Pithiviers de Canard (Luxury Duck Pie)

Serves: Serves 6

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Ready In: 1 hr

14-16 oz - puff pastry

3 - onions

2-3 - duck breasts (about 500g with the skin removed)

8 oz - foie gras

6 oz - sausage meat

4-5 sprigs - parsley

3 - eggs

4 fl oz - creme fraiche

2 fl oz - whisky

1 tablespoon - duck fat or goose fat

Peel and finely chop the onions. Place in a frying pan with a tablespoon of duck or goose fat and gently fry for 10-15 minutes to soften them without letting them brown. While the onions are cooking, remove the skin from the duck breasts and mince them (or chop them very finely by hand). Cut the foie gras into small cubes.
Mix together the sausage meat, minced duck meat, and foie gras in a large mixing bowl. Add the onions (allow them to cool a little first), the chopped parsley, the eggs, cream and whisky. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix thoroughly but carefully by hand.
Roll out the pastry and layer the bottom and sides of a well-buttered flan dish. Fill with the meat mixture, heaping in towards the centre. Trim the pastry to the top edge of the pie dish then allow the sides to fold inwards over the sloping filling.
Separate the yolk from the white of an egg. Add a few drops of water to the yolk and brush some over the folded pastry. (I tend to separate the yolk from the white beforehand and add the white to the meat. It helps the filling to set). Place a further layer of pastry over the top, trim round the edges of the dish, and help the pastry down onto the bottom layer. Press together gently to seal both parts.
Brush the top of the pie lightly with the remaining egg and water mix - this will give the top a lovely, glossy shine. Make a hole in the centre of the pastry to allow any steam to escape, then cook in the middle of a preheated moderately hot oven (Mk 6 - 400°F - 200°C) for 30 to 35 minutes.
Serve with a few vegetables, or just with a salad of leaves and vinaigrette.