Pastry-Topped Ginger Beef

This is from the Beef Information Centre. Elegant but easy cook-ahead dish with some labour saving ingredients. Perfect for a large buffet and you can freeze the leftovers.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 10-12

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup cornstarch
• 2 (10 ounce) cans  quality  consomme
• 1 (35 g) package  onion roasted garlic soup mix
• 1⁄2 cup cooking sherry
• 1⁄4 cup  grated gingerroot (fresh or jarred)
•  fresh ground pepper
• 3  lbs beef, stewing cubes or 3  lbs  round roast, cubes
• 1  lb  fresh  baby carrots
• 1 (375 g) package frozen puff pastry

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven or large pot, mix together first six ingredients. Add meat and mix well. Cover and simmer on stovetop or bake in 300° oven for 2-3 hours until fork-tender.
2. Note: recipe may be prepared to this stage and then refrigerated and finished the next day.
3. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a large rectangle. Add carrots to beef mixture. Transfer mixture to a large rectangular 3 litre casserole and cover with pastry. Trim edges, cut steam holes, and decorate with extra pieces of scrap pastry.
4. Bake in a 400° oven for 30 minutes or until golden and filling is bubbly.