Pithiviers de Gibier
A game pithiviers after Éric Briffard, with mallard, partridge and grouse, foie gras and a game jus
The birds
- 2 grey partridges (perdreaux gris)
- 1 mallard (colvert)
- 1 grouse
- legs for the farce, suprêmes for the centre, carcasses for the jus
Marinade
- 30 cl dry white wine
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 juniper berries
- ½ tsp coriander seed
- 4 garlic cloves
- olive oil, cracked pepper
Farce
- 450 g deboned braised leg meat
- 200 g mushrooms, dry-fried
- 120 g confit shallots
- 50 g flat parsley, blanched and chopped
- 4 g garlic (2 cloves)
- 60 g reduced braising juice
- fine salt
Assembly & finish
- ~1 kg puff pastry (rolled to 4 mm)
- ~200 g raw foie gras
- 1 green cabbage (or chard)
- chestnut honey and egg yolks (for the glaze)
Game jus
- carcasses and parings of the birds
- 3 shallots
- 1 carrot (mirepoix)
- 25 cl dry white wine
- 5 cl Armagnac
- 75 cl white chicken stock
- thyme, bay, 10 juniper berries, 1 tsp coriander seed
- optional 10 g cold butter and ½ tsp sherry vinegar
Celeriac purée
- celeriac (céleri-rave)
- whole milk (to cover), butter, salt, pepper
A showpiece game pithiviers after Éric Briffard, and a Christmas main. The legs are braised and turned into a farce, wrapped around seared suprêmes and foie gras and a leaf of blanched cabbage, then baked in puff pastry and served with a game jus and celeriac purée. It is a three-day project, so read it through and spread the work across the days. It makes three small pithiviers, each halved at the table for six.
Method
Day −2 · marinade & braise
- Break down the birds: remove the legs and the suprêmes, and keep the carcasses for the jus. Film the suprêmes and chill them.
- Marinate the legs for about 6 hours in the fridge with the white wine, shallots, garlic, thyme, bay, juniper, coriander and cracked pepper.
- Braise the legs: put the marinade and legs in a covered cocotte and cook in the oven at 160°C for about 3 hours. Strain the braising juice and reduce it to a nappant, coating consistency.
Day −2 · the farce
- Dry-fry the chopped mushrooms. Confit the shallots gently. Debone the braised legs.
- Mix the leg meat, mushrooms, shallots, blanched parsley, pressed garlic and 6 to 8 tablespoons of the reduced braising juice. Adjust the salt. Film tight and chill.
Day −2 · the jus
- Make the game jus (see below) and reserve it chilled, not yet fully reduced.
Day −1 · assembly
- Blanch the green cabbage leaves. Sear the suprêmes briefly in a very hot pan, basting with butter if you like, then slice them into thick escalopes and cool.
- Cut the foie gras into three slices, sear them in a hot pan and cool.
- In a film-lined ring, build a blanched cabbage leaf, a base of farce, the three suprêmes, a slice of foie gras, and a second cabbage leaf. Film tightly to the contact and chill.
Day J · shaping
- Make the glaze from egg yolks and chestnut honey. Cut three discs of about 16 cm and three larger discs of about 20 cm. Dock the small discs and brush with yolk.
- Set a filling in the centre of each small disc and close with a larger disc. Trim the edges, crimp (chiqueter) and decorate, and make a tiny chimney. Glaze once, chill 30 minutes, and glaze again, twice more if you can.
Day J · bake & serve
- Reduce the jus gently to a syrupy consistency. Bake the pithiviers for 30 to 35 minutes at 210°C, then rest 10 minutes.
- Heat the plates. Halve each pithiviers. Plate with piped celeriac purée and half a pithiviers, and pour the jus in the centre of the plate. Keep the jus off the pastry. Serve immediately.
Game jus (white wine & Armagnac)
- Roast the carcasses and parings at 200°C for 30 to 40 minutes to a deep nut-brown, never burnt. Sweat the shallots and carrot without colour in a little olive oil.
- Add the roasted carcasses, deglaze with the white wine and reduce to dry, then add the Armagnac and flambé. Add the white stock, thyme, bay and spices, and simmer without boiling for 45 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve and reserve. On the day, reduce to a syrup and, if you like, finish with cold butter and a little sherry vinegar.
Celeriac purée
- Cook the celeriac in cubes in milk until tender, then blend smooth. On the day, dry it a little in a pan, mount with butter and season.
Background
This is a three-day build, and each day earns the next. The braise and the reduced jus on day −2, the layered and chilled filling on day −1, and only the shaping and baking on the day. Trying to compress it is where it goes wrong.
The pithiviers is the sum of its layers: braised-leg farce for depth, seared suprêmes for the game itself, foie gras for richness, and a cabbage leaf to hold it and keep juices off the pastry.
Chill hard before shaping. A cold, set filling lets you build a neat pithiviers and keeps the puff pastry crisp in the oven.
Mistakes I've Made
- Jus on the pastry. Sauce the plate, never the crust. Jus on the pastry turns it soggy in seconds.
- A warm filling. The layered filling must be chilled and set before shaping, or the pithiviers will not hold and the pastry will steam.
- Rushing the days. The braise, the reduced jus and the overnight set are the recipe. Spread the work across three days.
Sources
- Pithiviers de gibier (Éric Briffard) —
- Jus de gibier —