This is basically a pot pie, right? It'll be in the oven an hour? If so, why not? I'm more likely to use an oblong baking dish in that situation, but if the pot you have is the right size, that's what matters most. If the pot is a lot taller than the filling, just lay the crust down in it, on top of the filling and seal it well to the sides. It might not be as pretty, but the purpose of the crust is to keep the steam in, and it should work fine. Remember, the people who invented it didn't have such fancy quality cookware as we do. The method should be pretty forgiving.

I can't imagine making a meat pie in that deep a pot. Do you mean for the filling to come to the top of the pot and lay the crust over the top of the whole pot?
I would look for a deep casserole...more like 4 inches deep rather than 6 or 7 inches deep....even a souffle dish would do.

If you lay the crust on top of the filling and the sides of the dish are2 inches taller, it won't brown as well as if you put the crust on the top at the edges of the dish..

This is the recipe and the Dutch oven they recommend holds the same amount as my Coq au Vin cast-iron oven.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/beef-and-stout-pie.html

My concern is that the crust will not bake as evenly in the oval, so I think I'll do what was done at the inn where I stayed in the Cotswolds. They served the steak and ale "pie" as a stew, which they ladled over a puff pastry round in each serving dish, at the table. That sounds easier and much better for handling leftovers.

Thanks

For futures, remember that Williams-Sonoma is in the selling you cookware business. Their recipes that aren't using their jars and bags can be good (I don't know either way about those since I'm not buying their food products). At least in this case they're only trying to sell you the pastry, which I think most people buy, nowadays, stilton or no. The choice of pot might be all the art director's vision rather than the chef's.

If you look in the picture, it's what I said. The filling is considerably lower than the edge of the pot, so they've laid the pastry on top of it and sealed the sides. It's even a better seal for running all the way over the top edge of the pot, but just mashed up the sides a little would have been sufficient. Sealing the sides keeps the juice from bubbling over the pastry and messing up the pretty. The ingredients look fine.

Since you're trying to make a similar dish to what you had, doing the puff and ladle makes a lot of sense. Also remember to address it with a hearty appetite. Things often taste better on vacation because you're tired and hungry. :) Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, I'm going to make puff pastry separate.

This is my "Thanksgiving meal" on Saturday, that I'm making for my son and his wife and kids. They go elsewhere on Thanksgiving Day, and since it's just my poodle and I since my husband died, I skip making the traditional foods. My late husband always grilled the turkey and it was fabulous. I don't want to try it by myself.

I'm also going to make Sticky Toffee Pudding, another Cotswolds food. For a salad, I'm making a warm beet that I've made before.

BTW, the link to the Stilton Pastry, is also a recipe without their products.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/beef-and-stout-pie.html

Thanks!

I also think it would be easier to eat and to serve if you made the pastry rounds separate from the stew itself, although the recipe looks lovely. I just know my crust would never do that. If I tried using a deep pot like that, I'd have to do the crust separately or use a more shallow dish or face an awful ugly (but possibly delicious) mess.

If you don't have a recipe for the Sticky Toffee Pudding, AnnT has a good one:

http://thibeaultstablerecipes.blogspot.com/2009/06/sticky-toffee-dessert.html

Happy Thanksgiving and good luck with that meal. Be sure to save a bite for your poodle, my pets are thankful too but they're getting turkey. (grin)

Annie

However you decide to serve it, I'm sure it will be delicious. The meat and pastry recipes both look great.

Happy thanksgiving!

Ina Garten's Sticky Toffee Pudding is THE BEST! It's what we've been having for Christmas for several years. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe/ina-gartens-sticky-toffee-date-cake-bourbon-glaze-17826466

Thank you, Annie and Martha for the other sticky toffee pudding recipes.

This is the one I was planning to use and have all the ingredients, so I can switch to one of yours. I'm an Ina fan, so I may switch to hers.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/sticky-toffee-pudding-380598

This is one of the puddings I had in Chipping Campden. We also went to the Three Ways House Hotel for dinner (home of the Pudding Club) and had five different types!

What I'm lacking is the clotted cream!

Happy Thanksgiving from my poodle.

Oh my goodness, what a cutie! I used to have miniature poodles and we always kept them "puppy clipped", not the big showy poofs, just feet/tail/nose. They were cute and smart little monsters, they could climb fences!

I've not made sticky toffee pudding, but it sounds good, I have AnnT's recipe stuck away in my "to try" file. I've never tried one of her recipes that wasn't good, and since she's a real person who posted here for a couple of decades, I trust her tried and true recipes. Not that I don't trust Ina Garten, LOL, I have a couple of her cookbooks, but I KNOW AnnT and so I know that her taste and mine are similar. Taste is subjective, not objective, you know?

I suppose it's too late to order clotted cream. I can get it sometimes in the "international" section of my local Meijer, but not always, go figure.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Annie

Making real clotted cream isn't that hard if you have cream or milk with live cultures (not ultrapasteurized). It just takes time. The traditional way requires you to have a cold room where you can set the pan out, but there are oven methods too. If you start right now, it might be ready for your dinner. It takes at least half a day, maybe more.

You could also substitute crème fraîche or mix some sour cream with some whipped cream. Not the same, but not bad for substitutes.

I'll make the stew tomorrow, then let it chill in the fridge overnight and reheat it for lunch. I do this with all my stews to allow the flavors to come up.

I've made crème fraiche and Anglais before. I've looked at several recipes for clotted cream. The clotted cream I had in the UK was the consistency of butter, and not far from tasting like butter!

Thanks!

Yup. That's the real kind. You can make it. You even have enough time if you have the cream.

In the USA, Anglaise is short for crème Anglaise, which is a thin custard often used as an ice cream base or custard sauce. I don't know if the term is used in England, let alone Europe. :)

Mascarpone is a great idea!

The stew is done. I'll reheat for tomorrow.

The Sticky Toffee Pudding is done and it smells so good! I'll make the sauce tomorrow, as I will the pastry for the stew.

My DIL is an anesthesiologist and was called in tonight for a heart transplant. That's why I needed to make something flexible on serving time. She'll have to catch up on on her sleep after she gets off work, and then they'll let me know when they're coming over.

This is the Epicurious Recipe. It looks beautiful.

No one wanted Stilton in the crust, so I pulled Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry out of the freezer! I put the kids' portions in small ramekins and the adults in oven-proof chili bowls. Turned out great, though all of the adults agreed, because we'd munched on cheeses from England, that we would have been fine with the kids' size portions!

My little granddaughter wanted to help with rolling and cutting out the circles of the pastry, brushing the egg on top -- she did a fine job for a 4 year-old, standing on steps to reach the counter!

Bowls:

dyhgarden, I love your helper, she's so cute. I love to bake with the grandkids, it's so much more fun.

The pies look good too.

Annie