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1
Braise the jointed pigeon or chicken with the saffron in enough liquid to cover, cooking over a moderate heat until the meat is tender and falling from the bone. Remove the meat, shred it finely, and discard the bones, then return the braising liquid to the pan and reduce it completely so the concentrated saffron and meat juices bind the filling rather than making it wet and heavy. Stir in the beaten eggs over low heat, scrambling them gently into the residual sauce until the mixture is dry and cohesive — the filling is ready when no standing moisture remains and the mass holds without weeping.
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2
Fry the blanched almonds in a small quantity of butter until deep golden, so the nuts lose their raw, milky interior and develop a toasted depth that survives the bake without turning bitter. Drain well on absorbent paper, then grind coarsely with the cinnamon and caster sugar to a rubble — not a paste — so the layer stays distinct and gives texture against the soft meat below. The mixture is ready when it is fragrant and dry to the touch.
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3
Brush a large, round baking tin generously with melted butter, then lay several overlapping sheets of warqa or filo across the base and up the sides, brushing each sheet with melted butter as it is placed — the Moroccan tradition calls for a more generous application of butter between layers than is common with filo, so the pastry fries from within during baking and becomes shatteringly crisp rather than papery. Seal the edges with beaten egg where sheets overlap, and continue until the tin is fully lined with no gaps and every layer glistens with butter.
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4
Spread the shredded meat and egg mixture in an even layer across the pastry base, then cover it with the almond, cinnamon, and sugar mixture in a distinct, even second layer, keeping the two completely separate so each forkful carries the contrast of savoury meat beneath and fragrant sweet nut above. The assembly is correct when two clearly separate layers — meat below, almond above — are visible at the edge.
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5
Fold the overhanging pastry sheets up and over the filling to enclose it, brushing each flap with beaten egg as it is brought in so the layers adhere and the seal holds under the heat of the oven. Lay further buttered sheets across the top to seal completely, tucking the edges underneath, then brush the entire surface with the combined melted butter and honey glaze. The pie is ready to bake when the surface is taut, fully sealed, and evenly coated with glaze.
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6
Bake in an oven preheated to 190 °C until the surface is deep golden-amber; the honey in the glaze caramelises to produce the characteristic lacquered sheen that distinguishes a properly finished b'stilla from a merely baked one. The pie is done when the top is uniformly amber and the pastry audibly shatters at the edge when tapped with a fingernail — lift the pie briefly to confirm the underside is equally golden, since a pale base means the filling will taste steamed rather than baked.
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7
Remove from the oven and immediately dust the entire surface with icing sugar and ground cinnamon through a fine sieve. Serve at once, as the pastry begins to soften within minutes of cooling and the dish does not hold.