In JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL by Susanna Clarke, there is a scene in which the Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair orders an array of fantastical dishes from a restaurant: roasted wyvern, salamander with pomegranate relish, a pie of honeyed hummingbirds, and more! I wanted to be sure to include one of these amazing dishes in my menu, so I chose the pie of honeyed hummingbirds.

There’s no description of the pie in the book beyond the name, though it was obviously a savory poultry pie, so I had lots of room to get creative! I decided to use Cornish hens as my “hummingbirds” (partridge or grouse would be even smaller, but I decided to stick with what people can easily find in a grocery store). I roasted the hens in honey-lemon glaze and used mead (honey wine) in the filling’s creamy broth. Since this is an autumn menu, I added seasonal flavors like pumpkin, leek, and sage to create a delicious, rich, just-slightly-sweet poultry pie. Garnish the crust with a sage leaf hummingbird for that added touch of whimsy, and you’re all set to feast with the malevolent Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair. . . if you dare! 😉

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Pie of Honeyed Hummingbirds

“Oh! That is because I have ordered an exact copy of a meal I ate at this very house four or five hundred years ago! Here is a haunch of roasted wyvern and a pie of honeyed hummingbirds. Here is roasted salamander with a relish of pomegranates; here a delicate fricassee of combs of cockatrices spiced with saffron and powdered rainbows and ornamented with gold stars! Now sit you down and eat!”

— Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Cornish hens
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, separate
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest (save the lemon)
• 3 tsp salt, separated
• 3/4 tsp pepper, separated
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 leek, white portion only
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp snipped fresh sage, plus 3-4 large leaves for garnish
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup mead
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 lb chopped cooked bacon
• 2 cups pie pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 sheets puff pastry sheet, thawed
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp water

 

Makes 1 9-inch pot pie

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. TO ROAST THE CORNISH HENS. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and set aside. Pat hens dry and rub with 1 Tbsp olive oil, gently separating the skin from the breast meat with your fingers. In a small bowl, stir together the lemon zest, 2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Rub hens with with seasoning, including under the skin and inside the cavity.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and lemon juice. Brush onto the hens, including under the skin. Cut the lemon you zested in half and place 1 half inside each hen cavity.
3. Roast for 45 minutes, brushing with glaze every 15 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through the cook time. When the 45 minutes is up, increase heat to 450°. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 165°.
4. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to completely cool, then shred the meat from the bone. Place the meat in a sealed container in the fridge until ready to use (you should get approximately 6 cups of shredded chicken). If desired, you can freeze the bones to use for soup stock. Discard the lemon halves.
5. TO PREPARE THE PIE. Turn oven back down to 350°. Cut leek into 1/4-inch strips and rinse (leeks are notorious for harboring dirt between the layers, so the best way to clean them is after they’re cut). Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a large skillet with high walls (or you could use 1 Tbsp reserved bacon grease from cooking the bacon). Place skillet over medium-low heat. Once the oil is hot, add the leek, garlic, sage, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook until leeks are translucent (about 3 minutes). Add flour and stir for 1-2 minutes until pasty.
6. Increase heat to medium. Gradually stir in mead and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 1 more minute. Gradually stir in the milk. Stir in the reserved chicken meat, bacon, and pumpkin. Remove from heat.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry until it is a 10-inch square. Place a 9-inch (2.5-quart) oven-safe bowl upside down over the puff pastry and cut around the edge of the bowl. Remove the bowl and transfer the filling to it. Place the pastry circle on top. Prick it in several places with a fork.
8. Roll out the second sheet of puff pastry into a 10-inch square and cut into 12 strips of equal width. Braid the strips into 4 braids. Set aside.
9. Whisk together the egg and water and brush it over the pastry circle. Arrange the braids in a circle around the outer edge and brush these with the egg wash as well. Cut and arrange 3-4 large sage leaves on the pastry to look like a humming bird (as shown below). Brush egg wash over the hummingbird to keep it in place.

   

10. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through. Lightly tent the puff pastry with tin foil if needed to prevent overbrowning.
11. Serve to the Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair as he tries to convince you to become king of England..

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Check out my other pie recipes!

Maple Walnut Apple Pie from Sleepy Hollow

Big Apple Hand Pies from James and the Giant Peach

Mrs. Markham’s Steak and Ale Pies from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Violet Beauregarde’s Chocolate Blueberry Pie