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By Request, Recipes from NY Times Style Section, 1/19/12

Ruby Bergl's (formerly O'Brien) Steak & Guinness Pie

2 Tbsp flour

Salt and pepper

2 lbs braising steak, cut into 3/4" cubes

Olive oil

2 small onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, diced

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 bottle Guinness

3 cans chopped tomatoes

2 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

2 dashes Worcchestire sauce

1 package puff pastry (feel free to best me and make your own)

1 egg, beaten

Salt and pepper the beef and toss with the flour in a large Ziploc bag.  Heat a couple of glugs of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat, and brown the beef, a few minutes on both sides.  There's no need to get neurotic about doing it evenly, as the beef is soon going to be inside a pie.  Transfer the beef to a plate which will hold any juices that are released, and sautee the onion in the pan for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic, carrot and celery and sautee for 5 more minutes.  Add a few glugs of the  Guinness and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  Add the remaining Guinness, chopped tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and Worchestire suace, and bring to a healthy simmer.  Turn the heat to low and simmer covered for 1 hour, then uncovered  for 1 hour or until beef is tender and the sauce is nice and thick, adding more salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat, transfer to a 9 X 13 baking dish, fish out the thyme and bay leaf, and let cool for 20 minutes.  And preheat the oven to 375 degrees while you're at it.  When the beef has cooled (don't skip this part or it will melt your pastry; I've done it) lay the puff pastry across the top, crimping at the ends, and making a few x's to release the steam.  If you have extra pastry and are feeling sentimental, you can cut out little hearts or other ridiculous shapes and decorate your pie.  Brush the beaten egg over the top.  Bake for 45 minutes or until pie is browned and bubbling, and seems somewhat set.  Or you can obsessively take it out and put it back into the oven like I did.   Let the pie rest for 10 minutes and enjoy!

12 oz heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

Brandy

10 meringue cookies (Yep, I didn't make those either)

1 small carton raspberries

1 small carton blueberries

Put the cream in a bowl with a whisk and make your guests whip it until it forms soft peaks.  Add the powdered sugar and brandy.   Make it as boozy as you like.  Take out your cut glass trifle dish, or if you broke it last year like I did, locate your most attracive medium sized bowl.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the berries and spread on the bottom of the bowl.   Crumble half of the meringue cookies (I like to put them in a Ziploc and take a hammer to them) and sprinkle them on top.  Cover with half the whipped cream.  Repeat.  Use the remaining berries to decorate.  If you have access to a Cadbury's Flake you can crumble that on top too.