Ingredients

• 1 whole pheasant
• breasts and legs removed
• carcass chopped and reserved
• 10g/½oz sea salt preferably fleur de sel
• plus extra for seasoning
• ½ tbsp black peppercorns
• crushed
• ½ garlic clove
• finely sliced
• ½ fresh bay leaf
• torn
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• leaves only
• 1 juniper berry
• crushed
• 600g/1lb 5oz duck fat
• plus 1 tbsp
• freshly ground black pepper
• 150g/5oz onion
• chopped into 2cm/1in pieces
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• leaves only
• 2 fresh sage leaves
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 2 juniper berries
• chopped
• 120g/4oz flat mushrooms
• sliced
• 100g/3½oz cooked chestnuts
• crumbled
• 30g/1½oz dried cranberries
• 30g/1½pz dried blueberries
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 50-75ml/1¾fl oz-2½fl oz water
• 800g/1lb 12oz ready-made all-butter puff pastry
• vegetable oil
• for greasing
• 2 free-range eggs
• beaten
• 40g/1½oz duck fat
• pheasant carcass (see above)
• 4 juniper berries
• crushed
• 110g/4oz white onion
• sliced
• 60g/2oz celery
• sliced
• 80g/3oz flat mushroom
• sliced
• 200ml/7fl oz Madeira wine
• 200ml/7fl oz ruby port
• 400ml/14fl oz water
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2g/¼oz arrowroot
• mixed with a little cold water
• 3 tbsp prunes
• stones removed
• finely sliced
• 3 tbsp golden raisins
• 3 tbsp walnuts
• finely chopped

Directions

• For the pithiviers
• place the legs
• skin side down into a large bowl. Sprinkle over the sea salt
• crushed black peppercorns
• sliced garlic
• thyme leaves
• bay leaf and crushed juniper berry. Lightly mix together
• then cover the bowl and marinate in the fridge for 6 hours. This is a light curing to slightly season and flavour.
• After 6 hours
• rinse the marinade off the leg meat and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
• Place 600g/1lb 5oz of the duck fat into a small saucepan and heat to 80-90C/174-194F (check the temperature using a food thermometer) over a low heat. Add the pheasant legs and bring back to the same temperature. Gently cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes
• checking often to make sure the temperature does not go above 90C/194F (the fat should be kept just under simmering point). This gentle cooking will slowly break down the firm collagen within the tissue of the muscle
• changing the texture of the meat so it is melting. When the legs are cooked through
• set aside and allow to cool in the fat.
• Season the pheasant breasts with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Heat a frying pan until medium-hot
• add the tablespoon of duck fat and fry the pheasant breasts
• flesh side down
• for 3-4 minutes
• until golden-brown. Turn the breasts over
• increase the heat and fry for 4-6 more minutes
• or until the skin is golden-brown and crisp and the breasts are medium-rare. Remove from the heat and set the breasts aside to rest for a few minutes before finely chopping into small cubes. 6. Return the pan used to cook the pheasant breasts to the heat
• add the onions and fry for about one minute
• then add the thyme
• sage
• bay leaf
• and juniper berries and cook for 3-4 minutes
• or until the onions are softened and light golden-brown.
• Increase the heat to high
• then add the mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes
• or until golden-brown and any excess moisture in the pan has evaporated.
• Add the crumbled cooked chestnuts and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the dried cranberries and blueberries. Season
• to taste
• with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir in the chopped pheasant breasts.
• De-glaze the pan with the water and stir into the pheasant mixture..
• Remove the cooled confit duck leg from the duck fat and place into a hot
• dry frying pan. Turn the heat up and cook for 3-4 minutes on all sides
• or until golden-brown and crisp all over. Remove from the pan and cool slightly before flaking the meat off the bone. Roughly chop the leg meat
• then stir into the pheasant breast mixture. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill in the fridge until needed.
• Meanwhile
• roll out the puff pastry dough until it is 2mm thick. Cut out eight 10cm/4in discs and eight 14cm/5½in discs and place onto trays lined with parchment paper. Chill the pastry in the fridge for about five minutes.
• Grease a small bowl or cup that is no more than 8cm/3in in diameter and pack about 60g/2½oz of the filling into the base
• pressing down firmly.
• Turn the filling out from the bowl or cup onto the centre of the smaller pastry disc. Brush the edges of the pastry disc with some of the beaten egg
• then drape the larger pastry disc over the filling. Press around the filling with your fingers to seal
• making sure there are no air pockets. Repeat the process with the remaining pastry and filling
• placing each finished pithivier onto a tray lined with parchment paper. Chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
• Remove the pithiviers from the fridge and trim off any excess pastry using a 10cm/4in pastry cutter. Brush the pithiviers with the remaining beaten egg
• then score the top with the back of a knife
• creating half-moon patterns across the pastry. Chill in the fridge until ready to cook.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place a baking sheet in the oven to heat up.
• For the sauce
• take the reserved pheasant carcass and chop into 3cm/1¼in pieces.
• Heat a large frying pan until hot
• add the duck fat
• pheasant carcass and juniper berries and fry for 4-5 minutes
• or until the carcass is golden-brown all over. Transfer the pieces to a bowl.
• Return the pan to the heat and fry the onion and celery for 3-4 minutes
• or until light golden-brown. Add the mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes
• then return the carcass pieces to the pan.
• Pour in the Madeira
• bring to the boil
• add the port and reduce in volume by half.
• Add the cold water to the pan and bring to the boil
• then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.The cold water will trap any impurities and force them to the surface as it comes to the boil. Season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 20 minutes is just long enough to extract all the flavours from the carcass - any longer than this and it will start to stew and taste old.
• Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean pan
• pressing down well to extract as much sauce as possible. Bring the sieved sauce to a simmer
• then add the diluted arrowroot to the pan and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes
• until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Slide the pithiviers onto the hot baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes
• until the pastry is golden-brown and crisp.
• For the garnish
• heat a frying pan over a medium heat and lightly dry fry the prunes
• raisins and walnuts for 2-3 minutes
• shaking the pan frequently to prevent burning
• until heated through.
• To serve
• place a pithivier onto the centre of each serving plate. Using a small teaspoon
• make a small hole in the centre of the pithivier. Spoon some of the sauce into the hole of each pithivier
• and around the plate. Scatter the warm prunes
• golden raisins and walnuts around.