This is a name dear to the heart of the Englishman since the days when
Friar Tuck feasted the disguised Cœur de Lion upon it in the depths of
Sherwood Forest, until the present generation. In this country it is
comparatively little known; but I recommend it to those who have never
yet been able to make venison “tolerably eatable.”
Almost any part of the deer can be used for the purpose, but the neck
and shoulders are generally preferred.
Cut the raw venison from the bones, and set aside these, with the
skin, fat, and refuse bits, for gravy. Put them into a saucepan with
a shallot, pepper, salt, nutmeg and sweet herbs, cover well with cold
water, and set on to boil. Meanwhile, cut the better and fairer pieces
of meat into squares an inch long, and cook in another saucepan until
three-quarters done. Line a deep dish with good puff-paste. That for
the lid should be made after the receipt appended to this. Put in the
squares of venison, season with pepper, salt, and butter, and put in
half a cupful of the liquor in which the meat was stewed, to keep it
from burning at the bottom. Cover with a lid of the prepared pastry an
inch thick. Cut a round hole in the middle, and if you have not a small
tin cylinder that will fit this, make one of buttered paper; stiff
writing-paper is best. The hole should be large enough to admit your
thumb. Bake steadily, covering the top with a sheet of clean paper so
soon as it is firm, to prevent it from browning too fast. While it is
cooking prepare the gravy. When all the substance has been extracted
from the bones, etc., strain the liquor back into the saucepan; let it
come to a boil, and when you have skimmed carefully, add a glass of
Port wine, a tablespoonful of butter, the juice of a lemon, and some
browned flour to thicken. Boil up once, remove the plug from the hole
in the pastry, and pour in through a small funnel, or a paper horn, as
much gravy as the pie will hold. Do this very quickly; brush the crust
over with beaten egg and put back in the oven until it is a delicate
brown, or rather, a golden russet. The pie should only be drawn to
the door of the oven for these operations, and everything should be
in readiness before it is taken out, that the crust may be light and
flaky. If you have more gravy than you need for the dish, serve in a
tureen.