DUCK AND CHERRY PIE, the famous Gatrile’s recipe

Gatrile's famous pie is a legend in its own lunchtime, and is still being made

The perfect marriage between sharp berries, rich duck, boozy sauce and melting pastry, this pie won the hearts of Jo'burgers who frequented Gatrile's, first downtown and then in Sandown. When the restaurant closed in 2003 it had, according to respective owners Ken Forrester and Michel Moran, sold more than 250000 pies, using 220 tons of duck and 12 tons of cherries. The pie lives on at Forrester's Somerset West restaurant, 96 Winery Road, where chef Natasha Harris sticks to the original recipe, which she has generously shared with us.

Makes 4-6 individual pies or 1 large pie

Puff Pastry:

250g cake flour

5ml (1 tsp) fine salt

3ml cream of tartar

250g butter

60-100ml iced water

Filling:

Oil, for frying

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 celery sticks, finely chopped

10ml (2 tsp) fresh marjoram, chopped

250ml (1 cup) port

1 x 400g can pitted cherries, drained

250ml (1 cup) duck or chicken stock

2 ducks, roasted, meat removed from the bone (use the bones to make stock)

Salt and black pepper

1 large egg, beaten, for brushing

Method:

For the pastry, sift the flour, salt and cream of tartar into a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, or use a food processor. Mix in enough water to bring the dough together. Roll out into a rectangle and fold over 3 times. Roll out again, fold again and repeat. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Or use ready-made puff pastry, thawed in the fridge.)

For the filling, heat the oil in a large pot and sauté the onion and garlic until glassy. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the duck meat, and simmer until reduced and slightly thickened. Stir in the duck meat and season.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Pour the filling into 1 large or 4-6 individual pie dishes. Roll out the pastry and cut lids big enough to cover the pies, pressing the edges to seal. Brush with the egg and bake for about 45 minutes for a large pie, 25 minutes for small pies.

96 Winery Road, Zandberg Farm, Somerset West, 0218422020 www.96wineryroad.co.za