Pheasant and Black Pudding Pasties

 

Pheasant and black pudding pasty with tomato chutney

Pasties have gradually come to take many different shapes and forms since their likely humble beginnings as Cornish pasties, that product prepared by their wives for the tin miners of the day to take down the mines for their lunch. Sweet or savoury, any number of foodstuffs have now been folded and crimped in pastry and baked in the oven to delicious effect. While it may seem to many that the extremely lean nature of many types of wild game would cause the meat to dry out when cooked in this way, the opposite is actually the case, with the pastry protecting in this instance the pheasant breast and keeping all the tasty juices inside. The addition of black pudding further flavours and moistens the meat and - provided the pasties are rested properly when removed from the oven (this is essential!) - the pheasant breast meat will be enjoyed at a stage of tender perfection.

Cook Time

Prep time: 30 min

Cook time: 40 min

Ready in: 1 hour 10 min (plus resting time)

Yields: 2 medium pasties

Principal pasty ingredients

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized and skinless pheasant breast fillets
• 2 half-inch (1.25cm) thick slices of Stornoway black pudding (or similar)*
• 1/2 pound (225g) pack of premade puff pastry
• Salt and pepper
• 1 egg, beaten in a small cup or bowl
• Flour for rolling pastry

Black pudding is crumbled and arranged on pheasant breast

Method

Lay the pheasant breast presentation (smooth) sides down on a clean plate. You will see in this instance that I had left the tenders attached to the breast. This is optional but they do help secure the black pudding in place when you reach the stage of lifting your assemblies on to the pastry. Ensure you remove any remaining plastic rind from the black pudding slices before gently squeezing/crumbling them that you can fit one on each pheasant breast in a single layer as shown. Do not include too much as this could cause the pasties to burst in the oven and it is better to have a little left over black pudding.

Pheasant tender is folded over black pudding

If you do have the pheasant tenders still attached to the breasts, fold them over as shown in the above image.

Pheasant breast is laid on rolled out pastry circle

Cut the pastry block in half and roll the halves out one at a time on a lightly floured surface to a square just large enough that you can use a 9-inch (23cm) dinner plate as a template to cut out a circle. Lay a pheasant breast and black pudding combination on one half of each circle (black pudding side down) and lightly brush the arc of the pastry around the pheasant with beaten egg.

Pastry is folded over pheasant breast

Carefully lift the empty half of the pastry up and over the pheasant breast and gently smooth it out around the edges on top of the egg washed border so that it sticks. Use either your index fingers or the handle end of a dessert spoon to carefully crimp the seal all the way around. Allow the pasties to sit and rest for the first time while your oven preheats to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

Glazed pasties ready for baking

Lay some baking/parchment paper on a baking sheet and carefully lift the pasties on to it. Glaze all over with more beaten egg and cut a half-inch steam vent in the centre with the point of a very sharp knife. Place the tray into the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the pastry is beautifully risen and golden.

Cooked pasties are left to rest

Take the tray from the oven and lift the cooked pasties with a large spatula to a cooling rack or plate. Allow to rest for a minimum 15 minutes before serving.