Ownership of the grouse alone gives the UK regal status in the world of game. It is probably also fair to say that our full range of birds and furred game is unequalled by that of any other country. Of course, the release of farm-raised birds enables the shooting economy to thrive but this practice relates only to pheasant and red-legged partridge. Not only do we have the finest game birds on our doorstep, such as the grouse, grey-leg partridge, woodcock and snipe, but we also have a plentiful supply of plump wood pigeon and wild duck, such as mallard and teal. These birds, together with our venison, hare and rabbit, provide us with an autumn and winter larder to generate menu envy worldwide. Irrespective of the nature of any given British summer, the arrival of autumn gives rise to one of the two great menu changes of the year – matched only by that at the onset of spring.
While flavours vary immensely, all these meats call for similar types of garnish. Earthy winter vegetables, a hint of fruitiness, lubricating purées and an alcohol-enriched sauce provide the backdrop to the majority of the game dishes. Where fattier farmed meats may require no more than simple roasting juices to accompany them, these ultra-lean wild proteins benefit enormously from a full-blown reduced glazing sauce of some kind. Fortunately the strength of flavour contained in game bones is easily released into stock. Reduced, spiked with wine and enriched with the roasting fat or butter, these are some of the simplest sauces to make.
There are two potential pitfalls in game cookery. The first is that the leanness of the meat makes it extremely unforgiving if overcooked. Intramuscular fat (fat within the meat, not surrounding it) is non-existent, and although this means the meat will never be juicy, it will remain tender and moist if not overcooked. The second issue relates to tenderness. The heavily worked muscles of wild animals yield a variety of cuts that require different cooking techniques. The prime cuts – the breasts of the birds and the loins of furred game – benefit from simple roasting. In general they are best kept pink and roasted at a moderate temperature. The legs of the larger birds roast perfectly well when cooked on the crown but are perhaps better suited to pot roasting or braising. Those of furred game are a little more precarious. Venison haunches are fantastic roasted whole and, if carefully broken down into individual muscles, are equally delicious sautéed. Those of the hare or rabbit are best slow cooked until tender and shredded into wonderful pasta dishes or pies. It has to be said that we tend to focus on the prime cuts at The Square. Even the Game Pie is decadent in its composition but what a magnificent game pie it is!
If there is one subject more than any other that we all gain an undeniable knowledge of, it is food and eating. In the world in which many of us are fortunate enough to live, the question we ask ourselves three times a day is not, ‘How are we going to find something to eat’ but, ‘What exactly are we going to eat?’ This luxury provides us with a wealth of amassed experience, which enables us to judge all that we eat subjectively. Our preferences and opinions on ingredients, dishes and food in general are rightfully ours, and for many the desire to express them is irresistible. Some of them have been categorised, quantified and reproduced in comparative, judgemental formats. The multitude of guides, blogs, forums and websites published today demonstrates the passion we have for what we eat.
From a chef’s perspective, the knowledge that we all have such immense, albeit varied, eating experiences leaves us feeling very exposed to judgement. Elsewhere, on the subject of art, for example, we may well have opinions or know what pleases our eye, but our lack of underlying knowledge strips the weight of our judgement of any real substance.
I can vividly recall writing the opening menu for The Square 20 years ago, and it is true to say that my assessment of candidate dishes for that all-important menu was based far more on what I thought people would think of the dishes than what they would be like to eat. It is also true to say, thank God, that as the years have passed, and as confidence and experience have grown at the expense of ego and fear, my concern for what others think about what I cook has lessened to a healthy level! To say it does not bother me would be untrue, but years of consistent footfall to The Square’s front door has greatly quietened the voice of self-obsession.
Cooking with the agenda of impressing the world of judgement is perhaps the greatest mistake of them all. Success must be borne out of pleasure, and looking after customers by delivering delicious food and first-class hospitality will yield the byproduct of top ratings that we all, of course, desire.
SUPERSTARS – WHO ARE THEY REALLY?
I have always been grateful that I stumbled across something in my life that was not only immensely enjoyable but could also constitute a career. I feel to my core that I am doing what I was put on this planet to do! How incredibly lucky is that?
It has given me complete fulfilment, earned me a crust and allowed me to work for myself. And now, food has become so popular a topic that I find myself immersed in passionate conversations all over the world – a world that has developed such an appetite for the subject of restaurants, chefs and cooking that the media has discovered a whole new arena into which it can dip its star-hungry little fingers. We now have chefs who are nothing short of superstars. The praise heaped on them for their ability to produce spellbinding dishes is never ending.
Those who reach the pinnacle of their chosen profession should, of course, achieve the greatest acclaim, but where cooking is concerned there is an apparent lack of acknowledgement for the people who paved the way for the superstar chef of today. The myriad techniques and building blocks that we have at our disposal are the result of the sheer brilliance of those who went before us. These chefs were the true geniuses. It is they who gave us puff pastry, consommés, mayonnaise and crème brûlée. They too inherited some works of pure magic, for although they created so many of our culinary tools, the evolution of humanity had already produced the likes of bread, pasta, cheese and wine. It is hard to imagine how all this happened with so little to gain, and in kitchens devoid of the equipment we take for granted today. All the present-day superstar chef has done is take these truly amazing creations and tweak them a little further.
It should also be remembered that a chef is little more than someone who turns a raw product into an edible one. Of course, he or she can bring an awful lot to this rather belittling summary, but recognition must continue to grow for those producing the phenomenal array of ingredients we have at our disposal. The farmers and producers who focus on quality rather than quantity provide ingredients without which truly outstanding cookery could not exist.
And perhaps a toast to Mother Nature is due here, too. Where would we be without her contribution? A spear of asparagus, a dollop of cream, a langoustine or a peach? No human can take credit for that.
ROAST SADDLE OF HARE WITH GREEN PEPPERCORNS AND A TARTE FINE OF CELERIAC AND PEAR
SERVES 8
Hare is very strong and, in its raw state, about as feral a piece of meat as one can get. It is bloody and can be daunting, but with careful preparation will deliver an outstanding result. The saddle houses two lean, tender loins and here, roasted and served with a sweet but savoury tarte fine and a full-bodied green peppercorn sauce, it makes a magnificent dish.
OVERVIEW
The hare saddle is trimmed of all membrane and roasted. It is served with spinach, port-glazed chicory, celeriac purée and a tarte fine of celeriac and pear, where both the fruit and vegetable are cooked in duck fat, thinly sliced, arranged on a sheet of puff pastry, dusted with icing sugar and baked. The dish is sauced with a rich hare jus spiked with green peppercorns, pickled pear and diced baked beetroot.
