Ingredients for the Known Ground reconstruction
Ingredient amounts shown for 8 servings.
Known Ground reconstruction
- 2whole pheasants, one for roasting; meat and liver of the second for forcemeat
- 2 tbspunsalted butter
- 1 tspthyme leaves, Gratin forcemeat
- 1egg yolk, Gratin forcemeat
- 1/4 cupMadeira, Gratin forcemeat
- 1/2 cupdemi-glace, Gratin forcemeat
- 2 lbhot-water pastry, chilled
- 1 tsppowdered thyme and bay, Assembly
- 1 cupdry red wine, Salmis sauce
- 2 cupsgame stock, Salmis sauce
- 1 cupdemi-glace, Salmis sauce
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Gratin forcemeat
- 12 ozfatty bacon, cubed
- 8 ozpheasant leg meat, cubed
- 8 ozpheasant or chicken liver, cubed
- 2 ozmushroom trimmings, chopped
- 1 oztruffle trimmings, chopped
- 1shallot, chopped
Assembly
- 8 ozmushrooms, cooked and sliced
- 3 ozfresh black truffle, sliced
Salmis sauce
- 1shallot, sliced
Known Ground reconstruction
A springform pan replaces the Charlotte mold and a sturdy hot-water pastry makes the raised shell achievable. The forcemeat is scaled from no. 202 with pheasant meat replacing veal, and the sauce still begins with the roast carcass. 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. Roast one pheasant in butter until it reaches 165°F (74°C); cool, slice the breast, pick the remaining meat, and reserve the carcass.
2. For the forcemeat, brown the bacon, raw pheasant meat, and liver separately in butter. Add mushroom and truffle trimmings, shallot, thyme, salt, and pepper for 2 minutes; deglaze with Madeira. Purée with the yolk and demi-glace, then chill.
3. Line a buttered 9-inch springform pan with pastry. Cover the inside with forcemeat, then alternate pheasant slices, cooked mushrooms, truffle, and forcemeat; finish with forcemeat and thyme-bay powder. Seal with a pastry lid, cut a vent, and bake until the centre reaches 165°F (74°C), about 55 to 70 minutes.
4. Brown the reserved carcass with shallot, add wine, stock, and demi-glace, simmer 30 minutes, strain, and reduce to a Salmis sauce. Unmold the hot pie and serve the carcass sauce separately.
Historical formula
Method
The preparation of hot, raised pheasant pies is the same as usual; the ingredients alone changing. The reader will, therefore, kindly refer to “Pâté chaud de Canard” (No. 1752), and duly note the following modifications:—
(1) Use a _gratin_ forcemeat (No. 202) prepared from game livers and meat.
(2) Roast the pheasant, keeping it underdone, and mix the pieces of cooked mushroom with the sliced truffles.
(3) Accompany the pie by a Salmis sauce, prepared from the pheasant’s carcass and remains.
Source
A Guide to Modern Cookery — Recipe no. 1849.
Updated since publication
Last revised 8/21/2026. Evidence and limitations should be interpreted as described in the article.
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