Light Bites

James Martin’s Grouse Pithivier

Fans of the Great British Bake Off will know that a pithivier is a round, enclosed pie with a scalloped lid. And this one is particularly delicious. James Martin's game pithivier recipe combines succulent grouse breasts with British cabbage, and is served with bramble puree and a rich chicken jus..

20 minutes prep, 20 minutes cook

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the pithivier

2 large Savoy cabbage leaves, tough stems removed

A little vegetable oil, for greasing

4 grouse breasts, diced

100g coarse pâté of your choice

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

200g ready-rolled all-butter pastry

1 egg, beaten

For the puree

100g brambles/blackberries

1 tablespoon xanthan gum

For the sauce

300ml chicken stock

1 tablespoon salted butter

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C / Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil and add a pinch of salt. Blanch the cabbage leaves for 1 minute then drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.

Oil 2 teacups and line each with clingfilm, then line each with a cabbage leaf. Layer up the grouse meat and pâté in alternate layers in the cups, seasoning each layer. Fold the cabbage over the top to form parcels.

Unroll the pastry on a board, then use a 12-cm round cutter to stamp out 2 circles from the pastry. Use a 16-cm round cutter to stamp out 2 more. Place the smaller circles onto the lined baking sheet and top with the cabbage parcels, then cover each dome with the larger pastry circles. Press down to secure the edges – you can use the smaller cutter to do this, which will both seal the pastry edges together and neaten it. Brush all over with the beaten egg, then bake for 18–20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 3–4 minutes.

While the pies are baking, make the sauce. Pour the stock into a small pan and add the butter. Bring to the boil, then simmer until reduced by half and season well.

To make the purée, put the brambles/blackberries in a pan with 1 tablespoon of water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then add the xanthan gum and whiz with a hand-held stick blender to make a purée. Spoon into a squeezy bottle or a piping bag.

To serve, snip the end of the piping bag, if using, and pipe a small circle of bramble purée onto your serving plates. Cut each pithivier in half and sit either side of the purée, then spoon over the sauce.