FOCUS ON
Look for large saddles of hare and check as best you can that they contain no shot – the lean, delicate meat suffers particularly if hit with shot.
Cook the celeriac and pear carefully for the tarte fine – they must be tender but no more. Drain them well, slice carefully and ensure you cook the pastry thoroughly so it is crisp.
Hare needs lubrication, and the rich, glazing sauce must be just that. It calls for plenty of alcohol, stock, reduction and care to achieve the correct result.
Use French chicory, if possible – it is far superior to its Dutch equivalent.
KEY COMPONENTS
Hare and hare sauce
Tarte fine of celeriac and pear
Celeriac purée
Port-glazed chicory
TIMING
The preparation of the hare saddles, the sauce and the cooking of the celeriac and pear for the tarte fine can all be done the day before. The celeriac purée can be cooked up to 12 hours in advance, as can the beetroot and pear for the sauce. The port-glazed chicory should not be cooked more than 2 hours before serving. The tarte fine can be assembled up to 2 hours in advance but should be baked 45 minutes before serving. It is only roasting the hare saddle and wilting the spinach that require last-minute attention.
HARE AND HARE SAUCE
4 large hare saddles
8 hare shoulders
1 hare leg
50ml grapeseed oil
50g unsalted butter
4 shallots, sliced
1 small carrot, diced
¼ leek, chopped
75g celeriac, diced
½ turnip, diced
1 red beetroot, diced
10 button mushrooms, quartered
100ml red wine vinegar
400ml port
500ml full-bodied red wine
1.25 litres Brown Chicken Stock (see Brown Chicken Stock)
200ml Chicken Stock
250ml Veal Stock
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon redcurrant jelly, if needed
TARTE FINE OF CELERIAC AND PEAR
300g Puff Pastry
4 litres duck fat
3 firm Williams pears
½ medium, dense celeriac
CELERIAC PURÉE
325g celeriac, peeled
350ml whipping cream
PORT-GLAZED CHICORY
4 heads of French chicory
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
50g unsalted butter, diced
300ml port
OTHER INGREDIENTS
1 medium beetroot
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil, plus 1 teaspoon for the beetroot
1 ripe Williams pear
50ml white wine vinegar
25g caster sugar
75g icing sugar
100g unsalted butter
200g tender young spinach
1 tablespoon green peppercorns
METHOD
HARE AND HARE SAUCE
Using a long, fine-bladed knife, cut the membrane off the loins of hare by slipping it right along the length of each eye of meat just under the membrane and then cutting up against and around the membrane. Trim any remaining membrane after this initial procedure. Set the saddles aside, covered, in the fridge.
Using a large, heavy-bladed knife chop the shoulders into 3 or 4 pieces and the leg in half. Place a large, shallow, heavy-based pan over a high heat and leave for 2 minutes. Add the grapeseed oil followed by the hare pieces and brown for 5 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times. Add the butter to the pan, let it melt and foam up, then add the vegetables. Sprinkle lightly with salt, stir thoroughly and transfer to an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is a rich brown colour. Drain into a colander, discard the fat, then return the mixture to the pan and place over a high heat. Add the vinegar and cook until completely evaporated. Add the port and red wine, bring to the boil and cook until reduced to a syrupy glaze. Add the stocks, peppercorns and bay leaf, bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Strain through a colander, discard the bones and pass the stock through a fine sieve into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, skim off any fat and scum and boil until reduced to 475ml – at which point the stock should be a full-bodied sauce. Taste the sauce; if it has any unpleasant background bitterness, add a teaspoon of redcurrant jelly. Season with salt as required. Set the sauce aside to cool and then place in the fridge.
TARTE FINE OF CELERIAC AND PEAR
Roll the puff pastry out into a 35cm x 20cm sheet, 3mm thick. Place it on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and chill.
Divide the duck fat between 2 saucepans and melt it. Peel the pears, cut them in half, scoop the cores out with a melon baller or paring knife and place the pears in one of the pans of duck fat. Cut the celeriac pieces in half and trim off the fine edge. Peel any angular edges to give more natural-looking wedges. Cut these wedges in half crossways and, using a mandoline, cut them, starting with the large cut surface, into slices just over 1mm thick. Place these slices in the second pan of duck fat and set both pans over a medium heat. As soon as there is the slightest sign of sizzling, turn the heat off under the celeriac. It will be just tender. Leave the pears in the fat over a low heat for about 10–15 minutes, until tender – check them with a toothpick. Turn off the heat and allow to cool in the fat, then carefully tip the pear and celeriac into 2 separate colanders and leave to drain for 10 minutes.
Remove the puff pastry from the fridge and prick it along its length with a fork, leaving a 1cm border down each side. Lay a row of overlapping pear slices along its length 1cm from the edge. Similarly lay a row of overlapping celeriac slices along its length but also slightly overlapping the pear. Cover with another sheet of baking parchment and set aside in a cool place until you are ready to bake.
CELERIAC PURÉE
Grate the celeriac into a heavy-based saucepan, cover with the whipping cream, add a generous pinch of salt and mix thoroughly. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down, cover and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and cook for a further 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender, blend to a smooth purée, then pass through a fine sieve into a bowl and set side to cool. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover and chill.
PORT-GLAZED CHICORY
Trim the outside leaves off the chicory, cut them lengthways in half and diagonally score the cores in a criss-cross fashion. Place a heavy-based shallow pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the grapeseed oil and sprinkle the base of the pan with a pinch of salt. Place the chicory in the pan flat-side down and fry until golden brown. Add the butter, allow it to melt, then turn the chicory over and colour for 1 minute. Turn them back over, add the port, bring to the boil and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Transfer the pan to an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully lift out the chicory and put the pan on the hob. Boil until the port is reduced and syrupy. Return the chicory, cut-side down, to the pan, cover and set aside at room temperature.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
Rub the beetroot with a teaspoon of the grapeseed oil, season with salt and wrap in foil. Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 45 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 20 minutes, then unwrap it and rub off the skin. Trim the beetroot to give a cube. Cut it into 5mm-thick slices, then 5mm batons and finally 5mm dice. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside at room temperature.
Peel the pear, trim the curved edges and cut into 5mm dice. Place the vinegar in a pan, bring to the boil, add the caster sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the pear to the pan, remove from the heat and set aside.
TO SERVE
Sift the icing sugar evenly over the tarte fine and then bake in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, place a piece of baking parchment over the tart, put another baking sheet on top and carefully invert the trays. Lift the top, hot tray off, peel off the parchment to expose the puff pastry and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and perform the inversion again so the puff pastry is back on the bottom. Return to the oven for 10 minutes to complete the cooking. You should now have a crisp, thoroughly caramelised tart. Transfer to a wire rack and keep warm.
