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Pie Crust

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, chilled and cut into pieces

½ cup (8 tablespoons) vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into pieces

½ to ¾ cup cold water

Meat and Potato Filling

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 ounces chuck steak, diced into ¼-inch pieces

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½ cups chicken broth

1 medium red-skinned potato, peeled and diced into ¼-inch pieces

1 medium carrot, peeled and dieced into ¼-inch pieces

¼ teaspoon ground sage

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for brushing over the pie

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter and shortening over the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse yellow meal without any white powdery bits remaining, about 15 pulses. Turn the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle ½ cup water over the mixture and toss with a rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is dry (better too wet than too dry). Divide the dough in half, form into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours or up to 3 days.

To make the Meat and Potato Filling, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the meat and sear on both sides until crusty brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl. Add the onions to the skillet and sauté until well browned. Return the meat to the pan, sprinkle the flour over, and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1½ hours. Add the chopped potato and carrot, sage, salt, and pepper and cook for another 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to another bowl, and cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. On a generously floured surface, roll out one of the disks very thin. Use a 6-inch saucer to cut out six circles. Fit the circles into a 6-cup muffin pan, leaving the overhang. Fill generously with the meat and potato filling.

Roll out the second disk of dough. Use a 4-inch cookie cutter to cut out six circles. Brush the overhanging dough with water and lay the circles over the filling. For each pie, fold the over-hang over the top dough circle and press with your fingers to seal. Cut slits in the top of each pie to form vents, and brush the tops with the beaten egg. Bake for 1 hour, rotating the pan midway through baking.

Makes 6 pies

During World War II, home cooks simply didn't have enough flour to make a whole pie, so thrifty and resourceful English housewives came up with a way to make do with less. They dumped fruit in a pan and topped it with a mixture of flour, some kind of fat, and sugar — and the fruit crumble (generally called “crisp” in the United States) was born. The following recipe would have been too extravagant during the Second World War, as it calls for both a bottom crust and a crumble topping.

Apple Crumble Pies

Pie Crust

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, chilled and cut into pieces

4–6 tablespoons cold water

Apple Filling

2 tablespoons butter

2 sweet apples (such as Gala or Braeburn), peeled, cored, and finely chopped

2 tart apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and finely chopped

½ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg Zest and juice of half a lemon

Crumble Topping

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup packed dark or light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, chilled and cut into pieces

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter and shortening over the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse yellow meal without any white powdery bits remaining, about 15 pulses. Turn the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle