Perigord Pie

A grand pâté-style game pie of the sort French provincial cooking built around the black truffle. Most of the work is in the boning and the forcemeat; the baking is straightforward once you translate the oven.

• Oven temperatureA moderate oven is usually taken as about 350-375F. The recipe's first bake of the empty shell will set faster with a hotter start, around 400F, until the pastry is set and pale gold; drop back to a moderate oven once the pie is filled.
• The truffle quantityOne pound of truffles is not a misprint, but it reflects a period when Perigord truffles were far cheaper relative to other ingredients than they are now. Two to four ounces of fresh black truffle, or a smaller amount of preserved truffle with its juice added to the stock, gives the same effect at a fraction of the cost.
• PartridgesThree dressed partridges run roughly 12-16 oz each and are a game-dealer item. Eight or so quail, or two Cornish hens split and boned, will fill the dish; the flesh is milder, so lean harder on the herbs and ham in the forcemeat.
• BoningBone the birds through the back, leaving the skin intact so each one can be re-formed around the stuffing and tied. Keep the carcasses and simmer them for the cup of stock the recipe calls for rather than using something from a carton.
• The forcemeat, unmeasuredNo proportions are given. For three birds, about 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, the chopped livers, an equal weight of grated ham (the livers will come to roughly 2 oz), a handful of parsley and a teaspoon of mixed dried thyme and marjoram is in the right range; the original names no binder, but an egg will help it hold. It must be moist enough to hold together but not wet, or the pastry base will go soft.
• Blind-baking the shellLine the dish, prick the base, and bake with parchment and weights until the crust is set and just yellow. Skipping this step is what produces the raw underlayer that game pies are notorious for.
• DonenessAn hour and a half at 350F is right for the size, but check the thickest part of a bird reads 165F. If the lattice colours before the interior is done, tent it with foil.
• Yield and servingServes six generously. Good warm rather than piping hot, cut in wedges, with nothing more than the pan juices; a cold slice the next day is arguably better.