NICE AS PIE

Crack open the crust and dig into the ultimate comfort food on a cold winter’s evening…

Crack open the crust and dig into the ultimate comfort food on a cold winter’s evening

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4. Put the duck legs on a wire rack in a roasting tray. Roast for 1 hour 30 minutes until the meat pulls off the bone easily.

2 Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, melt the butter and cook the onion, carrot and celery, covered, for 15 minutes until softened. Uncover, increase the heat, add the flour, then cook for 1 minute. Stir in the port, stock and herbs, bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Take off the heat, stir in the cherries and vinegar; set aside to cool.

3 When the duck is cooked, leave until cool enough to handle, then shred the meat and add to the sauce. Chill for 30 minutes.

4 To make the pastry, pulse the flour and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg mixture and thyme, and pulse until it just comes together. Tip onto a lightly floured surface, gently knead until smooth and shape into a disc. Wrap in baking parchment and chill for 30 minutes.

5 Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan oven) gas mark 7. Put a baking sheet in the oven to heat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out two-thirds of the pastry into a circle big enough to line a 1.6-litre pie dish, about 5mm thick, leaving the excess overhanging. Brush the pie rim with beaten egg. Add the duck mixture.

6 Roll out the remaining pastry into a circle large enough to cover the pie dish. Cut the circle into strips 2cm wide. Lay them over the pie in a lattice pattern, lightly pressing down the ends to the pastry case to seal. Trim off any excess. Brush with beaten egg.

7 Cook on the sheet for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6 and cook for 25 minutes until golden.