Ingredients for the Known Ground reconstruction
Ingredient amounts shown for 8 servings.
Known Ground reconstruction
- 1whole pheasant, roasted to 165°F, cooled, and sliced
- 1 1/2 lbshort pastry
- 12 ozfresh tagliatelle, blanched and drained
- 4 tbspunsalted butter, divided
- 12 ozmushrooms, half sliced, half kept as large caps
- 3 ozfresh black truffle, sliced
- 2 cupspheasant Salmis sauce, reduced until binding
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Known Ground reconstruction
A springform pan replaces the timbale mold and fresh tagliatelle provides the noodle lining. The unusual pastry-and-noodle construction remains intact. This version has not been personally tested by Known Ground. Cook the bird and any poultry forcemeat to 165°F (74°C) in its thickest portion.
Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Line a buttered 9-inch springform pan with pastry. Toss the blanched tagliatelle with 2 tablespoons butter and use two-thirds to line the pastry shell.
2. Combine the sliced roast pheasant, sliced mushrooms, truffle, and 1 1/2 cups reduced Salmis sauce. Fill the noodle-lined shell, cover with the remaining noodles, and seal with a thin pastry lid.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the pastry is browned and the filling is piping hot. Rest 10 minutes and carefully unmold onto a platter.
4. Grill or roast the reserved mushroom caps with the remaining butter. Fill them with the remaining reduced Salmis sauce and arrange them around the pie.
Historical source
Quantities, yield, timings, and home-kitchen sequencing below are a modern, untested adaptation built around Escoffier’s named preparation and comparable game-bird technique; they are not original Escoffier measurements.
Le Guide Culinaire — Relevés et entrées de gibier, pp. 895–953.
Updated since publication
Last revised 8/21/2026. Evidence and limitations should be interpreted as described in the article.
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