Chicken and wild mushroom pie
Main course: serves 4. Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
25g unsalted butter
350g wild mushrooms (or cultivated ones such as shiitake), sliced as necessary
sea salt, black pepper
50g unsmoked streaky bacon, diced
4 free-range chicken breasts, skinned, cut across breast in strips
4tbsp white wine
leaves from 1 sprig of tarragon
500g shortcrust pastry
225ml double cream
3 large egg yolks eggwash made with 1 egg yolk, 1tbsp milk
Heat the butter in frying pan, add mushrooms, season and cook, tossing until soft. If they give out liquid, cook until dry, then remove to a bowl. Add the bacon and cook until golden, then add it to the mushrooms. Turn the heat up high and add the chicken. Season and cook to colour it, then combine it with the mushrooms. Add the wine and reduce to about 1 tablespoon. Pour this over the chicken and mushrooms and stir in the tarragon. Heat oven to 180C fan oven/190C or 375F electric oven/Gas 5. Thinly roll out two-thirds of the pastry and line the base of a deep 1.7-litre pie dish, letting the extra hang over the sides. Spoon the chicken and mushrooms inside. Whisk the cream and egg yolks together, season and pour over the chicken and mushrooms. Paint the pastry with eggwash just above the filling where the edges will join. Lay rolled pastry over the top and press together. Trim, leaving a 1cm rim, then crimp the edge using the tip of your finger or a knife, paint the surface with eggwash and pierce it in the centre. Bake for 45 minutes until golden.
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