Grouse Pie is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of a pie made from beef, grouse and meat stock cooked in a puff pastry crust. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Grouse Pie.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
1024. INGREDIENTS — Grouse; cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste; 1 lb. of rump-steak, 1/2 pint of well-seasoned broth, puff paste.
Mode.—Line the bottom of a pie-dish with the rump-steak cut into neat pieces, and, should the grouse be large, cut them into joints; but, if small, they may be laid in the pie whole; season highly with salt, cayenne, and black pepper; pour in the broth, and cover with a puff paste; brush the crust over with the yolk of an egg, and bake from 3/4 to 1 hour. If the grouse is cut into joints, the backbones and trimmings will make the gravy, by stewing them with an onion, a little sherry, a bunch of herbs, and a blade of mace: this should be poured in after the pie is baked.
Time.—3/4 to 1 hour.
Average cost, exclusive of the grouse, which are seldom bought, 1s. 9d.
Seasonable from the 12th of August to the beginning of December.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
2 grouse
450g rump steak, cut into bite-sized pieces
290ml well-seasoned stock
350g fresh puff pastry [ie made with 350g flour]) cayenne pepper
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 egg yolk, beaten, to glaze
Method:
Line the base of a large pie dish with the steak. If the grouse are large then joint them, if they are small, halve them. Lay the bird pieces on top of the meat then season liberally with cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Pour in the stock then cover the pie with the puff pastry. Brush the top with the beaten yolk of an egg make a few steam holes in the top and transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C.
Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the meat is cooked and the pastry is golden brown. Serve hot with mashed potatoes and root vegetables.
Note: If you are jointing your grouse then you can make a gravy by stewing the grouse backbones and trimmings with an onion, a little sherry, herbs and a blade of mace.
