Pigeon pithivier

A pigeon pithivier! First we’re going to clean some pigeons. Then we’ll use all the parts for different components. From seasoning, to sauce to confit. Everything will be used! We’re also going to make a watercress farce or mousse, puff pastry and a delicious miso and celeriac cream!

How to clean the pigeon

I use some beautiful Anjou pigeons. First cut the head off and also remove the neck. Then cut both the paws off by the joints. Now make an incision in the wings and break the joints. Cut them off. Do the same with the legs. Incision, break the joints and cut off. Then slice the back open and twist it to break it. Cut it off as well. Keep the livers and remove the other intestines. Throw these away. Also remove the heart from the carcass. Now use a sharp thin knife to cut both the breasts off. Start at the top and cut on the bone so you don’t waste anything. Pull the skins off the breasts, I don’t use the skins for this dish, but they’re a great base to make tapioca crackers. So good!

The pigeon sauce

6	pigeon carcasses
250 g	shallot
200 g	mushrooms (I use white button mushrooms)
200 g	cleaned celeriac
150 g	Madeira wine
250 g	white wine
1 liter	water
500 g	cream (35% fat)
0.5 bulb	garlic
4	bay leaves
2 g	black peppercorns
4	pigeon livers

I use pigeon carcasses I kept in my freezer from previous dishes. Add a drizzle of oil to a hot pan and pan fry the pigeon carcasses all around till golden brown. Do this on a medium heat. Meanwhile cut the shallots in half and clean them. Then slice them in thin slices. After that clean a celeriac by removing the peel. I prefer to do this with a chefs knife, but a peeler also works. Then slice it in small even cubes. After that slice the mushrooms in thin slices. I use white button mushrooms. Now once the pigeon carcasses have a golden color add the sliced shallots, the sliced mushrooms and 200 grams of the celeriac cubes. Keep on pan frying till all the vegetables have a golden color as well. I do this on a medium heat. Then deglaze the pan with the Madeira wine and the white wine. Reduce it till almost all the liquid has evaporated. After that add the water with the cream, the garlic, the bay leaves and the black peppercorns. Let it simmer on a low heat for at least 6 hours. Once all the flavor has extracted drain it and let it drip for at least 30 minutes so you don’t waste a single drop. After that bring it back to a simmer and use a ladle to remove any fat or protein that’s floating on top. Once you’re also happy with the flavor add the livers from the pigeons we just cleaned and blend it to bind and flavor the sauce. Then pass it through a fine sieve once more. Tap the side of the sieve to speed up the process. Give it a final taste for seasoning and then keep it in your fridge for later.

The confit pigeon

	the pigeon legs, wings & necks
	goose or duck fat or a neutral oil
3 cloves	garlic
1	bay leaf
	the pigeon sauce

Take the legs, wings and necks and season well with salt. Transfer it into a pan and submerge it with melted goose or duck fat or a neutral oil. Also add the garlic that are cut in half together with the bay leaf. Now bring this to a simmer, then turn down the heat and let it confit for around 2 hours. The legs are cooked when the meat falls off the bone. Then take the pigeon out of the fat and clean it by removing the bones, skin and any other unwanted parts. Transfer the cleaned meat on your cutting board and chop it into a nice tartare. Don’t over chop it, you still want some texture. Then transfer it into a bowl and season it with the sauce we just made. Set it aside for later.

The pigeon heart seasoning

50 g	coarse salt
50 g	sugar
2	pigeon hearts

Mix the coarse salt with the sugar. Then place two tablespoons on a tray and put the pigeon hearts on top. Cover the hearts completely with the remaining cure and let them sit in your fridge for 2 days. After that rinse off any remaining salt and sugar in clean cold water. Now let them dry at 60 degrees Celsius for around 8 hours. I always leave them overnight. Once dry keep covered in your fridge for later and grate it when needed.

The miso & celeriac cream

	the remaining cleaned celeriac
50 g	butter
1	shallot
3 g	salt
40 g	dark miso
300 g	vegetable broth
20 g	apple cider vinegar
	Xanthan gum

Cut a shallot in half and clean it. Now slice it in thin slices. Then melt the butter into a pan and glaze the shallot with the salt and the dark miso. Mix it well to create an even mixture and glaze it till the shallots have softened. Now add the remaining cleaned celeriac and turn up the heat to pan fry the celeriac. Once it has a nice color deglaze the pan with the vegetable broth and the apple cider vinegar. Reduce it till almost all the liquid has reduced and the celeriac is cooked. Then transfer it into a blender and blend it till smooth. This will take a couple of minutes. After that add a knife tip of xanthan gum and blend it for another minute. The xanthan gum is not necessary, but it will prevent the cream from leaking once plated. Now transfer it into a pan, cover it with wrap and keep it in your fridge for later.

The watercress and maitake farce

Take two big maitake mushrooms and clean them. Tear them in smaller even pieces. Now add a drizzle of oil in a hot pan and pan fry the maitake with some salt for a couple of minutes. Then add a knot of butter and a bay leaf that I’ve teared in half. Pan fry it till the maitake is golden all around. After that transfer it on a tray, remove the bay leaf and let it cool down completely.

