Cornish Charter Pie

Ingredients:

enough rich shortcrust pastry (made without the sugar) for cover a large, deep, pie dish
2 chickens (about 1.5kg each), washed, dried and jointed
seasoned flour, for dusting
1 large onion, chopped
125g butter
100g parsley (with roots and stems), finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
150ml milk
150ml single cream
300ml double cream
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk, to glaze

Method:

Melt half the onion in a frying pan, add the onion and fry until golden brown (about 8 minutes). Remove the onion with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.

Add the remaining butter in a pan then roll the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour. When the butter is hot, add the floured chicken pieces (you may need to do this in batches) and fry until golden brown in colour (do not colour the chicken pieces too darkly).

Arrange the onion in the base of your pie dish then sit the chicken pieces on top, arranging them in a single, closely-packed layer.

Combine the parsley, leek, milk and single cream in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then take off the heat. Pour this mixture over the chicken pieces then add about 100ml of the double cream. Season liberally with the salt and black pepper.

Turn the pastry onto a floured work surface and roll out until large enough to cover the top of the pie. Crimp this to the edges of the pie dish. Trim off the excess pastry, roll this out then shape into a pastry rose with a 1.5cm stem. Cur a cross in the centre of the pie then peel back the four pastry points to make a hole large enough for a small kitchen funnel to fit. Sit the pastry rose in this and surround it with some pastry leaves.

Glaze the top with the egg and milk mixture then transfer the pie to an oven pre-heated to 210°C and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and continue cooking for about 60 minutes, or until the chicken is completely done through.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. As the pie is cooling bring the remaining cream to a boil. Just before serving, carefully ease out the pastry rose, sit a funnel in the hole and pour in the boiling cream. Replace the rose and either serve immediately or allow the pie to cool (the juices will set to a jelly when cold).