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Have you ever considered eating pigeon before? Or perhaps you have tried it already? Personally, I have yet to try a pigeon (though I am not opposed - I will try just about anything). This is my own little version of an 18th century Pigeon Pie. I wanted to attempt to make this recipe all the same because it is mentioned in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.

1790s Pigeon Pie | The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

There are several recipes mentioned within this early Americana spooky tale. One of those recipes was for a Dutch Pigeon Pie! This recipe is a wonderfully unique dinner recipe that is unusually delicious. It may not be on the top of your list for supper, but I was shocked to discover that this was actually quite tasty!

Pigeon Pie in the legend of sleepy hollow:

“The pedagogue’s mouth watered as he looked upon this sumptuous promise of luxurious winter fare. In his devouring mind’s eye, he pictured to himself every roasting-pig running about with a pudding in his belly, and an apple in his mouth; the pigeons were snugly put to bed in a comfortable pie, and tucked in with a coverlet of crust; the geese were swimming in their own gravy; and the ducks pairing cosily in dishes, like snug married couples, with a decent competency of onion sauce. In the porkers he saw carved out the future sleek side of bacon, and juicy relishing ham; not a turkey but he beheld daintily trussed up, with its gizzard under its wing, and, peradventure, a necklace of savory sausages; and even bright chanticleer himself lay sprawling on his back, in a side dish, with uplifted claws, as if craving that quarter which his chivalrous spirit disdained to ask while living.”

Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

What is Pigeon Pie?

Eating pigeons has been recorded in history since the Middle Ages. In fact, it was of quite a high regard in Spain as pigeons were a favorite meal of King Juan I of Castile. The first recorded recipe for Pigeon Pie was in a recipe book by the royal chef of Philip III in 1611.

Even earlier, it was recorded in English cookery books, and as far as I can tell from the ingredients in the pie, it is a rather English-style type of meal.

By the mid to late 19th century, pigeon pies had rather gone out of fashion. It was a common meal for most people, though soon the filling was replaced by other meats and pigeons were no longer used for commercial meat sales. By the mid 20th century, cookbooks no longer made mention of Pigeon Pie, therefore rendering it extinct in American culinary practices.

gather your ingredients:

To make a Pigeon Pie from the 18th century (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is set in 1790), you will need to gather up some ingredients:

Pigeon or Chicken Breasts. Because pigeons are not readily available where I live, unless I hunted for them myself (I recently learned pigeons are exempt from state laws protecting wild birds), I decided to use chicken breast. I am sure this is what most people will choose!
Pigeon or Chicken Heart, Liver, Giblets. In the recipe I borrowed from by Hannah Glasse (The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, 1747), she suggests using all of the edible parts of the pigeon, including the neck. I decided to omit the neck of my chicken as I did not want to deal with the little bones.
Beef Steak. Hannah also suggests adding a beefsteak to the pie. After a little bit of digging, a beefsteak in 1747 could literally mean any type of steak, but generally they used a ribeye for meals such as this. I decided to use some round steak that I had as it’s a big tougher of a cut and works great in pot pies.
Quail Eggs. Hard boiled eggs are also added to the pie. If quail eggs are difficult to obtain you can simply replace them with about 2 to 3 chicken eggs, hard boiled.
Mushrooms. You can use any type of mushroom that you choose. I went with a brown mushroom, but I think white would also work nicely.
Fresh Herbs. For this pie, I decided to use fresh parsley and thyme.

Tips for Making Hot Water Pastry:

Use Unsalted Butter. My recipe includes salt in the dry ingredients, so I would suggest using unsalted butter for the pastry. Otherwise, you may use salted butter and omit the added salt.
Keep the Pastry Warm. Some recipes will suggest that the dough needs to be used immediately after kneading it together. I have found that as long as the dough is kept moist and warm, it works just fine. You will want to keep an eye on it, and I honestly prefer using it after it has slightly cooled and is about body warm. It’s easier to handle and it’s more easily moldable. To keep it warm, leave it on top of your refrigerator, nearby your warm stove, or in the warming drawer of your oven.
Don’t Roll it Out. Unless you are making the lid of of the pie, do not roll out the pastry. It can potentially ruin the texture. It’s much easier to just press the dough into your pan and shape it that way.

How to Make Pigeon Pie:

Step One: With one piece of dough, flatten it into a disc. Then, place it into the greased sprinform pan and begin pressing it into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. You want it to be at least 1/2-inch (1-cm) thick so that it is structurally strong enough to stand on its own. You will also want at least 1-inch (2.5-cm) overhang coming out of the top of the pan to attach the lid of the pie.

Step Two: Then, begin layering in the filling ingredients. Place about 1/2 of the chicken breast in the bottom, followed by 1/2 of the beef, 1/2 of the mushrooms, about 4 to 5 of the quail eggs, and 2 tbsp of the butter. Season everything with 1/2 of the salt and 1/2 of the pepper, followed by 1/2 of the herbs. Add in the heart, liver, and giblets. Repeat this layer with the remaining ingredients.

