Make Pigeon Pie - The Victorian Way
Mrs Crocombe shows how to make Pigeon Pie the Victorian way.
She includes the recipe and method so you can make it yourself.
Duration/Time: 9:03
RECIPE FOR PIGEON PIE
INGREDIENTS:
- Salt
- 12 quail eggs
- 450g mushrooms
- A few truffles
- 12 pigeon breasts
- Pepper, cloves and mace
- 1 glass of whiskey
- 1 glass of port or madeira
- Herbs (try parsley, thyme and sage)
- Stock, with some melted gelatine
For the pastry:
- 700g flour
- 3 eggs
- 225g salted butter
For the forcemeat:
- Veal mince
- Cooked ham
- Breadcrumbs
METHOD:
To make the pastry, mix the butter, eggs and flour together with enough cold water to make a paste.
Set it aside to chill for around 30 mins.
Once ready, do not roll the pastry out - instead, make a rough pyramid shape before pressing into the top with your fingers.
Then, place the pastry inside your mold and ease out the sides.
Any excess can be cut off and put aside for later to decorate the top.
For the filling, mix the veal, ham and breadcrumbs together, before lining the walls of the pie.
Layer up the mushrooms, pigeon breasts, herbs, truffles, quail eggs and spices as desired.
Repeat until the mold is filled, and finish by pouring in the liquids.
Roll out the rest of the pastry to make the lid. Place on top of the mold and cut off the excess.
Use a pastry brush to seal the joins with egg yolk, and make an air hole in the top to allow steam to escape when cooking.
Use the excess pastry from earlier to decorate the pie.
To cook, place in the oven for around an hour and a half at 180 degrees.
Once cooled, pour in stock mixed with gelatine to help solidify the mix.
Serve with a garnish, such as a bed of watercress.