Venison and Wild Mushroom Pie

From The Telegraph - Monday 02 December 2013 Plan to make this soon as I just finished packaging 1/2 a lovely young buck generously shared with us. I may bulk up the filling with additional dried cepes, morels and black trumpets I have on hand. The presentation with the perpendicular skewers coming out at the top warrants a special dish and the skewers with brass critter handles! Marinate for a day so start ahead of time.

• Ready In: 24 hrs 50 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• for the marinated venison

• 350  g  diced  venison
• 150  ml red wine
• 80  g carrots, diced
• 1  small onion, diced
• 1  bay leaf
• 1  juniper berries

• For the Pie

• 20  g butter
• 1  medium onion, sliced
• 1  sprig thyme
• 2  teaspoons sugar
• 15  g flour
• 1  tablespoon tomato paste
• 300  ml  vegetable stock
• 20  g  wild mushrooms
• 1  sheet puff pastry, to cover the 18cm pie dish with a 1cm overhang
• 1  egg yolk, for glazing

Directions

1. Marinate the venison in the wine, carrots, onion, bay leaf and juniper for 24 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4 Remove the meat from the marinade (reserve the marinade). Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the drained venison and gently brown. Add the sliced onion, thyme and sugar, reduce the heat and continue to cook slowly until the onion pieces are soft.
3. Add the flour and tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Next add the reserved marinade and stir while slowly adding the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer until the venison is cooked and falling apart, and the sauce is well reduced – 20-25 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and check the seasoning.
4. Place the venison mixture in the bottom of the pie dish and allow it to cool. Then top it with the puff pastry, cutting off the excess to leave a 1cm overhang. (A pair of skewers inserted crossways into the pastry will keep it from sagging.) Brush with the egg yolk and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden and the filling is hot. Serve with braised red cabbage and winter salad leaves.