Place 2 large frying pans over a high heat and leave for 1 minute. Season the hare saddles with salt and pepper, put 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil into each pan and brown the saddles with the loins facing down. Add 25g of the butter to each pan, baste the saddles and turn them over. Seal for 1 minute and then transfer them to a roasting tray. Tip the butter over the top and roast in an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
Place a large, heavy-based pan over a high heat and add 25g of the remaining butter, a splash of water and a generous pinch of salt. Add the spinach and cook over a high heat until wilted. Drain through a colander, squeezing out any excess moisture, and keep warm.
Heat up the celeriac purée and warm the chicory through over a gentle heat. Heat up the sauce, whisk in the remaining 25g butter and then add the green peppercorns and a tablespoon of the diced beetroot. Drain the diced pear and add a tablespoon of the pear to the sauce. Keep hot.
Carefully remove the hare loins by carving down the length of the saddles either side of the centre bone. Lightly season the freshly exposed meat and roll it in the roasting fat. Carve each loin into 10 or so slices. Cut the tarte fine into 8 slices.
Lay out 8 preheated large flat plates. Place a line of spinach down the centre of each. Sit a piece of tarte fine on top and carefully transfer the hare on to the tart. Place a spoon of celeriac purée on one side and a piece of glazed chicory on the other. Spoon a generous quantity of sauce over the hare.
BREAST OF MALLARD WITH PUMPKIN AND CHESTNUTS AND A PIE OF THE LEG WITH RAISINS AND LIVERS
SERVES 8
The mallard is one of Britain’s many wild ducks and, from a culinary point of view, one of the finest. A carefully selected bird should be full of flavour, perfectly tender and ideally sized for two. After 20 years there are surprisingly few dishes I go back to every year, but this is certainly one of them. This is elegant, harmonious, comforting food.
OVERVIEW
The mallard is broken down into the crown, legs and trimmings. The legs are sealed and braised to yield meat for the pie. This is mixed with finely diced vegetables, pancetta, chicken livers and raisins and moistened with some of the reduced braising liquor. The crown is simply roasted and served with crushed pumpkin spiked with chestnuts, some trompettes de la mort and the pie. The dish is served with a sauce based on the reduced braising liquor.
FOCUS ON
Select mallards that are plump in the breast, shot free and consistent in size.
The pumpkin is important here. If you can only find the large, tasteless, bright orange ones, use butternut squash instead.
Shortcrust pastry is simple to make. Do not even consider buying it!
Game sauces are not an exact science. Follow the recipe but use your own judgement too. It is important to ensure you have a sauce that is thick enough to coat the breast meat.
KEY COMPONENTS
Mallards
Sauce
Pumpkin and chestnuts
TIMING
The pie filling, shortcrust pastry and sauce can all be prepared the day before. The pies should be assembled no more than 12 hours in advance. The crushed pumpkin and chestnut is a robust garnish and can be prepared up to 12 hours in advance too. Roasting the birds and sautéing the trompettes are all that require last-minute attention.
MALLARDS
4 plump, shot-free mallards
PASTRY
225g plain flour
115g unsalted butter, diced
30g whole egg
1 egg yolk, to glaze
PIE FILLING
a little plain flour
8 legs from the mallards, above
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
4 shallots, 2 sliced, 2 very finely diced
1 small carrot, ½ diced, ½ very finely diced
1 small turnip, ½ diced, ½ very finely diced
½ small leek, ½ diced, ½ very finely diced
75g piece of celeriac, ½ diced, ½ very finely diced
100g piece of pancetta ½ diced, ½ very finely diced
1 bay leaf
2 litres Brown Chicken Stock (see Brown Chicken Stock)
2 tablespoons duck fat
150g chicken livers, very finely chopped
25g raisins, chopped
SAUCE
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
4 shallots, sliced
100ml red wine vinegar
500ml port
400ml red wine
75g unsalted butter
PUMPKIN AND CHESTNUTS
400g peeled pumpkin (or butternut squash)
100g unsalted butter, melted
100g peeled raw chestnuts
300ml Chicken Stock
OTHER INGREDIENTS
75ml port
75g small, dark raisins
120g trompettes de la mort
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
30g unsalted butter
METHOD
MALLARDS
Pull the legs away from the crown of each bird and remove them by cutting at the joint. Cut off the back end of the carcass and chop into pieces with a large knife. Cover the crowns, legs and chopped trimmings and place in the fridge.
PASTRY
Place the flour in a food mixer with a pinch of salt, then add the butter. Using the paddle attachment, beat the flour and butter to a crumb. Add the egg and beat briefly – just long enough to bring everything together into a dough. Transfer to a well-floured work surface. Knead the dough lightly for 10 seconds or so and then flatten it out into a round about 15cm in diameter. Wrap in cling film and chill while you make the filling.
PIE FILLING
Place a heavy-based ovenproof pan over a medium heat and leave for 2 minutes. Lightly flour the skin side of the mallard legs. Add the grapeseed oil to the pan, then add the legs, skin-side down. Sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and leave until coloured underneath. Turn them over and briefly colour the second side. Remove the legs from the pan and add the larger diced vegetables and pancetta. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or so, until coloured, then return the legs to the pan. Add the bay leaf and brown chicken stock and bring to the boil. Cover and transfer to an oven preheated to 120°C/Gas Mark ½. Cook for 45 minutes, until the legs are tender, then remove from the oven and leave to cool for 30 minutes.
Lift out the legs and set aside. Pass the stock through a colander, discarding the solids, and then through a fine conical sieve into a large measuring jug. You should have approximately 1.5 litres. Pour 250ml into a saucepan (save the rest for the sauce) and boil over a medium heat until it has reduced to a couple of tablespoons. Cover and chill the remaining stock. Discard the skin from the mallard legs, shred the meat off the bone and place in a bowl. Set aside.
Place a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and leave for 2 minutes. Add the duck fat, let it melt and then add all the very finely diced vegetables and pancetta. Season lightly with salt and cook for 4–5 minutes, until the vegetables are completely soft. Add the chicken livers and stir constantly for about 2 minutes, until they are cooked. Transfer this mix to the leg meat, add the reduced braising liquor and the raisins, season with a few twists of pepper and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required. Set aside, covered, in the fridge.
