Pheasant in Pastry with Pâté and Mushrooms

Name: Pheasant in Pastry with Pâté and Mushrooms
Yield: Serves 4–6 As a Main Course or 8 As a First Course
Ingredients: 150 ml/¼ pint Brown Sauce; 15 g/½ oz butter, chilled and diced; 50 g/2 oz liver pâté, made with chicken, goose, duck or pheasant liver – home-made or bought; 1 egg, beaten; 50 g/2 oz liver pâté, made with chicken, goose, duck or pheasant liver – home-made or bought; 50 g/2 oz liver pâté, made with chicken, goose, duck or pheasant liver – home-made or bought; salt; 300 ml/½ pint pheasant stock; 5 tablespoons Madeira; freshly ground black pepper; 1 pheasant; 350 g/12 oz shortcrust pastry; 100 g/4 oz mushrooms, finely chopped; 50 g/2 oz liver pâté, made with chicken, goose, duck or pheasant liver – home-made or bought; 50 g/2 oz liver pâté, made with chicken, goose, duck or pheasant liver – home-made or bought; 100 g/4 oz pickled belly of pork, or streaky bacon, diced; 100 g/4 oz pickled belly of pork, or streaky bacon, diced; 1 small onion, chopped; 50 g/2 oz butter

Preparation info

Serves
4–6
As a Main Course

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Carved Angel Cookery Book

By Joyce Molyneux

Published 1990

About

You could use chicken or guinea fowl in this pastry-wrapped terrine with a fair degree of success, but I like it best made with pheasant, which gives such a splendid flavour. The recipe looks lengthy and involved, but it’s worth taking your time over the preparation, knowing that there’s no fiddly carving to be done at the table.

Ingredients

1 pheasant
300 ml/½ pint pheasant stock
salt

Starter
Main course

Method

Take the legs and breasts off the pheasant. Remove the meat from the thigh bones, and set aside. Use the carcass and bones to make the stock. Cut each breast into four thin slices, season with salt and pepper and drizzle over 1 tablespoon of the Madeira.

Mince the thigh meat with the belly of pork or bacon, then add 2 tablespoons of the Madeira, and sa