Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C.

2. To prepare the pheasant, cut the end of wing off with a sharp knife, then make a small cut on each side in between the leg and the breast. Dislocate each leg, then bend to break the back, twist the legs 180° (so the skin of the pheasant legs are facing up), then cut through the backbone to remove the legs from the body. Combine all the marinade ingredients into a large shallow dish and mix well. Place the pheasants in the marinade for at least 10 minutes.

3. To make the sour cream pastry, pulse butter and flour in a food processor until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sour cream and continue to pulse until the dough starts to incorporate into a ball. Using your hands, shape pastry in a rectangle. Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

4. Roll the pastry out to 3mm thick, cutting 1 circle for the base at 28cm in diameter and 1 for the lid at 23cm in diameter. Rest in refrigerator.

5. Season the pheasant well with salt and freshly ground pepper and place the two separate pieces onto a flat baking tray, skin-side up and place into the oven. 

6. Roast the pheasant for 10 minutes then turn over the legs and the breast. The legs will take a further 3-5 minutes and the breast will take a further 8-10 minutes. If unsure, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the breast to check if the juices run clear. Once legs have been removed from the oven, splash verjuice.

7. To rest, turn the pheasant so that the breast is facing upside down in the roasting pan with the legs, and splash the pheasant breast with remaining verjuice whilst the bird rests. Rest for 15 minutes until cool enough to handle. Increase the oven to 230°C.

8. To make the pie filling, place a frying pan over high heat, melt butter, fry off garlic and rosemary then add the mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms are soft and have reduced by half in size. You may need to add some extra virgin olive oil for frying. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt while mushrooms are sautéing. Add the flour to the pan and cook out for 3 minutes, then pour in the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to the boil, then stir in the crème fraiche and reduce to a simmer. Cook the mixture for 15 minutes, check the seasoning, then allow to cool in the refrigerator.

9. To de-bone the pheasants, remove the drumsticks from the thighs, removing the bone from the thigh. To remove the breast meat, cut away by following the carcass down to the wing joint. Slice off the plump pieces of meat. Carve the breast and leg into bite-sized pieces. You will need at least 400g for the pie. If the orange zest in the pheasant has not burned, chop and fold along with the meat, walnuts, lemon zest and oregano into the cooked mushroom mixture.

10. Make the glaze by mixing the egg yolk and milk together with a good pinch of salt. Take pastry from the fridge and spoon the cooked pheasant mixture into the base and cover with pastry top. Crimp and seal the edges. Brush glaze and make a pattern if desired. If pastry warms too much, put back into the fridge for 5 minutes. 

11. Remove from the fridge and place in the oven for 5 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 220°C and cook for a further 20-25 minutes or until pastry is golden and cooked through. For an even colouring of the lid, turn the pie half way through cooking, if necessary.     

                                                                                                       
12. To make the braised radicchio, cut the radicchio stems off, then slice across 2cm thick. Place the currants and verjuice in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and set aside.

13. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, and dry cook the bacon, remove and leave aside.  Add a splash of oil and cook rosemary for 1 minute,  then add radicchio and season with salt.  Cook  for 4 minutes until the radicchio has wilted. Add the currants and verjuice (that the currants are soaked in) and reduce to low heat. Cook for a further few minutes. Add the vino cotto and cook for about 2 minutes until syrupy. Stir through chopped parsley. Check seasoning, set aside and keep warm.

14. For the pheasant jus, add the resting juices from the pheasant to the golden stock and verjuice and reduce to a sauce-like consistency. You can whisk in cubes of butter for a velvety sauce, if desired.

15. Remove pie from the oven, allow to rest slightly. Serve up on a large platter with radicchio braise and sauce in a gravy boat. Cut a serving of pie onto individual plates, add sauce, and braise.