Remove the pastry and pie mix from the fridge 30 minutes before using. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to about 2mm thick, then cut out 16 discs, 9cm in diameter. Place 8 of the discs in the fridge. Gently press the rest into the base of 8 tartlet moulds or bun tins, 5cm in diameter. Spoon enough pie mix into the moulds to fill them. Carefully brush the edges of the pastry with egg yolk. Cover with the remaining pastry discs and press down gently on the edges. Using a fork, work your way around each pie, pressing the edge down firmly to seal the pastry together completely. Brush the tops of the pies sparingly with the remaining egg yolk, pierce a single small hole in the centre of the lids and trim off any excess pastry. Place the pies in the fridge.
SAUCE
Place a heavy-based saucepan over a high heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the grapeseed oil followed by the trimmings from the mallards and sauté for 4–5 minutes, until coloured. Add the shallots and sauté, stirring frequently, for 3–4 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook until completely evaporated. Add the port and red wine and cook until only a couple of tablespoons remain. Add the braising liquor from the mallard legs, bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Pass through a colander and then through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Bring to the boil, skim off any scum and boil until reduced to 400ml. Dice the butter and whisk it in a few pieces at a time. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the meat nicely. Taste and season as required. Set aside to cool, then cover and chill, if making in advance.
PUMPKIN AND CHESTNUTS
Cut the pumpkin into rough 2cm pieces and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Toss with half the melted butter, place in an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and bake in an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 for 30 minutes. Similarly toss the chestnuts in the remaining butter and place them in an ovenproof dish. Add the chicken stock, cover with foil and bake in the same oven for 40 minutes. Remove both dishes from the oven, check to see if the pumpkin and chestnuts are tender and if necessary, return to the oven for 5 minutes. When they are done, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
Lift off the foil, pour the chicken stock off the chestnuts and reserve. Using a fork, crush the pumpkin and chestnuts into a textured mix, adding enough of the reserved stock to moisten. Combine the two, check the seasoning, then transfer to a saucepan, cover and set aside.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
Bring the port to the boil, pour it over the raisins and leave to macerate for 2 hours. Trim the base off the stalks of the trompettes, plunge the mushrooms into a sink of cold water and agitate thoroughly. Repeat this process 4 or 5 times, until the water is clear, then transfer them to a salad spinner and spin off any excess water. Transfer to a dish lined with kitchen paper and set aside.
TO SERVE
Place a heavy-based baking sheet in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Bake the pies on this sheet for 12 minutes.
Place 2 large, heavy-based frying pans over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Season the mallard crowns. Divide the grapeseed oil between the pans, add the birds and colour for about 1 minute on each breast. Transfer the birds to a roasting tray and roast in the oven with the pies for 8–10 minutes; they should be pink inside. Remove the mallards and pies from the oven. Lift the pies out of their tins and place on a cooling rack. Let the mallards rest for 10 minutes, then carve off the breasts. Once off the bone, lightly season the meat side of the breasts with fine sea salt and return them to the roasting tray to sit in the juices.
Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the trompettes, a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper. Sauté for 2–3 minutes, until any excess moisture has evaporated. Drain through a colander and keep warm.
Heat up the sauce and the pumpkin mixture. Carve the mallard breasts into 15 or so fine slices and return to the tray. When all are carved, warm them through in the oven for 1 minute.
Lay out 8 preheated large plates. Place a pile of pumpkin on each plate, flatten it out slightly and make a well in the centre. Arrange the sliced breast over the pumpkin like the petals of a flower, place the trompettes in the middle and the pie on top. Add the raisins to the sauce and spoon generously over the meat.
LOIN OF SMOKED FALLOW DEER WITH CHESTNUT PURÉE, SALT-BAKED BEETROOT, CREAMED CABBAGE AND PARSLEY ROOT
SERVES 8
Smoking is a relatively recent addition to the armoury of commonplace kitchen techniques and it can give phenomenal results. Here, the fallow deer is cold smoked before roasting and the flavour is spectacular. Served with a red wine sauce, it makes as handsome a game dish as one could hope to be served.
OVERVIEW
Venison is the collective term for meat from any deer. Fallow deer are small and wonderfully tender, and in this dish the loins from the saddle are first cold smoked, then gently roasted. They are served with a delicate chestnut purée, Savoy cabbage bound with reduced cream and finely diced vegetables and pancetta, pieces of beetroot baked in a salt crust and glazed parsley root. The dish is sauced with a red-wine-based venison jus.
FOCUS ON
Try to source a whole saddle weighing 3kg. This will yield slightly more meat than required but you will need the bones to make the sauce. If you can’t get fallow deer, simply buy enough loin for 8 (880g) and 1kg of chopped venison bones.
Use fresh chestnuts for the purée. Precooked chestnuts lack the subtle flavour that makes fresh ones so special.
Creamed cabbage requires accurate seasoning to ensure it is full of flavour – whilst the reduced cream enriches the cabbage, it can also mask its flavour.
KEY COMPONENTS
Fallow deer
Sauce
Chestnut purée
Creamed cabbage
Salt-baked beetroot
TIMING
Smoking the venison, making the sauce and peeling the chestnuts can all be done the day before. All the vegetable garnishes should be prepared on the day, and finishing the cabbage with the reduced cream should be left to the last moment.
FALLOW DEER
1 x 3kg saddle of fallow deer
150g smoking chips
SAUCE
100ml grapeseed oil
4 shallots, sliced
1 small carrot, diced
½ small turnip, diced
¼ small leek, sliced
50g celeriac, diced
1 small beetroot, diced
50g unsalted butter
1 bay leaf
5 juniper berries
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 strip of orange zest
100ml Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar
500ml port
350ml red wine
1.25 l Brown Chicken Stock (see Brown Chicken Stock)
200ml Chicken Stock
250ml Veal Stock
1 teaspoon redcurrant jelly, if needed
CHESTNUT PURÉE
240g fresh chestnuts
1 litre vegetable oil
25g unsalted butter
250ml Chicken Stock
150ml milk
CREAMED CABBAGE
1 small Savoy cabbage
230ml double cream
30g duck fat
2 tablespoons very finely diced mixed carrot, shallot, leek, celeriac and celery
1 tablespoon very finely diced pancetta
SALT-BAKED BEETROOT
150g rock salt
100g plain flour
3 egg whites
2 medium beetroot
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
OTHER INGREDIENTS
4 fresh chestnuts
4 parsley roots
35g unsalted butter
100ml Chicken Stock
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
METHOD
FALLOW DEER
Carefully pare away and pull off any excess loose sinew from the top of the saddle. Reserve any lean trimmings. Remove the membrane from the loins by running a knife along the length of the saddle, just under the membrane. Trim off any residual sinew to reveal 2 clean loins of meat. Remove the 2 loins by cutting down either side of the backbone, allowing the knife to be guided by the ribs. Once the loins have been removed, trim any further sinew. Each loin has a flatter oval end and a more rounded end, which is the prime part. You will need 880g venison loin in total, so take it from the prime end of each loin. Place the loins on a tray, cover and chill. Using a cleaver, chop the venison bones as finely as possible and set aside.
