Nothing like just throwing it all together... ;)
I made a cracking steak & thyme pie on Monday. :)
Just make sure you use Chuck steak!!! :D
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Austral Cafe at Murwillumbah. On Murwillumbah St. They do pasties, nice pies, good coffee & a very tasty version of squashed fly biscuit (although Aussies would call it a slice).
It's a Murwillumbah institution. Been going about 93 years iirc, and has had just 4 owners in all that time.
Squashed fly biscuit, my Mum's recipe:
You need ordinary shortcrust pastry, depending how many you want to make so for a lot, half a kilo would be ok. Roll it out in an oblong or square shape, until it is quite thin. Mark half with a thin line - use the back of a knife so that you don't cut through the pastry. Brush or spread one half with butter - for you, probably easier to melt a little butter and brush it over. Sprinkle the buttered half thickly with currants. If you can't get currants, then use raisins or sultanas. Sprinkle well with brown sugar - it is the sugar which melts and makes a nice sticky inside when cooked. When putting the fruit onto the bottom half, leave a margin of about I/4 inch with nothing on - this is to enable you to get the two halves to stick together. Brush pastry all round both edges with milk. Fold unbuttered half onto the currant side. Press down lightly. With a fork, press the edges together on the three sides, not along the fold. Using the back of the knife again, mark the folded pastry into squares or fingers. You need to almost cut through the pastry at this stage as this will allow you to cut it properly as soon as it comes out of the oven. Brush top with milk, sprinkle with sugar and, if liked, a little cinnamon. Bake at Gas mark 5, or 350 degrees. Take them out when browned on top - about 15 mins or so, cut them through and leave to cool.
I ignore the part about a little cinnamon as I like plenty of cinnamon ;)
of course, I will dig it up and send it to you,
when she was alive she explained that pasties came in 2 shapes the traditional half moon shape, this was so the yorkshire miners could eat it holding the pastry ends with their dirty hands and be able to eat a solid meal without getting the dirt in their food, which is why it has meat and vegies in it
The other way was like a giant sausage roll for eating at home cut up like a rolled roast
In WA - travelling between Perth & Kalgoorlie regularly ..............
the pie shop at Bakers Hill used to have a good reputation and I stopped there quite often - but their pies have turned to crap lately and I don't bother.
Best pies by far on that journey can be had from the French Bakery at the western end of the main street in Merredin. :thumbsup:
There's also a hot food / coffee caravan on the highway at Cunderdin where they sell home made pies. Not bad - but not as good as Merredin.
I'll second this one!!! We were there today. SWMBO had Butter Chicken Pie and it was "the best pie she'd had in a long time", and I had Duck and Cranberry Pie and it was also awesome. Amazingly, the day started well too.... We called into a winery between Springton and Mt Pleasant which I'd spotted whilst spending most of the previous week up there fighting fire. Anyway... He's a Land Rover Nut... Was there for nearly two hours.. Over 15 Land/Range Rovers later and we departed!! :D The next SAULRO day I plan will be based there for sure!:)
During our travels last year found great pies from the bakery, at the end of the main street, in Longreach Qld.But the best were from the garage /bakery,opposite the park in the centre of Mataranka NT and made by the backpackers working there.
I use blade too. At 4 or 5 bucks a kilo, it's pretty cheap. I make up a large batch of filling in the slow cooker, freeze it in quantities to make a couple pies, and then make the shortcrust pastry base, but use shop bought puff pastry for the lid.
We call them "home assembled pies".