This delicious madeira and juniper-infused pheasant pie has a melt in in the mouth pastry that makes it a star dish for a special meal on Christmas Eve.
Ingredients
- 3 pheasants, meat removed and bones discarded (or used to make stock), or 8 pheasant breasts, cut into large chunks
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 100g streaky bacon, finely chopped
- 200g button mushrooms
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 15g butter
- 100ml Madeira
- 250ml chicken stock
- 4-5 juniper berries, lightly crushed
- A few fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 1 medium free-range egg, beaten
For the pastry
- 225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 25g semolina
- 100g unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
- 1 medium free-range egg yolk
Method
- To make the pastry, sift the flour and semolina with a good pinch of salt, then rub in the butter with your fingers (or pulse in a food processor) until it resembles breadcrumbs. Quickly mix in the egg yolk and just enough cold water to bring the dough together (about 1-2 tbsp), then shape into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill.
- Dust the pheasant chunks in 2 tbsp of the flour, seasoned. Heat a little of the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Brown the pheasant in batches, adding more oil if needed, then set aside in a bowl.
- Add the bacon to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes until almost crisp, then add the mushrooms and fry for a couple minutes more. Remove the mushrooms and bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside with the pheasant. Add 1 tbsp oil to the pan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a further minute or until softened. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the bowl.
- Melt the butter in the pan and stir in the remaining tablespoon of flour. Slowly add the Madeira and stock, stirring continuously until it forms a smooth sauce. Add the juniper berries and thyme, then simmer for a minute or two, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Stir the sauce into the contents of the bowl and allow to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Spoon the cooled pheasant mixture into a 2 litre pie dish and season well. Nestle a pie bird (or several, if you want to re-create our calling-birds pie) into the centre of the dish.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry until it is a little larger than the dish and the thickness of a pound coin. Brush the rim of the pie dish with a little water or milk, then cover the dish with the pastry, cutting a small slit to allow each pie bird or pie funnel to poke through, if using. If you don’t have any pie birds, cut 2 or 3 small slits in the pastry to allow steam to escape. Roughly trim the edges and crimp.
- Brush the pastry all over with beaten egg, then re-roll the trimmings and cut out small birds to decorate the pie (optional). Brush with more egg, then bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Serve with hot mashed potato and buttered peas.
Nutrition
- 773kcals Calories
- 44.1g (18.3g saturated) Fat
- 47.5g Protein
- 39.4g (3.3g sugars) Carbs
- 2.3g Fibre
- 1.2g Salt
Rate and review
Rate
Reviews
Are the birds in the pie separate or are they all one? It is so cute. Could you please tell me where I can buy one? I would really appreciate it.
Hi Nancy, We’re not sure where these exact birds are from but Le Creuset have almond-coloured ones that are very similar. Becs
Leave a comment, question or tip