Set up a smoker with the cold smoke attachment. Following the instructions for your smoker, set it to medium smoke and place the venison loins in the smoking compartment on a tray. Cold smoke for 5 minutes, then remove the meat and set aside, covered, in the fridge. If you do not have a smoker, place the chips in a frying pan, place over a high heat and, when blackening and smoking, place in a cold oven, then put the tray of venison on the shelf above it. In this instance, smoke for 10 minutes.
SAUCE
Place the chopped venison bones in a roasting tray and toss with the grapeseed oil. Season sparingly with salt and place in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven, add the vegetables, stir thoroughly and return to the oven for 15 minutes, stirring frequently and adding the butter half way through. The bones should be a rich brown colour – if not, continue until this is the case. Drain the bones through a colander, discard the fat and transfer the bones to a saucepan. Add the bay leaf, juniper berries, peppercorns and orange zest.
Place the roasting tray over a medium heat and stir in the vinegar, scraping the base of the pan as you do so. Add the port and red wine and thoroughly scrape up any caramelised residue in the tray. Tip this mixture on to the bones, bring to the boil and boil until reduced by three-quarters. Add the chicken and veal stocks, bring back to the boil, skim off any fat and scum from the surface, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1½ hours, skimming as and when required. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Pass the sauce through a colander and then through a fine sieve into a heavy-based saucepan. Bring to the boil, skim again and cook over a high heat until you have 450ml left. The sauce should be rich and glossy. Taste the sauce and, if there is any background bitterness, add the redcurrant jelly. Season if necessary and set aside.
CHESTNUT PURÉE
Score the tip of each chestnut with a cross. Place the oil in a deep-fat fryer or a deep, heavy-based saucepan and heat to 180°C. Lower the chestnuts into the oil and fry for 4 minutes. Lift them out, drain thoroughly and leave to cool. Using a small paring knife, peel away the tough skin and the thin brown inner skin.
Melt the butter in an ovenproof frying pan, add the chestnuts, a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar and place in an oven preheated to 150°C/Gas Mark 2. Cook for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and tip the chestnuts and butter into a saucepan. Cover with the chicken stock and milk and bring to the boil. Cover and cook at a bare simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a blender and blend to a smooth purée. Taste the purée and season with salt and perhaps a pinch of sugar. Chestnuts have a subtle flavour, which needs keen seasoning to be fully appreciated. Pass the purée through a fine sieve, set aside to cool, then cover and chill.
CREAMED CABBAGE
Remove the dark green outer leaves from the cabbage and discard. Cut out the core, loosen and separate all the leaves and cut the centre ribs out. Stacking up several leaves at a time, cut them into fine shreds.
Place the cream in a small, heavy-based saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer gently until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and set aside. Place a shallow, heavy-based pan over a medium heat for 1 minute. Add half the duck fat, let it melt and then add the cabbage, a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper. Cook for 4–5 minutes, until the cabbage is tender. Drain the cabbage through a colander and set aside. Return the pan to the heat, add the remaining duck fat and cook the finely diced vegetables and pancetta until softened. Return the cabbage to the pan, stir to combine and then drain through a colander once more. The cabbage and cream will be mixed at the time of serving.
SALT-BAKED BEETROOT
Mix the salt, flour and egg white together to make a paste. Spread a quarter of it in a small cassserole, stud it with the beetroot and then pack the remaining mix over and around the beetroot, ensuring they are completely covered. Place in an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 and cook for 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Crack open the salt crust, prise out the beetroot and rub off their skins. Cut them in half, cut each half into 4 and then cut the resulting segments in half crossways. Place in a bowl, add the balsamic vinegar and toss gently to coat the beetroot. Cover and set aside.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
Deep-fry and peel the chestnuts as before, using the same oil, then set aside. Peel the parsley roots, trim off the top and bottom, then cut them lengthways into quarters. Trim out the central core and soften the remaining edges by peeling them along their length with a peeler. Place a heavy-based ovenproof frying pan over a gentle heat and leave for 1 minute, then add 25g of the butter. Swirl the pan to melt it, add the parsley roots and a pinch of salt, turn up the heat slightly and cook for 3–4 minutes, until the roots are light golden. Transfer the pan to an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 and cook for 8–10 minutes. Remove from the oven, place the pan over a medium heat, add the chicken stock and simmer until the stock has reduced enough to coat the parsley roots. Remove from the heat and set aside.
TO SERVE
Place a large, heavy-based frying pan over a high heat. Season the loins of fallow deer with salt and pepper. Add the grapeseed oil to the pan, followed by the venison and briefly colour the meat on all sides. Transfer the meat to an oven tray and place in an oven preheated to 150°C/Gas Mark 2. Cook for 8 minutes – the timing will much depend on the size of the loins. Remove from the oven, leave to rest for 5 minutes and then tip any fat and juices into the sauce.
Combine the cream and the cabbage and gently warm through. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Do not overheat the cabbage or the cream will split – just warm it. Heat up the sauce, the chestnut purée, the parsley roots and the beetroot. Carve the loins into 5mm-thick slices. Sprinkle sparingly with fine sea salt and drizzle with any remaining roasting juices.
Lay out 8 preheated large plates. Place a spoonful of chestnut purée on each plate, then a linear pile of cabbage, and lay the venison on the cabbage. Garnish each plate with 4 pieces of beetroot and 2 pieces of parsley root. Whisk the remaining 10g butter into the sauce and spoon it over the meat. Use a microplane to grate the deep-fried chestnuts over the venison.
Loin of Smoked Fallow Deer with Chestnut Purée, Salt-Baked Beetroot, Creamed Cabbage and Parsley Root
ROAST BREAST AND CROUSTILLANT OF GROUSE WITH ELDERBERRIES, CRUSHED ROOT VEGETABLES AND CEPS
SERVES 8
The kitchen calendar would be incomplete without the arrival of grouse in mid August. In general, nature seems to produce ingredients that are perfect for the time of year, yet at the height of the British summer the most powerful of all meats arrives, hankering for big, bold flavours far more aligned with winter. If I were ever presented the scenario of ‘one last meal’ – this would be it!
