Pithiviers: Pâté and Gâteau — Cook

Ingredients

For the feuilletage classique
Puff pastry, 6-turn feuilletage classique, minimum 6 turns; made in advance
500 g plain flour
250 ml cold water
10 g fine salt
350 g unsalted butter, beurrage block, chilled
For the almond cream (frangipane Pithiviers)
125 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
125 g caster sugar
125 g ground almonds
2 eggs, whole, at room temperature
1 tbsp rum
For the gâteau finish
1 egg, beaten, for double egg wash
For the pâté en croûte crust
500 g plain flour
200 ml water, boiling
150 g lard or unsalted butter
10 g fine salt
For the game forcemeat
600 g game bird meat, pheasant, partridge, or duck; coarsely minced
150 g foie gras, cut into 1 cm dice
30 g black truffle, finely sliced or diced
50 g shelled pistachios, whole, blanched and peeled
2 eggs, whole, to bind
3 tbsp Cognac
For the gelée
400 ml game stock, strong, clarified; set to a firm jelly when cold

Method

1
GÂTEAU DE PITHIVIERS — Make the feuilletage classique to a minimum of 6 turns, resting the dough between every 2 turns. The finished dough must be cool, firm, and evenly laminated before rolling. Chill until needed.
2
Beat the softened butter with the caster sugar until pale. Add the ground almonds and mix thoroughly. Beat in the 2 eggs one at a time, then stir in the rum. The cream should be smooth, homogeneous, and hold a soft peak. No pastry cream is added — this is pure almond cream.
3
Roll the feuilletage to 4 mm thickness. Cut two rounds: one of 22 cm (base) and one of 24 cm (lid). Lay the base on a parchment-lined tray. Mound the almond cream in the centre, leaving a 3 cm border clear. Brush the border with beaten egg wash.
4
Lay the larger round over the cream, pressing the border firmly to seal without trapping air over the filling. Brush the entire surface with egg wash. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm the seal and re-chill the butter layers.
5
This is where the gâteau lives or dies. Using the back of a small knife, score the rosace: begin at the very centre of the dome and draw curved lines outward in a pinwheel motion, each cut 2 mm deep, evenly spaced. The cuts must curve — never straight — and must not pierce through to the filling. Apply a second coat of egg wash after scoring.
6
Bake at 220 °C for 10 minutes to generate maximum puff, then reduce to 180 °C for 25–30 minutes. The gâteau is done when the top is deeply caramelized, almost lacquered, and the scored ridges have opened and separated into flame-like golden layers.
7
PÂTÉ DE PITHIVIERS EN CROÛTE — Make the hot-water crust: dissolve the salt in the boiling water with the fat, pour over the flour, and work quickly to a smooth dough. Line a round raised-pie mould while the paste is still warm and pliable. Reserve enough paste for the lid.
8
Combine the coarsely minced game meat with the beaten eggs and Cognac. Fold in the foie gras dice, truffle, and whole pistachios. The forcemeat should be coarse and clearly studded — not a smooth paste.
9
Pack the forcemeat into the lined mould. Fit the pastry lid, crimp the edges to seal, and cut a chimney hole at the centre. Decorate the lid with pastry trimmings as a competition piece demands. Egg-wash the surface.
10
Bake until the crust is golden and a skewer inserted through the chimney and held for 5 seconds emerges piping hot. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely — the interior must reach room temperature before the gelée is added.
11
This is where the pâté lives or dies. Warm the game stock gelée until just liquid but not hot. Pour it steadily through the chimney hole in several stages, allowing each addition to settle, until no more can be absorbed. The pie must be cold before this step; a warm pie will melt the gelée and it will not set. Refrigerate until the gelée is completely firm — patience is the critical ingredient.
12
Serve the pâté en croûte cold, sliced at the table, revealing the mosaic of game, foie gras, truffle, and pistachios bound in amber gelée. It is not a warm preparation.