Prize winning individual pigeon pies

[ehb102]

Okay, they're not prize winning yet, but I have my hopes :-)

 

There's a big shooting conference for women this coming weekend. There's a savoury class in the baking competition that I'm going to enter. I make amazing old-fashioned shortcrust pastry, so I thought individual pies could be made on Thursday and would travel well. I have the idea of mixing pigeon breast half and half with sausage meat as is often done in sausage rolls. The bit I'm stuck on is the most important bit: what should I season this pie with? It needs to be something that works well with the pastry and the meat. I'm clueless! Tandoori spices? I never use those with pigeon normally. Some kind of herb? I use pomegranate molasses a lot for my sauce for pigeon breasts but that doesn't work in a pie. Please, oh wise and/or experienced pigeon eaters, what flavours complement pigeon?

[woody walloper]

we use redcurrant jelly.

[double10]

pigeon tikka pie?

[sky gipsy]

Sounds like a good idea those little pies . As for the seasoning, if you plan on using sausage meat, why not try a flavoured sausage (like a good cumberland for spice, linconshire for herbs or Asda do smoked chillie or maple bacon flavour in the "Leith" range). This would give a background flavour and let you still taste the pigeon. Black pudding also goes well with pigeon, and a good fatty one will help keep the pie moist.

Now, they say fair exchange is no robbery so after those ideas, how about the recipie for your old fashioned pastry please.

Good luck and all the best

S.G.

[ehb102]

Thanks for the good ideas so far. I had not considered redcurrant - I don't know why, I should know better than that. Call myself a foodie, pah! I picked a load of sour cherries yesterday, perhaps they might work? I'm liking the sweetness idea. I've decided I'm not going to go down the Indian spices route because I'm not really used to working with them and can't judge how strong they are. I shall be inspecting the sausage shelf in the supermarket for novel sausages!

 

Pastry as my granny taught me.

 

8oz plain flour

8oz self raising flour

4oz Stork hard margarine

4oz lard

pinch salt

 

16 tsps (80ml) water to mix.

 

Put the ingredients in a bowl and use a knife to chop the fat into tiny pieces. Then rub in the fat ("rubbing in" method is a particular method in case you don't know. Your hands should be clean at the end if you've done it properly) and when the mixture looks like breadcrumbs add the water and mix with a knife until it makes a ball. Knead a little before use. Make pies!

[Fatcatsplat]

I can see cherries working well if they are sweet enough - Not so sure about the sour part though!

 

With pigeon, it can take big, bold flavours - I'd either part smoke the pigeon or whack some smoked bacon in with the sausage meat and add cherries and a little port or marsala wine and loads of black pepper.

 

If you want to go with just spices, how about a kofte receipe:

 

http://www.food.com/recipe/turkish-meatballs-kofta-83793

[sky gipsy]

Thanks for the pastry recipie!! Mrs S.G. will be trying that out...she is the pastry chef in our house 'cos her hand are colder than mine!

Be sure to let us know what you go with and how you go on.

[ehb102]

I can see cherries working well if they are sweet enough - Not so sure about the sour part though!

 

With pigeon, it can take big, bold flavours - I'd either part smoke the pigeon or whack some smoked bacon in with the sausage meat and add cherries and a little port or marsala wine and loads of black pepper.

 

If you want to go with just spices, how about a kofte receipe:

 

http://www.food.com/recipe/turkish-meatballs-kofta-83793

 

I'm liking the port idea. I can make a port and cherry something with sugar.

 

Sky Gipsy, tell Mrs SG that I don't glaze this pastry. It doesn't go dark brown like some, but it tastes better IMHO.

[holly]

i once bought some pigeon and pea pies at a game fair they were really nice

[henry d]

I like to marinade pigeon in a mix of garlic, salt (very little) and rosemary (all crushed in a pestle and mortar) for 2-3 hours and leave plenty of the marinade on the meat when you cook it.

[Hopper Bopper]

A bit late in the day, I know but I like chillies and black pepper witn my pigeon or gharam masala.

Coat pigeon breasts in masala powder and fry very slowly and not too hot - oh and in bacon fat.

 

My gurt goes bazzerk for this.

 

HB

[Lord Geordie]

I made Tandoori pigeon sausages and took them to a meet at stead hall.

 

They went down a treat with EVERYONE.

 

They were lining up for more. I made a lot of Sausages for that meet (around 25lb in total) and came home with NONE. The Tandoori spices lend themselves rather well to Pigeon.

[Mr pigeon]

What about elderberry, blackberry? I make a syrup from both of these which I use in jous.

 

Good luck!