OVERVIEW
The grouse is trussed with rashers of bacon covering the breasts and roasted on the bone. It is served with crushed root vegetables, Savoy cabbage leaves, cep purée and a potato-wrapped ‘spring roll’ of grouse, onions, bacon and ceps. The dish is finished with a grouse sauce spiked with elderberries and bacon foam.
FOCUS ON
Ensure you order young grouse, this year’s birds, as opposed to old grouse – those lucky enough to live through the previous year but all the tougher for it.
Ceps can be awful. Avoid ones with big, open caps and musty, slimy gills on the underside. They should have no aroma when raw.
Speciality shops and some supermarkets stock feuilles de brick – a wafer-thin, crêpe-like pastry.
Wrap the feuilles de brick rolls for the croustillant tightly and, if you have no Japanese mandoline for the potato spaghetti, simply double wrap them in feuilles de brick.
KEY COMPONENTS
Croustillants
Grouse sauce
Cep purée
Crushed root vegetables
Bacon foam
TIMING
The croustillants, sauce and bacon foam can all be made the day before. The cep purée can be prepared up to 12 hours in advance but the crushed root vegetables and savoy cabbage should be left to within an hour or two of serving. Roasting the grouse is the only last-minute task.
CROUSTILLANTS
2 large, plump young grouse, covered with bacon and trussed with string
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
10g unsalted butter
2 white onions, finely sliced
50g cep mushrooms, finely diced
8 sheets of feuilles de brick
25g unsalted butter, melted
2 large Agria or Desiree potatoes
GROUSE SAUCE
500g chicken wings
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
50g unsalted butter
25g pancetta, diced
4 shallots, sliced
10 button mushrooms, quartered
½ small carrot, diced
¼ small leek, sliced
½ celery stick, sliced
¼ turnip, diced
3 garlic cloves, smashed
100ml sherry vinegar
500ml port
350ml red wine
1.25 litres Brown Chicken Stock (see Brown Chicken Stock)
250ml Chicken Stock
200ml Veal Stock
1 bay leaf
CEP PURÉE
25g unsalted butter
½ white onion, finely sliced
350g cep mushrooms, sliced
150g button mushrooms, sliced
300ml double cream
CRUSHED ROOT VEGETABLES
1 carrot, diced
1 turnip, diced
150g swede, diced
150g celeriac, diced
110g unsalted butter
BACON FOAM
10g unsalted butter
1 white onion, finely sliced
150g bacon rashers, chopped
450ml double cream
OTHER INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
8 large, plump young grouse, covered with bacon and trussed with string
5g unsalted butter
1 litre vegetable oil for deep-frying
8 tender Savoy cabbage leaves
40g elderberries
METHOD
CROUSTILLANTS
Season the grouse with salt and pepper. Place a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the oil and then place the grouse in the pan, sitting on one of the breasts. Lightly colour for 1 minute, then turn the birds on to the other breast and colour in the same way. Turn the birds so the breasts are facing up and add the butter to the pan. When it melts, baste the breasts and place the pan in an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3. Roast for 10–12 minutes, basting twice. Remove from the oven, leave the grouse to rest for 10 minutes and then untie them. Remove the bacon, carve the breasts off the bone and prise off the legs. Cut the breasts in half horizontally and dice finely. Shred the leg meat off the bone, dice it finely and add to the breast meat. Finely dice the bacon and add it to the mix.
Reserve the carcasses for the sauce and tip the roasting fat into a heavy-based saucepan. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the ceps and cook for a further 3–4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the grouse meat, mix thoroughly and set aside until you have made the grouse sauce below. You need to add 2 tablespoons of the sauce to this mix before proceeding any further.
Once you have added the sauce to the grouse mix, lay out a sheet of feuilles de brick, trim off the edges to create a square, then brush with melted butter. Spoon 50g of the croustillant mix in a 10cm line along the end of the feuilles de brick nearest you. Roll it over once tightly, fold the side flaps in towards the centre and then continue to roll it into a tight, secure spring roll. Repeat with the remaining 7 sheets.
If you do not have a Japanese turning vegetable slicer for the final stage, simply wrap the croustillants in a double sheet of feuilles de brick. Otherwise peel the potatoes, set them on the vegetable slicer one at a time and ‘turn’ into potato spaghetti. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, plunge in the potato for 20 seconds, then drain through a colander and gently rinse under running water. Lay out in long, neat handfuls on a tray lined with a kitchen cloth. Gently press another cloth on top to dry the potato. Methodically gather together 20 or so strands, lift them up into a long length and wrap them around a spring roll, starting at one end. Cut any excess off when you reach the other end and try to tuck the end strands back through the preceding turn in order to secure them. Place this croustillant on a tray and repeat for the remaining 7. Once completed, cover and chill.
GROUSE SAUCE
Chop the grouse carcasses and the chicken wings up as finely as possible. Place a large, shallow, heavy-based pan over a high heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the grapeseed oil, followed by the bones, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are a rich golden colour. Add the butter, allow it to melt, then stir in the pancetta, vegetables and garlic. Transfer the pan to an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and cook for 10 minutes, by which time all the contents of the pan should be golden brown. Stir twice during this process. Remove the pan from the oven, drain through a colander, discard the fat, then return the bones to the pan and set it over a high heat. Add the vinegar and boil until it has completely evaporated. Add the port and wine and boil until reduced by three-quarters. Add the chicken stocks, veal stock and bay leaf, bring to the boil, skim off any fat and scum and simmer for 1 hour. Drain through a colander, discard the bones and return the stock to the pan. Boil until reduced to 450ml. The sauce should now have some body. Check and adjust the seasoning, then pour it into a small bowl and leave to cool. Cover and chill.
CEP PURÉE
Place a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the butter, swirl the pan to melt it, then add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the ceps and button mushrooms and a further pinch of salt and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until they too have softened. Add the cream, turn the heat right down and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a blender and blend to a smooth purée. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl, set aside to cool, then cover and chill.
CRUSHED ROOT VEGETABLES
Place the vegetables in a heavy-based saucepan and add 125ml water plus the butter, a generous pinch of salt and several twists of pepper. Place over a medium heat, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down, cover and cook at a bare simmer for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are completely tender. Drain in a colander, reserving the liquid, transfer the vegetables to a shallow dish and crush with a fork, adding as much of the cooking liquor back as you can in order to achieve a light, moist, textured, buttery mix. Ideally the vegetables will accommodate all their cooking water. Check and adjust the seasoning, then set aside to cool. Cover and chill.
BACON FOAM
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the bacon and cook for a further 5 minutes. Cover with the cream, turn the heat down and cook at a bare simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to sit for 10 minutes, then pass through a fine sieve and adjust the seasoning. This cream should have a full bacon flavour and easily coat the back of a spoon. Transfer to a 500ml foam gun, apply the lid and chill in iced water.
