Mince and Cheese Pie

Ingredients

Filling

• 600 gbeef mince, about 15 percent fat
• 1onion, finely diced
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbspbeef dripping or oil
• 2 tbspplain flour
• 400 mlstrong beef stock
• 1 tbsptomato paste
• 2 tspWorcestershire sauce
• 1 tspMarmite or Vegemite
• 1 tspdried thyme
• 1bay leaf
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspcoarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tbspcornflour slaked in 2 tbsp cold water, if needed

Pastry

• 400 gshortcrust pastry, for the bases
• 400 gall-butter puff pastry, for the lids
• 1egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk, to glaze

Cheese

• 200 gtasty (mature) cheddar, coarsely grated

Equipment

• 4individual pie tins, about 12 cm across, or a 4-hole pie maker
• Tomato sauce, to serve

Directions

1. Brown the mince in the dripping in a wide heavy pan over high heat, in two batches so it sears rather than stews, until it is properly browned and stuck bits have formed on the base, about 8 minutes a batch.
2. Lower the heat, add the onion and garlic and cook 6 minutes until soft, then stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes.
3. Add the stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire, Marmite, thyme, bay, salt and pepper, scraping the base clean. Simmer, uncovered, for 40–50 minutes until the meat is tender and the sauce is very thick.
4. The filling must be thick enough to hold a spoon upright at the end. If it is loose, stir in the slaked cornflour and cook 2 minutes more. A wet filling gives a soggy base every time.
5. Cool it completely and chill it, ideally overnight. Warm filling melts the pastry base before it can bake.
6. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) with a heavy baking tray inside. Line each tin with shortcrust rolled to 3 mm, pressing it well into the corners, and prick the bases.
7. Blind-bake the bases on the hot tray for 12 minutes with beans, then 5 minutes without, until dry and pale gold. This is the New Zealand bakery trick for a base that stays crisp.
8. Fill each base with cold mince to just below the rim, scatter over 50 g grated cheddar per pie and press it down lightly into the meat.
9. Roll the puff pastry to 4 mm, cut lids, brush the shortcrust rims with egg, lay the lids on and press to seal. Trim, crimp with a fork, cut a small steam vent in each and glaze the tops.
10. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 25–30 minutes, until the puff lid is risen, deeply golden and crisp underneath, and the filling bubbles at the vent.
11. Rest 10 minutes before eating; the cheese is molten and the filling is hotter than it looks. Serve with a squeeze of tomato sauce on the top, straight from the hand.

Technique

• Two pastries, not one. The New Zealand bakery pie has a sturdy shortcrust base to hold the filling and a puff lid for the lift, and swapping to puff all round gives a collapsed, greasy base.
• Cold filling into a blind-baked base is the single biggest factor in a crisp pie. Bakeries fill cold and bake fast for exactly this reason.
• Marmite or Vegemite is a genuine Kiwi habit rather than a novelty; the yeast extract adds savoury depth to a plain mince filling without tasting of itself.
• Cheese goes on top of the mince, not stirred through, so it forms a molten layer against the lid; the two-layer look is what people expect when they bite in.

Substitutions

• No pie tins: a four-hole muffin tray or an electric pie maker both work; the pie maker skips the blind bake and takes about 10 minutes.
• Beef mince can be replaced by finely diced chuck steak, simmered 90 minutes, for a steak and cheese pie.
• Shortcrust can be made with half butter and half lard for a firmer, more bakery-like base.

Variations

• Steak and cheese, with diced chuck instead of mince, the other half of the national argument.
• Mince and gravy pie, plain and without cheese, the older form.
• Potato-top pie, mince under a piped mashed potato lid instead of pastry.

History

The Bakels Supreme Pie Awards, run since 1997, judge a dedicated mince and cheese category that decides the country’s bakery reputations.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mince and Cheese Pie?

Mince and Cheese Pie is a snack from New Zealand: flaky pie of savory minced beef and melted cheese, bakery staple. The Bakels Supreme Pie Awards, run since 1997, judge a dedicated mince and cheese category that decides the country’s bakery reputations.

How long does Mince and Cheese Pie take to make?

Mince and Cheese Pie takes 40 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 pies. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Mince and Cheese Pie?

Yes, within limits. No pie tins: a four-hole muffin tray or an electric pie maker both work; the pie maker skips the blind bake and takes about 10 minutes. Beef mince can be replaced by finely diced chuck steak, simmered 90 minutes, for a steak and cheese pie. Shortcrust can be made with half butter and half lard for a firmer, more bakery-like base.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mince and Cheese Pie?

Brown the mince in the dripping in a wide heavy pan over high heat, in two batches so it sears rather than stews, until it is properly browned and stuck bits have formed on the base, about 8 minutes a batch.