Black Pepper Sauce Beef and Scallion Hand Pies

Intro

These hand pies are flaky, peppery, and just rich enough to feel like proper party food. The filling is cooked until nearly dry before it ever goes into the pastry, which keeps the crust crisp and the flavor concentrated.

Ingredients

• For the filling: 3/4 lb ground beef, 1 tbsp neutral oil, 2 scallions thinly sliced, 2 shallots finely diced, 2 cloves garlic minced, 2 1/2 tbsp black-pepper-sauce, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp flour
• For assembly: 1 sheet puff pastry thawed, 1 egg beaten, flaky salt

Instructions

1. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the shallots and cook 2 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, then add the beef and spread it across the pan.
2. Let the beef sear for a minute before breaking it up. Continue cooking 4 to 5 minutes until browned and most of the rendered moisture has cooked off. Stir in the black pepper sauce, soy, Worcestershire, and flour, then cook 1 to 2 minutes more until the mixture looks cohesive and no liquid pools at the bottom of the pan.
3. Fold in the scallions and cool the filling completely. This matters: warm filling will soften the pastry too quickly and make the pies harder to seal cleanly.
4. Roll the puff pastry lightly and cut into rectangles or circles. Spoon a modest amount of filling onto one half of each piece, leaving a clean border. Fold over, press out any trapped air, and crimp the edges firmly with a fork.
5. Brush with egg, sprinkle with flaky salt, and bake at 400°F for 18 to 22 minutes until deeply golden and crisp. Let them stand 5 minutes before serving so the filling settles slightly.

Why This Works

A pepper-forward sauce can disappear in pastry if the filling is too wet; reducing it first keeps the flavor sharp and the crust properly crisp.