TO SERVE
Place 2 large frying pans over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the grapeseed oil and roast the grouse as for the croustillants above. Once rested, remove the bacon, carve the breasts off the bone, season the exposed meat lightly with fine sea salt and place the breasts back in the roasting fat in the pans. Keep warm. Discard the carcasses and legs.
Heat up the crushed vegetables and cep purée. Warm through the bacon foam by sitting it in a pan of hot tap water. Bring the sauce to the boil and whisk in the 5g butter. Charge the bacon foam with one cartridge of gas.
Cut the Savoy cabbage leaves in half, either side of the central rib. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the leaves and cook for 1 minute or until just tender. Drain and keep warm.
Pour the vegetable oil into a deep-fat fryer or a deep, heavy-based saucepan and heat to 180°C. Place the croustillants in the oil and deep-fry for 2 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper. Transfer to a chopping board, cut each end off and then cut them in half.
Lay out 8 preheated large plates. Lay 2 cabbage leaf halves on each plate, one from the centre to 10 o’clock and the other at 2 o’clock. Put a small pile of crushed vegetables on each leaf and sit a grouse breast on top. Place a pool of cep purée at the top of the plate and 2 pieces of croustillant each side. Add the elderberries to the sauce and spoon the sauce over each breast. Carefully squirt a small quantity of bacon foam on to each piece of croustillant.
POT-ROAST PHEASANT WITH SAVOURY DUMPLINGS, PARSNIPS, QUINCE, PRUNES AND BAY
SERVES 8
Pheasant’s reputation as a lesser bird is mostly justified, but if its weaknesses are accounted for and strengths highlighted it can be absolutely delicious. This dish ensures that the birds remain moist, and the collective garnish provides lubrication and enrichment to what can be a rather dry and bland experience. Furthermore, this dish is great theatre.
OVERVIEW
The pheasants are trussed with bacon over their breasts. They are browned in a pan and then placed in a large ovenproof pot along with some stock, prunes, butter, onions and bay leaves. Dumplings made with ground chicken livers are the final addition and the pot is then sealed with a bread crust and left for half an hour so the bread can prove before baking. Once the seal is broken, the wonder of pot-roasting is revealed. A sauté of parsnips and quince is served as a garnish.
FOCUS ON
Source hen birds weighing 800g each. Consistent and accurate sizing is important for the timings in this recipe.
Ensure the pot is completely sealed, otherwise the idea behind the crust is lost.
Buy Agen prunes, which are far superior to the small, dry variety.
Use fresh bay leaves. Dried ones are completely lacking in flavour.
KEY COMPONENTS
Bread crust
Dumplings
Pot roast
Quince and parsnip garnish
TIMING
Everything for this dish should be done on the day but the bread crust and dumpling mix can be prepared up to 12 hours in advance. The pot roast can be assembled up to 3 hours in advance and should be baked 1 hour before serving. The vegetable garnish can be done then too. It is the deconstructing and serving of the pot roast that requires last-minute attention and, breaking the crust and opening the pot is certainly something that should be witnessed by the diners.
BREAD CRUST
6g fresh yeast
a pinch of sugar
250g strong white flour
6g salt
DUMPLINGS
100g chicken livers
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
25ml medium-dry sherry
175g self-raising flour
75g suet
5g salt
POT ROAST
4 x 800g plump hen pheasants, trussed with bacon
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
100g unsalted butter
40 button onions, peeled
750ml Chicken Stock
24 pitted Agen prunes
2 bay leaves
QUINCE AND PARSNIP GARNISH
3 quinces
6 parsnips
150g unsalted butter
200ml Chicken Stock
METHOD
BREAD CRUST
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 140ml warm water and set aside for 10 minutes. Place the flour and salt in a food mixer, add the yeast mixture and, using a dough hook, knead for 5 minutes – this will yield a simple, supple bread dough. Place in a bowl, cover with cling film and store in the fridge until required.
DUMPLINGS
Place the chicken livers on a board and cut out any excess veins. Chop the livers into a pulp and transfer to a bowl. Place a heavy-based frying pan over a high heat and leave for 1 minute. Season the livers with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the pan, followed by the livers. Stir vigorously initially and cook for 2 minutes, until the livers have turned into a dry, granular mix. Add the sherry and cook until completely evaporated. Tip the livers into a shallow dish and set aside to cool.
Place the flour, suet and salt in a large bowl and rub to crumbs with your fingers. Mix in the livers, followed by 90ml water. This should produce an easy-to-handle dumpling dough. Turn it out on to a well-floured surface. Weigh out thirty-two 10g quantities and with floured hands roll them into balls. Place them on a tray, cover and chill.
POT ROAST
Depending on the size of your oven and/or pans, you may have to cook 2 successive pot roasts and some of the dumplings separately, but they can be assembled at the same time. Remove the bread dough from the fridge an hour before you use it and place it in a bowl in a warm place, covered with a damp cloth, until doubled in size.
Place 2 large frying pans over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Season the pheasants. Place 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil in each pan. Colour 2 birds in each pan by resting them initially on one breast for a minute or so, then turning them on to the second breast. Continue turning the pheasants until they are golden all over. Transfer the birds to 2 large, preferably earthenware, ovenproof casseroles. Tip the fat from one frying pan into the other, add the butter and place over a gentle heat. Add the button onions, a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper and slowly colour the onions for 5 minutes or so. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Divide this mix equally between the 2 pheasant casseroles, add the prunes and bay leaves and leave to cool.
Add 16 dumplings to each pan (if there is not enough space, simply poach the leftover ones in seasoned chicken stock for 20 minutes). Wipe the rim of each dish thoroughly with a damp cloth.
Once the dough has doubled in size, knock it back with your fist. Lift it out of the bowl and knead for 2 minutes. Cut in half and roll each half into a sausage long enough to fit along the rim of the casserole. Set a piece of dough on the rim of each one and work round, gently pushing it down to steady it. Once all the way round, seal the join and press the lid on to the dough. Dust the visible dough with flour and leave the casseroles in a warm place for 30 minutes so the dough can prove.
An hour before serving, bake the pot roasts in an oven preheated to 220°C/Gas Mark 7 for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside for 40 minutes.
QUINCE AND PARSNIP GARNISH
Peel the quinces, cut them in half and cut each half into 6 segments. Remove the core and use a peeler to peel all the edges and give a softer, rounded look. Peel the parsnips, trim off the top and bottom, then cut them into quarters lengthways. Cut out the woody core and cut them in half again, crossways.
