Pastry For Pies

When you think that pies historically preceded plates as a means of getting hot food to the table you can see that the pastry crust continues to exist on the pie for cosmetic and nostalgic effect rather than culinary necessity.

For a hot dish, like steak and kidney, there are no objective benefits to be had from cooking the pastry on top of the meat and gravy, and there are strong arguments for making the filling in a casserole dish on top of the hob and baking the pastry separately Steam and puff or flaky pastry are not good friends, but shortcrust is more forgiving. For those who insist on a traditional construction it is important not to bake at too low a temperature; 200°C/400°F/ gas 6 for puff pastry is about right.