Directions

1. Preheat Oven: 

   Start by setting your oven to 180℃. Prepare two baking trays by lining them with parchment paper.

2. Prepare the Filling:

   In a large frying pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onions and crushed garlic, cooking until they're translucent, usually taking 2-3 minutes.

   Incorporate the chopped mushrooms and beef mince into the pan. Ensure to break the mince apart with your utensil and cook until it's browned and fully cooked, about 3-4 minutes.

   Mix in the beef stock cube, water, tomato sauce, and thyme. Stir thoroughly until the stock cube is dissolved. Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer, allowing it to thicken for about 5 minutes.

   Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

3. Prepare the Pastry:

   Lay out the thawed pastry sheets on a clean, flat surface. From three sheets, use a plain circle cutter to carve out 16 rounds.

   For the remaining sheets, use a scalloped cutter to get another set of 16 rounds.

4. Assemble the Hand Pies:

   Place the plain pastry rounds on your lined baking trays.

   Spoon a generous portion of the beef-mushroom filling onto the center of each plain pastry round.

   Lightly brush the edges of the pastry with the whisked egg, then cover with the scalloped pastry rounds. Press down gently on the edges to seal the pies.

   For a glossy finish, brush the top of each pie with the remaining whisked egg and sprinkle with the additional thyme.

5. Baking:

   Place the trays in the preheated oven and bake the pies for about 20 minutes or until they've achieved a golden-brown hue.

   Once baked, remove from the oven and let them sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly before serving.