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Game Pie | Patisserie Makes Perfect

Game Pie

Patisserie Makes Perfect
You will need a 20cm diameter deep loose-bottomed tin to make this.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

  • ***Hot Water Crust***
  • 125 g Unsalted Butter
  • 405 g Strong White Flour
  • 405 g Plain Flour
  • 155 g Lard
  • 215 ml Water
  • 2 Tsp of Table Salt
  • ***Jelly Filling***
  • 1 Stock Cube pork/chicken/vegetable
  • 150 ml Boiling Water
  • 150 ml Warm Water
  • 4 Tsps of Powdered Gelatine or 4 large or 8 small sheets of leaf gelatine
  • ***Meat Filling***
  • 500 g Diced Venison
  • 300 g Smoked Bacon
  • 400 g Pheasant Breast
  • 500 g Pork Mince diced
  • 1/2 Tsp Ground Mace
  • 2 Pinches of Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/2 Tsp Dried Sage
  • 1/2 Tsp Thyme Chopped
  • 1 Tsp Ground White Pepper

Instructions
 

  • Take the venison and pheasant and place them in a bowl together with the spices and a splash of water, give them a good stir and then place them in fridge for a few hours or overnight.
  • To make the hot water crust pastry, rub the butter into the flours until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
  • Place the lard and water in a saucepan and heat gently until the lard has melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling.
  • Add the salt, stir until it dissolves, then pour this over the flour and mix quickly into a dough. Work it with a knife to begin with, then as soon as it is cool enough to get your hands in, knead the dough well with your fingers until it is mixed evenly and formed into a ball.
  • Press the dough out onto a plate, cover with paper or Clingfilm and leave until barely warm (about 24-26C).
  • Lightly flour the work surface and roll the dough out to about ½cm thick. Fold the dough in thirds (like a letter), then repeat this roll and fold again.
  • Leave the pastry to cool to room temperature (21C) and then cut off two thirds of the pastry, put the smaller piece to one side and on a floured surface roll out the other piece of pastry, so that it is bigger than the tin.
  • Place the pastry in the tin and mould it up the sides of the tin and ensure there is enough overhang to join it to the lid on the edges.
  • Pack half of pork mince in the bottom of the pan and season the layer, add a layer of bacon and take the venison and dust off any big bits of herbs. Layer all of the venison on top the prepared meat into the bottom of the pie.
  • Add another layer of bacon then top with the pheasant and dust off any big bits of herb. Season the layer and cover it with a final layer of bacon and then cover it with a last of the pork mine, making sure everything is covered.
  • Roll out the remaining piece of pastry (at this point reserve a little if you want to decorate the top), cut it to size if necessary and then brush the exposed bits of pastry in the tin with the egg so the lid can be stuck together. Trim the edges with a pair of good kitchen scissors so that it is a neat circle.
  • Crimp the edges of the pastry together and then cut a hole in the middle of the pie, decorate with plaits, leaves, or anything you want, the pastry is quite forgiving.
  • Place the pie in the fridge for 30 mins to firm up, then pre-heat the oven to 180C Fan, brush the pie with egg and bake for 2 hours.
  • Let the pie cool completely, then make the jelly by crumbling the stock cubes into the boiling water in a jug and stirring well.
  • Sprinkle the powdered gelatine into the warm water, stirring until dissolved (or cut the leaf gelatine into small pieces and soak in the warm water until soft). Stir this in with the stock and cool slightly.
  • Leave the pie in the tin and pour enough jelly into the pie through the hole in the top and leave to chill overnight before eating. You may find that you need to add the jelly in batches, as it will fill up and then you'll be able to fit more gelatine in the pie.
  • Leave the pie to cool overnight and then eat it the next day.