It’s spring and that means that many of our feathered friends will be migrating back. While for most people, that means little more than an increase of freeloaders at the seed feeder, for us demons, it means time for one of our favorite treats…blackbird pie.
You know, it wasn’t long ago that you mortals also enjoyed blackbird pie. In fact, there’s even a rhyme about it. 4 and 20…yeah, yeah, you know the rest.
While getting authentic blackbirds isn’t as easy as it used to be (don’t even start me on how time-consuming it is to pluck all those tiny feathers off those tiny bodies. That’s what minions are for if you ask me), you can still make this pie with a few small adjustments.
For this recipe you will need:
- 2 pre-made pie crusts, refrigerated
- 2 ½ cups cooked chicken, shredded
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- ½ cup peas
- 4 carrots, diced
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- ¼ Teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ Teaspoon rosemary
- ¼ Teaspoon thyme
- ¼ Teaspoon garlic
- ¼ Teaspoon sage
- ⅓ cup Butter
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
- Black food coloring
- 4 chicken feet (black)
- Caul fat (black)
Let’s start out by talking about our chicken feet. For my version, I used the chicken feet I had left over from my previously made Fowl Most Foul recipe, but you can use regular chicken feet as well. If you do use regular chicken feet, place them into a bag of black food coloring in your refrigerator for 24 hours prior to making your pie. Be sure to rinse them and pat dry before you use them.
Fun fact, most silkie chickens require disassembly before cooking.
And now, moving onto the caul fat. Caul fat is just one of the many reasons you should make friends with your local butcher. Caul fat, otherwise known as lace fat and sometimes as fat netting, is the layer of fat that lines the interior of the intestines. In cooking, it’s used as a natural casing for sausages, meatballs, and meat loaves.
Because it’s a fat, as it cooks, it melts, providing moisture and flavor to your end product.
Although not often called for in most modern recipes, caul fat can be obtained from most butchers and is sold in pound blocks. You can get either lamb or pork caul fat. Personally, I prefer pork.
When you get your caul fat, gently unwrap only what you need and allow it to soak in a bowl of warm (but not hot) water before using. Keep the rest frozen and save it for future recipes. Once it’s thawed, transfer it to a plastic bag full of black food coloring and allow to absorb the color for at least 6 hours.
Okay, with that out of the way, let’s move onto the actual recipe!
Start by pre-heating your oven to 425F/218C.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt your butter. Add in your onions and carrots and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes or until your onions are translucent and your carrots are tender.
Add in your flour, salt, and pepper and stir until well mixed.
Add your cooked chicken, sage, rosemary, thyme and garlic.
In a separate bowl, combine your chicken broth and cornstarch. Make sure to mix well to prevent any lumps. Add in your milk, egg, and enough black food coloring to make the mixture as dark as you’d like it to be.
Carefully pour in your chicken broth/milk/cornstarch slurry into your saucepan and add in your chicken. Stir until thick and bubbly.
Spoon your black concoction into one of your pie crusts, smoothing down the top with a spoon.
Top with the second crust, trimming off the excess and crimping the edges together to seal.
Place the entire thing on a cookie sheet. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of your pie with a nice wash of melted butter.
Now comes the fun part. Remove your caul fat from the bag of black dye. Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel.
Gently stretch across the top of your pie, tucking the excess down around the edges.
Using a sharp knife, make four small slits in the top of your pie and insert your black chicken feet so they are sticking out.
Place your pie into the oven and cook for approximately 40 minutes or until your crust is a golden brown.
At the 30-35 minute mark, check your pie edges. If they’re getting too dark, cover the with a little tin foil or a pie shield. The same goes for your chicken feet. If they’re getting a little too toasty, wrap them in some tin foil to help protect them.
Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
I prefer to have mine with a nice glass of white wine and a bright spring salad.
A sneak peek at what’s coming up for May:
Minions! I’m excited to announce that I am teaming up with the absolutely amazing Miranda over atSpooky Little Halloweento celebrate the upcoming Half-O-Ween! We’re going to be doing a fun DIY project swap (which, of course, I’ll share with you all here as well.)
Until then, I encourage you all to check out her site, especially her incredibly informational post on Planning the Perfect Halloween Party (now is the time to start) and ALL of her Eerily Easy DIY projects (so fun, so easy, so affordable.)
Until then…Bone appetite!
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