Game Pie With Rosemary and Juniper Crust

Ingredients

4 dressed pheasant

1 tablespoon oil

200 grams smoked streaky bacon roughly chopped

12 mediums onions chopped

500 ml robust red wine

75 grams game dripping or butter

300 grams mushrooms wiped and quartered

75 grams flour

1 salt and freshly ground black pepper

350 grams plain flour

175 grams butter

25 grams white vegetable fat

30 ml juniper berries crushed

1 tablespoon dry english mustard

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped

1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Pluck any remaining feathers from the pheasant. Heat the oil in a large pan on the boiling plate.

Brown the pheasant on all sides two at a time. Lift them out and set aside when they are a good colour.

Add the bacon and onion to the pan and cook briskly on the boiling plate until coloured then pour on the wine and 500ml water.

Return the pheasant to the pan bring to the boil cover and transfer to the simmering oven for 2 to 4 hours until tender this will depend on the age of the birds.

Pour the contents of the pan into a small roasting tin and strain the juices back into the large pan.

Allow the birds to cool sufficiently to handle with ease.

Skim any game dripping from the surface of the stock and reserve.

Stnp the meat from the birds.

Place the meat back in the roasting tin with onions and bacon.

Place the bones and skin in the pan of game stock.

Bring the stock to the boil on the plate then cover and transfer to the roasting oven for 20 minutes or the simmering oven for 1 hour.

Strain stock measure and make up to 1 litre with water.

Heat the dripping or butter in a separate saucepan add mushrooms and fry on the plate without stirring until golden on one side shake the pan and allow to colour again.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Stir the flour into the mushrooms then pour in the measured stock Bring to the boil then simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Season to taste then pour over the meat.

Cover with foil and leave to cool.

To make the pastry combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process to the texture of large crumbs.

If making by hand rub the fat into the flour and stir in the remaining ingredients.

Gather into a ball.

Roll out the pastry to ft the top of the roasting tin plus 15mm all around.

Trim off the edge.

Moisten the top edge of the roasting tin with water and stick the cutoff strips of pastry around the tin edge.

Moisten this pastry then top with the large sheet of pastry.

Trim any edges and pinch to flute the border. Brush with beaten egg and bake on the grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven for 30 minutes fuming halfway through the cooking time to ensure even colouring.

Transfer to the simmering oven for 1/2 to 1 hour before serving so the pie is very hot and the flavours mingle.

Two 2kg chickens may be used instead of the pheasant. umper rosemary and game make a perfect combination and once you have made this delicious pastry crust you will wonder why pastry is sometimes so boring. This pie is ideal for feeding a crowd for lunch.

Serves 12