BRAISED BEEF POT PIE WITH BISCUIT TOPPING

BRAISED BEEF POT PIE WITH BISCUIT TOPPING FOR THE BRAISED BEEF 2½ to 3 lbs beef pot roast, Blade or chuck roast work well salt and pepper to season ½ cup flour to dredge the beef cubes 3 to 4 tbsp vegetable oil 2 large onions, diced 4 cloves minced garlic 4 tbsp butter 6 cups low sodium beef stock, you can replace 2 cups of stock with an equal amount of stout beer or red wine if you like for an extra rich gravy 1½ tbsp dried thyme ½ tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp salt 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper 2 bay leaves ½ cup orange juice FOR THE BUTTERMILK BISCUITS 2 cups all purpose flour 3 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp baking soda ¼ cup + 1 tbsp very cold salted butter, cut in small cubes 1 cup buttermilk TO PREPARE THE BRAISED BEEF Trim the beef roast of excess fat then cut it into 1½ inch cubes. Season the cubes with salt and pepper, then roll them in plain flour to coat them well. In a cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat and brown the beef cubes well in small batches. Do not crowd the pan with the beef or it will be harder to brown be drier when cooked. Transfer the browned beef to a covered roasting pan or dutch oven. Melt the butter in saute pan and add the onions and garlic. Saute over medium heat until the onions have softened but not browned, then add them to the roasting pan with the beef. Add the beef stock, thyme, nutmeg, salt, pepper, bay leaves and orange juice. Stir and cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil before adding the lid. Cook in a 300 degree oven for 2 2/2 to 3 hours or until the beef is fall apart tender. Remove the cover and add the prepared biscuits to the top of the beef and gravy. Increase the heat to 375 degrees F and bake until the biscuits are baked through and golden brown on top. TO PREPARE THE BISCUITS In a food processor, blend together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Pulse in the cold butter. Do not over incorporate the butter into the flour. Similar to making a flaky pastry, small pieces of butter should be visible in the flour. Transfer this mixture from the food processor into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in the buttermilk. Working very quickly with a wooden spoon, fold the dry mixture through the buttermilk, only until the flour disappears, then stop immediately. Drop the sticky dough onto a well floured counter top or bread board. Sprinkle the top of the dough with additional flour as well as flouring your hands to handle the dough. I don’t even use a rolling pin for these biscuits, the dough is soft enough to pat it out gently with floured hands to a thickness of about 1 & ½ inches. Using a sharp 3 to 4 inch biscuit cutter cut the biscuits out an place them on top of the beef and gravy to bake as instructed above. You can use a smaller biscuit cutter if you like but the baking time will be about 5 minutes less.