Serves 4 - 5

Ingredients

Short pastry flan case, about 10 inches diameter
A cooked pheasant
Gooseberries, fresh or in jar, about 1 ½ cupfuls
1 medium onion or large shallot
1 level dessertspoon of juniper berries
1 heaped tablespoon pine kernels
Sherry, or if you have some open, Muscat dessert wine
1½ oz butter
1 tablespoon flour
Stock

Method

Chop the onion roughly and fry gently in the butter for 2 or 3 minutes.  Add the gooseberries, crushed juniper berries and pine kernels and continue to cook gently for a further minute or so.   Break the pheasant meat into quite small pieces and add them to the pan - you will probably not need to use the whole pheasant.  Sprinkle on the flour, stirring all the time, and cook for a further ½  minute.  Add a small glass of sherry or Muscat, and then enough stock to bind the mixture in a thickened sauce.   Taste, season if necessary and set on one side.

Cook the pastry flan case ‘blind’ and allow to cool.

Re-heat the pan containing the pheasant mixture, pile into the flan case, and place in the bottom oven of the Aga, or into a low oven.  Leave it there for at least ½ hour while you have a drink and prepare the accompanying vegetables.

Reproduced from 'The Empty Larder' by kind permission of the author, Judy Malleson