Duck and cherry pie really is a mouth-watering dish. Duck meat is known for its richness, which makes it absolutely perfect for tender pie filling. Cherries add a refreshing fruitiness to the meat, and the two are united by golden, flaky pastry.
Duck and cherry pie
Ingredients
- 1 whole duck, deboned
- 45ml (3 tbsp) olive oil
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 6 strips rindless back bacon, chopped
- 250g portobellini mushrooms, sliced
- 15ml (1 tbsp) fresh thyme, chopped
- 500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
- 60ml (¼ cup) port (optional)
- 1 x 410g tin pitted black cherries
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 packet ready-made puff pastry, thawed
- flour, for dusting
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Prick the duck skin with a fork, place it in a roasting tin and cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes per 500g. When cooked, remove from the oven and cut into bite-size portions.
Heat the oil and sauté onion until transparent. Add bacon, mushrooms and thyme, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add duck meat, chicken stock, port (if using), cherries with liquid, and seasoning, and cook for about 5 minutes.
Spoon the mixture into 1 large ovenproof pie dish or 4 individual dishes. Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface, cut out the right-sized shape to cover the pie mixture and extend slightly over the sides of the dish. Brush with beaten egg and seal the edge with a fork. 6 Bake until the pastry is golden and crisp, about 30 minutes.
