat and dairy to make this recipe extra simple and delicious.

I made the pies in individual servings because that’s how I remember them, but also because you can freeze and reheat a couple for amazing leftovers down the road. You’ll need four 4.5-inch pie tins and a rolling pin for this recipe.

Individual Aussie Meat Pies (Beef with Green Peppercorns and Cheese)

Prep time: 45 minutes, + 1 hour inactive
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes + 1 hour inactive
Yield: 4 (4.5 inch) individual pies

INGREDIENTS

For the Puff Pastry

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp fine salt
1 ¼ cup cold, European-style unsalted butter*
2/3 cup ice water

For the Pie Filling

500g lean ground beef
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water, divided
2 cubes beef stock
¼ cup ketchup
2 tsp. Worcestershire
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 cup grated, old white cheddar cheese
2 tsp. green peppercorns in brine, drained**
1 egg, whisked

*European style butter has a higher fat content so it has a nicer flavour than standard butter but, in a pinch, use any type of unsalted butter

**I found these in a small glass jar in the spice aisle.

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Cut the butter into chunks, and add it to the flour. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. There shouldn’t be any butter chunks bigger than the size of a pea.

Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour the ice-cold water in, mixing it in with a fork or a wooden spoon until a dough is formed. The mixture may seem a little dry at this point, but do not add more water.

Lightly flour a clean work surface and a rolling pin, and turn out the dough onto the work surface, forming it into 2 rough squares. Roll each square into a rectangle, around 25 cm/10 inches long. Fold the bottom third of each rectangle upward, and top third of the dough downward (as if you were folding up a letter). Rotate the dough 90 degrees, roll and repeat the same folding motion. Repeat this motion 6 times with each piece of dough.

Wrap both discs of dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

While the dough chills, make the filling.

In a large sauté pan with a lid, cook the onion and the beef over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat into pieces as it cooks. Once the beef is browned, add in the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

Add in ¾ of a cup of water, the beef stock cubes, ketchup and Worcestershire. Bring to a light boil (medium-low to medium heat should suffice), cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup of water with the flour until smooth. Add to the meat mixture along with the green peppercorns and the grated cheese. Stir until fully combined, remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 425F & grease four (4.5-inch) pie tins.

Lightly flour a clean worksurface and rolling pin and take the chilled dough from the fridge. Roll each disc into a 16-inch square, and then cut that into four 8-inch squares. You should have 8 pieces total.

Line each pie tin with a piece of puff pastry, pressing it in, then fill each pie with the now cooled filling. Brush the exposed edges of the pie crusts with the whisked egg, then place the remaining 4 pieces of dough over top of each. Press the edges down to seal with a fork and trim away the excess dough. Brush the top of the pies with remaining egg wash and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes have passed, reduce the heat to 350F and continue to cook for another 16-18 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve hot!

Thanks to Life’s Simple Ingredient for sponsoring this recipe. Find more delicious recipes at www.lifessimpleingredient.com