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Title: A Goose Pye
Categories: Entree Poultry British Pie Historical
Yield: 25 Servings
| HOT WATER CRUST | ||
| 3 | lb | Flour |
| 21 | oz | Water |
| 18 | oz | Lard |
| 1 1/2 | ts | Salt |
| FILLING | ||
| 1 | Goose; boned | |
| 1 | Farm chicken; boned | |
| 2 1/2 | lb | Pickled tongue (whole) |
| 1/2 | oz | Mace |
| 3 | ts | Black pepper |
| 2 1/2 | tb | Sea salt; ground |
| 2 | oz | Butter |
(Original recipe) "Half a peck of flour (5 lbs) will make the walls of a goose-pie ... Raise your crust just big enough to hold a large goose; first have a picked dried tongue boiled tender enough to peel, cut off the root, bone a goose and a large fowl; take half a quarter of an ounce of mace beat fine, a large teaspoonful of beaten pepper, three teaspoonfuls of salt; mix all together, season your fowl and goose with it, then lay the fowl in the goose, and the tongue in the fowl, and the goose in the same form as id whole. Put half a pound of butter on the top, and lay on the lid. this pie is delicious, either hot or cold, and will keep a great while. A slice of this pye cut down across makes a pretty little side dish for supper." A splendid centre piece for a party. Unless your pie has to go by train to London, like Mr Turner's, there is no need to make such a thick crust. However it must be thick enough to keep in the juices as far as possible. I recommend a hot-water pastry made with 3 lbs flour. It seems that the varieties of poultry in Hannah Glasse's day were not as large as they are now, because you need to increase the seasonings (as in ingredients list IMH).
To make pastry ==============
Bring water to boil with the lard and the salt. As soon as it comes to the boil, tip it into the middle of the flour, mixing everything together rapidly to a dough with a wooden spoon or electric beater. Leave the dough until it can be handled without too much discomfort, but do not let it allow to cool. Cut off about a quarter for the lid and put the rest into a large hinged pie mould, or even a roasting pan 11«" x 9" x 2" as a mould. Quickly and lightly push the pastry up the sides of the tin, being careful to leave no cracks. If the pastry collapses down into a dismal heap, it is a little too hot, so wait and try again. Having put your filling in the pie, put on the lid, fixing it with beaten egg, and make a central hole. Decorate the top with leaves and roses made from the trimmings.
Before starting the pastry, soak, boil, trim and skin the tongue as usual. Bone the goose and the chicken. Prepare the seasonings. Proceed as above, putting the tongue inside the chicken inside the goose, seasoning as you go. Put the butter on top and close the pie with the lid section which you reserved. To bake the pie, put it into a hot oven, mark 7 425F for 20 minutes. then lower the heat to Mark 4 350 F and cover the top with brown paper to prevent it from becoming too brown too soon. Leave for 3 hours. It is only prudent to check the pie from time to time. Lower the heat if it is bubbling away too fast, to mark 3 325F. Towards the end of this time, push a larding needle or skewer into the pie through the top central hole; if the juices come out very red, leave the pie a little longer. On the other hand, if they come out a pale pink, that is all right - the pie continues to cook as it cools down (I took mine out of the oven at 1 am., and it was still not quite cold by lunchtime next day, with the juices still liquid: it should have been left until the evening with an hour or two in the refrigerator to set it properly JG).
Recipe Hannah Glasse "Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy" 1747 modernised by Jane Grigson "English Cookery" MMed IMH c/o Georges' Home BBS 2:323/4.4
From: Ian Hoare Date: 06 Dec 96 National Cooking Echo Ä
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