James St Recipes: Pork terrine and chicken pithivier

FOR this week's recipes, we have a pork terrine and a chicken pithivier – both of which are quite challenging. So, what better way to spend a rainy day than at home trying some new recipes in the kitchen?

It might take a few attempts to perfect the terrine, but it is a truly delicious dish that will have you wanting to make it again and again. After all, it is one of the most popular choices on James Street's menu.

The second recipe this week is an old-fashioned, French pie – a pithivier, which some say is the French equivalent to a Cornish pie. I love this recipe as a cosy, at-home meal, which goes well with the recent spell of bad weather we are having.

To make life easier, there is no harm in using shop-bought pastry: I always have some in the freezer for when I don't have enough time to make my own.

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This pithivier is made with chicken, but it works well with most other meats and combinations. And, once you try this recipe at home, you won't want to buy supermarket pies again.

To join us at our pie class this month, check out our website for more details waterman.house/products/all-about-pies or follow us on Instagram @waterman.house.

Ingredients:

Method (for best results, it is recommended to make this three days before serving)

To begin, preheat oven to 110C/Gas 1/4 with a bain-marie of hot water.

Line a large terrine with tin foil and then bacon, leaving sufficient overhang to cover the top.

Melt the butter and oil in a frying pan and gently sweat the onions, garlic and allspice until soft. Leave to cool.

In a pan, mix the Madeira and port together, bringing to a boil, reducing it by two-thirds. Again, leave to cool.

Mix all the minced meats and fat with the eggs to bind. Once bound, mix in the cooled onions and wine reduction, along with the rosemary, peppercorns and salt.

Fill the lined terrine, packing it in as tightly as possible. Using a chopping board, remove any trapped air by pressing down on the terrine.

Fold the bacon over the mix and cover with the overlapping foil.

For 80 minutes, or until the centre of the terrine reaches 70C, in the pre-heated oven, bake in the bain-marie.

Remove the terrine from the bain-marie and leave to cool at room temperate. Ideally, this should be left in the fridge or cool place for three days before serving in order for all of the mouth-watering flavours to marinade.

Ingredients

Method

Begin by cooking the chicken, placing it in a stock pot covered with water.

Add in the onion, carrot, celery, peppercorns and herbs and cover with a lid, bringing it to the boil.

Once boiling, reduce the heat and cook for a further 45 minutes on a medium temperature.

Next, remove the chicken from the stockpot, but keeping the stock on the heat.

Reduce the liquid on the heat by half, and keep for adding to the sauce.

In a separate pot, melt the butter and mix in the flour to make a roux. For one-minute, cook the flour and thereafter, whisk in the cider, reducing it by half.

Add in the chicken stock liquid, cooking it on a high heat until thick. Once thick, add the cream and parmesan, seasoning it with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Next, with the cooled chicken, remove the meat from the bones and shred, adding it to the cream sauce and mixing thoroughly.

For the mushrooms, begin by cleaning the mushrooms before cooking. In the restaurant, we keep a selection of soft paint brushes to dust the mushrooms.

Cook the mushrooms for approximately one-minute.

Melt the butter in a pan, adding in the herbs, garlic and seasoning. Once soft and browned, add to the chicken mix.

Preheat the oven to 190C and place a sheet of greaseproof paper on a baking tray, putting the rolled-out puff pastry on top. Cover the pastry with cling film and place in the fridge to rest. This will ensure that the pastry doesn't shrink.

Using the refrigerated pastry, cut out a circle, using a main course plate as a base guide. Make the second an inch larger as this will ensure that the pithivier will be sealed properly.

Place the chicken mix onto the smaller circle, brushing the disc edge with egg wash. Place the larger circle on top.

Press down on the pastry, removing any trapped air.

To seal, use a pastry wheel to scallop the edge. If you don't own a pastry wheel, a fork will do just as good a job.

Brush all of the pastry with egg wash, and place in the oven for 45 minutes to cook.

Serve with mashed potatoes.