75 g	watercress leaves
90 g	vegetable broth
10 g	apple cider vinegar
2 g	salt
	Xanthan gum

Now for the watercress coulis. First pick enough watercress for 75 grams of leaves. The stems I keep for another recipe, but I won’t use them for this dish. Then season a pan of boiling water with salt and blanch the leaves for 30 seconds. Directly cool them down in ice water to prevent them from turning brown. After a minute squeeze all the water out of the leaves. Transfer the leaves into a blender and also add the vegetable broth, the apple cider vinegar, the salt and a knife tip of xanthan gum. Blend it till smooth. Then pour it into a bowl and keep it in your fridge for later.

180 g	chicken breast
3 g	salt
50 g	watercress coulis
60 g	creme fraiche

Mix the cold chicken breast with the salt and 50 grams of the chilled watercress coulis we just made. Blend it for a minute or 2. Now add the crème fraiche and blend it till smooth. Just beware the mousse doesn’t heat up from the friction. Then transfer it into a bowl and add the pan fried maitake. Fold the maitake in and set it aside for later.

How to assemble the filling

Take a savoy cabbage and trim the bottom. Take the leaves off one by one and remove the core. Be sure to wash them well to remove any bugs or dirt. Once clean blanch them in the salted water for a minute or 2. Then directly cool them down before laying the leaves one by one on a kitchen towel. Cover it and give it a good press. Now cover the inside of Ron’s Mold with the cabbage leaves and fold them down. Then add a layer of the confit pigeon and press it down with a cocktail stamp. Cover it with a cabbage leaf and then add a thick layer of the watercress and maitake farce. Level it as well. Now season the pigeon breasts with salt and black pepper on both sides. Lay a breast on the farce and lay another one upside down next to it. Cover the breasts completely with the cabbage leaves and keep it covered in your fridge for later.

The puff pastry

350 g	butter
75 g	flour

Puff pastry consists of two components. The beurrage which is the butter and the détrempe which is the dough. Let’s start with the beurrage. Transfer the butter into a mixing bowl and also add the flour. Now mix this on a low speed until it’s a smooth and even mixture. You don’t want any air in the butter, so this will only take a couple of seconds. Then transfer it on some parchment paper and shape it into a square that 20 centimeters by 20 centimeters. Now wrap it completely and let it set in your fridge for 3 to 4 hours.

300 g	flour
5 g	sugar
5 g	salt
125 g	ice cold water
7 g	white wine vinegar
65 g	butter

Then the détrempe. Transfer the flour in the mixing bowl and also add the sugar, the salt, the ice cold water and the white wine vinegar. Now mix this on a low speed for a minute so all the ingredients can come together. Then add the butter and mix it for another 4 minutes. Once it’s a nice dough transfer it onto your worktop and press or roll it into a square that’s also 20 centimeters. Wrap it tight in parchment paper and let it rest in your fridge for 2 hours. Then dust some flour on your worktop and lay the beurrage, so that’s the butter on there. Now roll it into a long rectangle that’s 45 centimeters. Then use a brush to remove any excess flour and place the détrempe in the middle. Now fold the butter around the dough. Then let it set in your fridge for 30 minutes. Temperature is key when making puff pastry. After that roll it into a long rectangle, remove any excess flour and then fold it in three. Then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat the process that we just did. So, roll, dust, and fold. After that wrap it and write down the amount of fold that you did. Then let it cool down in your fridge for at least 3 hours. After that take the dough out of the paper and turn it 90 degrees again. Roll it into a long rectangle, dust the flour off and fold it in three. Then turn it 90 degrees and repeat the process once more. Then wrap it again, write down the number of folds and let it cool down for at least 3 hours. Once it’s chilled again, we just do one more fold and then let it cool down for 3 hours. So, in total we fold it 5 times. After that roll your puff pastry on a floured worktop into a big sheet. Then cut it to the desired size. You need 1 circle, a slightly bigger circle and a small decorative one. Make a small hole in both the bigger circle and the small decorative one.

How to assemble & finish the pithivier

Now place the small puff pastry circle on a piece of parchment paper and make little holes with a fork. This will prevent the dough from rising up. Then add a layer of egg yolk, this is egg yolk that I’ve passed through a fine sieve. Take the filling out of the mold and place it in the center of the puff pastry. Brush some egg yolk on the filling as well and gently place the bigger circle on top. Be sure to press out any air. Then brush some more egg yolk on top and place the decorative pastry on there. Now brush it completely with the egg yolk and let it set for 30 minutes in your fridge. Repeat this two more times. So yolk, rest, yolk, rest. After the third resting time cut it with the star cutter and remove any excess dough. Then use the smallest cutter to decorate the dough. I added a thin layer of oil on the cutter to prevent the dough from sticking. After that use a sharp thin knife to decorate how you prefer. Now bake it at 185 degrees Celsius for 18 minutes.

Then transfer it on a tray with a rack to prevent the bottom from becoming soggy and let it rest for at least 10 minutes. I do this in my heat draw at 45 degrees Celsius to prevent it from cooling down too much. And now the moment we all have been waiting for. First gently cut the dough with a serrated knife and then switch to a long sharp knife. This way you can get a clean cut both on the puff pastry and the filling. Just look at that beautiful inside! After that season it by grating some cured pigeon heart on top. Then place a slice on a plate and add a spoonful of the cream next to it. Also add three dots of the watercress and then finish it off with the beautiful pigeon liver sauce!