Rabbit and Chanterelle Picnic Pie
This pie uses an old English technique to make it taste great when eaten cold.
That means that this pie can be brought along for picnics and enjoyed at room temperature.
You can also eat it hot out of the oven, or reheated, with delicious results.
If chanterelles aren’t in season, try hen of the woods, hedgehog, oysters, or morels.
Not being much of a baker, I used store-bought puff pastry for the pie crust, but feel free to use your favourite savoury pie dough recipe instead.
- Prep Time1 hr
- Cook Time1 hr
- Total Time2 hr
- Yield1 pie, 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb (454g) rabbit meat, off the bone (use liver and kidneys as well if you have them)
- 4 slices bacon, minced
- 4 oz (120g) fresh chanterelle mushrooms, torn into large, bite-sized pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- Puff pastry (defrosted), or your own pie crust recipe, top and bottom
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 3/4 cup (180ml) rabbit stock or chicken stock
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C, gas mark 6).
Cut rabbit meat into large bite-sized pieces.
In a medium bowl, mix together the rabbit meat, minced bacon, chanterelles, garlic, parsley, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well.
Lay a sheet of puff pastry over a pie plate. Push down the inside to make it fit, then trim the edges around the rim of the pie plate.
Empty the bowl of rabbit meat into the pie and gently press it down until it evenly fills the pie plate.
Drape the other piece of puff pastry over the pie plate and trim to fit.
Press the edges of the bottom and top together with your fingers, or with a fork (which is much simpler).
Cut a heavy “X” into the centre of the pie.
You can use the extra dough you trimmed off the rim to create fanciful decorations if you’d like. I made an attempt at a rabbit and chanterelle mushrooms with mine.
Pour the milk into a small bowl and use a pastry brush to brush the entire top of the pie with it.
Pour the rest down the “X” into the pie.
Put the pie into the oven for 20 minutes.
Take it out of the oven and turn it down to 350°F (180°C, gas mark 4).
Use strips of aluminum foil to cover the edges of the pie so they don’t burn.
Put the pie back into the oven for another 40 minutes, keeping an eye on it so that it doesn’t burn.
Take the pie out of the oven and pour the rabbit stock in through the “X” in the centre of the pie.
You can eat it hot like this, or save it to eat cold or at room temperature.
Let it cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
Serve the pie cold or at room temperature with mustard, alongside a tart simple salad. This would go great as part of a fancy picnic spread. Enjoy!
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