Pigeon Pie

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •2-quart (2-liter) oval or round pie dish
• •Wide 3-quart (3-liter) saucepan
• •Meat mallet or sturdy rolling pin
• •Pastry brush
• •Rimmed baking sheet
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Reduce the gravy

   Bring the beef stock to a brisk simmer in a wide saucepan and reduce it to exactly 1½ cups (360 ml / 360 g), about 25 to 35 minutes. This is the good gravy the old kitchen kept ready: concentrated, gelatin-rich, and able to coat a spoon lightly without becoming syrupy. If you reduce it too far, loosen it with a measured spoonful of water; if it still tastes weak, keep simmering. Pour it into a shallow jug and cool it to room temperature so it cannot melt the puff paste during assembly.

   Begin with unsalted or very lightly salted stock. Reduction concentrates salt as efficiently as it concentrates meat flavor.
2. 2

   Prepare yolk and birds

   Hard-boil the filling egg, cool and peel it, then remove the white and cut the firm yolk into two equal halves. Reserve the white for another meal. Pat the pigeon quarters dry and season them evenly with ¾ teaspoon (4 ml / 4 g) of the salt and half the pepper. Keep the pieces cold while you prepare the beef.

3. 3

   Flatten the collops

   Lay the beef slices between two sheets of baking paper and flatten them with a meat mallet or rolling pin to about 1⁄16 inch (1.5 mm). Thinness matters because the collops must line the dish and become tender in the pigeon juices; thick slices contract into tough pads. Season them with the remaining salt and pepper, then overlap them across the bottom and sides of a 2-quart (2-liter) pie dish. If a collop tears, cover the gap with another thin piece. Ça se rattrape. Sprinkle the shallots evenly over the beef.

4. 4

   Arrange the filling

   Arrange the four quarters from one pigeon on one side of the dish and the second pigeon on the other, fitting the legs into the spaces between the breast pieces. Set one half of the hard-boiled yolk beside each bird. Pour the cooled good gravy down the side until it reaches halfway up the pigeon pieces, usually nearly all of it. If the liquid rises higher, spoon some out now; the exposed upper meat and the space beneath the pastry are what keep the lid crisp.

5. 5

   Cover and gild

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack. Roll the cold puff paste on the lightly floured surface to about ⅛ inch (3 mm), large enough to overhang the dish by 1 inch (2.5 cm). Beat the gilding egg with the cold water, brush a little over the clean rim, and lay the pastry on top without stretching it. Press it firmly to the rim, trim, and crimp. Gild the surface with a thin, even coat of egg wash, streak it with shallow decorative lines, then cut a 1-inch (2.5 cm) slit through the center. Keep egg wash off the cut pastry edges, where it can glue the layers together.

6. 6

   Bake the pâté

   Set the dish on the heated baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, until the puff paste has risen and taken a strong golden color. Lower the oven to 350°F (180°C) and continue for 1 hour, keeping the full baking time close to 1½ hours. The pâté is ready when the lid is deeply bronzed, gravy bubbles visibly through the slit, and a thermometer angled through the vent into a thick leg piece registers 165°F (74°C). If the pastry bronzes before the center is ready, tent it loosely with foil and continue. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Rest the pâté for 15 to 20 minutes. This lets the gravy settle into the beef lining instead of running across the table at the first cut. Divide the puff lid into four generous panels with a serrated knife, then spoon a mixture of pigeon, beef collops, yolk, and gravy beneath each one. Bring the pie dish itself to the table. Cooking well is not cooking fancy. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for young pigeon sold as squab, with plump breasts and clean, unbroken skin. Your butcher can quarter the birds through the bone, which saves time without changing the preparation.
• •Choose lean top round or rump for the collops and slice it across the grain. Chill the beef for 20 minutes before slicing if you are cutting it yourself; firm meat yields thinner, cleaner pieces.
• •The stock must contain enough natural gelatin to set softly when chilled. If your carton stock stays completely liquid in the cold, reduce it patiently and expect a lighter gravy rather than trying to disguise it with flour.
• •Use all-butter puff paste and keep it cold until the dish is ready. Soft pastry stretches, loses its layers, and slumps over the filling; if it becomes floppy, chill it flat for 10 minutes before covering the pie.
• •A red Burgundy with bright acidity suits the rich pigeon and beef without flattening the pastry. Serve the pâté with a plainly dressed bitter-leaf salad and let the pie carry the meal.

Advance Preparation

• •Reduce and cool the good gravy up to 2 days ahead. Keep it covered in the refrigerator and bring it only to cool room temperature before assembling the pâté.
• •The filling egg can be hard-boiled and the pigeons quartered a day ahead. Keep both covered and cold, with the raw birds stored separately from the cooked yolk.
• •Line the dish with the beef, add the shallots and pigeons, and refrigerate it for up to 6 hours. Add the cooled gravy and puff paste shortly before baking so the pastry remains distinct.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Reheat covered at 325°F (165°C) until the meat reaches 165°F (74°C), then uncover briefly to restore the pastry's surface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 370g)