Step Three: Pour the water over the filling. Then, with the second piece of dough, reserve a small chunk to use for decorations. Roll it out on the countertop (lightly dust with flour, if needed) into a 10-inch (25-cm) circle. Them, transfer the crust to the top of the pie. Trim the edges with a sharp knife and pinch the bottom crust and top crust together.

Step Four: Cut out leaves or other shapes with any remaining crust and arrange them on top of the pie. Then, poke a hole into the center top of the pie to release steam. Brush the pie and any decorations with the egg wash (I baked my little pigeon on the baking sheet next to the pie).

Step Five: Bake the pie for about 45 to 50 minutes or until the pie is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. You will want to cover the top of the pie and your decorations with foil about halfway through baking to prevent them from over-browning or burning.

Step Six: Let the pie rest for at least 1 hour before removing the sides of the springform pan and serving. It is best served at room temperature or cold.

Final Thoughts:

This 18th century pigeon pie was actually quite good! I was shocked. Going in, I assumed that I would be left with an utter disaster of flavors, but I was pleasantly surprised. The flavor of the pie was delicious, and the combination of chicken, steak, and hard boiled eggs went together incredibly well.

I hope that you enjoyed learning more about this historical traditional Dutch-American recipe from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow! It was so fun to make this video about classic pigeon meat pie and learn about historic food from literature.

xoxo Kayla

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Author: Kayla Lobermeier

Pigeon Pie from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Embark on a culinary time travel adventure with our 1790s Pigeon Pie from 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.' This Sleepy Hollow-inspired recipe takes you back to the 18th century, where classic ingredients and techniques create a timeless pigeon meat pie. Learn how to recreate this historic dish, as featured in Washington Irving's iconic tale. Elevate your cooking skills and explore the flavors of traditional American cuisine from the 1790s.

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 50 MinTotal time: 1 H & 50 M

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Hot Water Pastry:

3½ cups (438 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (138 g) bread flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup (232 g) salted butter, sliced
1 cup (240 ml) water
1 large egg + 1 tbsp (15 ml) water, for egg wash

Pigeon Filling:

1 lb (454 g) chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
Chicken heart, liver, and giblets
1 lb (454 g) beef round steak, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) chunks
1 cup (70 g) brown mushrooms, sliced
8 to 10 quail eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1/4 cup (58 g) salted butter, cut into 1/2-inch (1-cm) cubes
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
2 tbsp (8 g) fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup (60 ml) water

Instructions

To make the Hot Water Pastry:

Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Grease a 8-inch (20-cm) springform pan heavily with butter and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Set this aside.
Begin by making the Hot Water Pastry. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, and salt. Set this aside for now. In a medium saucepan, bring the butter and water to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer andcontinue to cook for about 2 minutes, melting the butter and keeping it very hot.
Remove the pan from the heat and immediately pour the hot water and butter into the flour mixture. With a wooden spoon or dough whisk, mix it together until it forms a soft, lumpy dough.
Once the dough is cool enough to handle but still hot, begin to knead it together with your hands until it is smooth. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself about three times. Shape the dough into two flat discs and wrap them plastic wrap. Place them on the counter and let them rest till they are room temperature. You will want this dough to remain warm to the touch, so keep an eye to make sure that it does not get too cold.

To Assemble the Pie:

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water to create the egg wash. Set this aside. Divide one of the halves of dough into 2 equal sized pieces. Wrap one of those pieces back in the plastic wrap.
With the other piece of dough, flatten it into a disc. Then, place it into the greased sprinform pan and begin pressing it into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. You want it to be at least 1/2-inch (1-cm) thick so that it is structurally strong enough to stand on its own. You will also want at least 1-inch (2.5-cm) overhang coming out of the top of the pan to attach the lid of the pie.
Then, begin layering in the filling ingredients. Place about 1/2 of the chicken breast in the bottom, followed by 1/2 of the beef, 1/2 of the mushrooms, about 4 to 5 of the quail eggs, and 2 tbsp of the butter. Season everything with 1/2 of the salt and 1/2 of the pepper, followed by 1/2 of the herbs. Add in the heart, liver, and giblets. Repeat this layer with the remaining ingredients.
Pour the water over the filling. Then, with the second piece of dough, reserve a small chunk to use for decorations. Roll it out on the countertop (lightly dust with flour, if needed) into a 10-inch (25-cm) circle. Them, transfer the crust to the top of the pie. Trim the edges with a sharp knife and pinch the bottom crust and top crust together.
Cut out leaves or other shapes with any remaining crust and arrange them on top of the pie. Then, poke a hole into the center top of the pie to release steam. Brush the pie and any decorations with the egg wash (I baked my little pigeon on the baking sheet next to the pie).
Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes or until the pie is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. You will want to cover the top of the pie and your decorations with foil about halfway through baking to prevent them from over-browning or burning.
Let the pie rest for at least 1 hour before removing the sides of the springform pan and serving. It is best served at room temperature or cold.