Place 2 large frying pans over a medium heat, add half the butter to each pan and allow it to melt. Divide the quinces and parsnips between the pans, add a pinch of salt and sauté, tossing frequently, for 5 minutes or until lightly coloured. Transfer to an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 and cook for 5–10 minutes, until golden and almost tender. Return the pans to the stove, divide the chicken stock between them and cook until the parsnips and quince are glazed in a buttery emulsion. Set aside and keep warm.
TO SERVE
Once the diners have admired the bread-crusted pots, crack open the lids. The birds will still be warm. Lift them out, take off the legs and carve off the breasts. Lay the meat on a roasting tray, cover with foil and place in the oven at 150°C/Gas Mark 2 for 2 minutes. Place the pots over a medium heat to heat the dumplings and liquor through.
Lay out 8 preheated large bowls and divide the dumplings, prunes and button onions between them. Place a pheasant breast on top and cover with a generous quantity of sauce. Serve the parsnips and quince on the side, along with the pheasant legs. You can also serve the bread crust – it will be crusty on the outside of the pot but soft on the inside, where it has steamed.
SERVES 8
This is the mother of all pies and I simply could not overlook it for this book. Yes, the origins of the pie are humble but this is a creation fit for kings: a delicate crust filled with a mix of ingredients that, collectively, pack the mightiest flavour punch of all. This is a gathering of prime ingredients – it is no place for secondary cuts or titbits.
OVERVIEW
A shortcrust pastry is used to make individual pies. The selection of meat is not set in stone but here, grouse, mallard, hare and pheasant constitute the backbone of the pie, which is further enriched with duck livers. The legs of the grouse and mallard, thighs of the pheasant and shoulders of hare are braised. The meat is shredded off the bone and the cooking liquor reduced, then used to bind the pie mix and make a sauce. The breasts of the birds are gently roasted, removed from the bone and diced. The mix is finished with caramelised onions and a fine dice of root vegetables. The pie is served with celeriac and quince purée and creamed Brussels sprouts.
FOCUS ON
To make delicate pastry, it is important to work in a cool environment and not overwork it.
Source young birds – last season’s birds will be tough and dry.
Making a pie is more than just combining ingredients and assembling building blocks. At the risk of sounding over the top, you need to invest some heart and soul into its creation. This is real cooking – a process, a variety of compositions brought together to make one magnificent creation.
The key to the pie’s richness and taste is the reduced braising liquor from the legs, thighs and shoulders. Ensure you reduce it until it is bursting with flavour.
KEY COMPONENTS
Shortcrust pastry
Braised legs, thighs and shoulders
Pie mix
Creamed Brussels sprouts
Celeriac and quince purée
TIMING
The pastry, braising, pie mix and purée can all be made the day before, leaving only the assembly of the pies and the creamed Brussels sprouts to be done on the day. The pies can be made up 6 hours in advance but the sprouts garnish should be cooked an hour or two beforehand and then finished with cream at the last minute.
SHORTCRUST PASTRY
450g plain flour
6g salt
225g unsalted butter, chilled
1 egg
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
BRAISED LEGS, THIGHS AND SHOULDERS
2 young grouse
1 pheasant
2 mallards
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
6 hare shoulders
25g unsalted butter
6 shallots, sliced
1 carrot, diced
½ leek, chopped
½ celery stick, sliced
1 small turnip, diced
120g celeriac, diced
4 field mushrooms, quartered
50ml red wine vinegar
750ml port
750ml red wine
2 litres Brown Chicken Stock (see Brown Chicken Stock)
275ml Veal Stock
a strip of orange zest
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon peppercorns
PIE MIX
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
3 white onions, finely sliced
1 dessertspoon plain flour
100g unsalted butter
50g each very finely diced shallot, carrot, celeriac, turnip and pancetta, mixed together
100g duck livers, very finely chopped
CREAMED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
300ml double cream
450g Brussels sprouts, outside leaves removed
40g duck fat
2 shallots, very finely chopped
45g pancetta, very finely diced
freshly grated nutmeg
CELERIAC AND QUINCE PURÉE
75g unsalted butter
1 white onion, finely sliced
2 quince, peeled, cored and diced
150g celeriac, diced
100ml apple juice
250ml milk
METHOD
SHORTCRUST PASTRY
Place the flour, salt and butter in a food mixer and, using the paddle attachment on medium speed, mix to a fine crumb, scraping down the sides if necessary – this should take 2–3 minutes. Add the egg and 65ml water and mix until everything comes together into a dough. Turn out on to a floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Wrap in cling film and gently flatten slightly. Chill for at least 2 hours before rolling.
BRAISED LEGS, THIGHS AND SHOULDERS
Remove the legs from all the birds by cutting through the skin between the leg and the body, then bending each leg away from the body to disconnect the joint at the hip. Finally, cut through to detach it from the bird completely. Cut across the joint of each pheasant leg to separate the thigh from the drumstick. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Cover the crowns (i.e. the birds without their legs) and set aside in the fridge.
Place a large, shallow, heavy-based ovenproof pan over a high heat and leave for 1 minute. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the pan, followed by the legs, thighs and hare shoulders, and leave to colour for 1–2 minutes. Add the butter, let it melt, turn all the pieces over and colour the second side. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Add the vegetables and a pinch of salt to the pan and cook over a medium heat until they start to colour. Place the meat back in the pan, add the vinegar and cook until completely evaporated. Add the port and wine and cook until reduced to a quarter of its original volume. Add the brown chicken stock, veal stock, orange zest, bay leaf and peppercorns, bring to the boil, then cover and transfer to an oven preheated to 120°C/Gas Mark ½. Cook for 1–1½ hours, until the meat is tender enough to come away from the bone easily. Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 45 minutes.
Drain the mixture through a colander, then pass the stock through a fine sieve into a heavy-based pan and set aside. Pick out the legs, thighs and shoulders, but discard the pheasant drumsticks and all the other solids. Lift the skin off the meat and discard. Pick the meat off the bone, transfer to a bowl and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
Place the stock over a high heat and boil until reduced by half – you should have approximately 1.2 litres. Remove 700ml and set aside to use for the pie mix. Continue to reduce the rest until you have a rich, glossy sauce – this will be 300–400ml. Transfer to a small bowl, leave to cool, then cover and chill.
PIE MIX
Place 2 large, heavy-based frying pans over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Season the crowns of the game birds. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to each pan, place the birds in the pans and colour one breast first, then the second and finally the front end. Transfer the birds to a roasting tray and roast in an oven preheated to 150°C/Gas Mark 2. The grouse and mallard will take approximately 10–12 minutes, the pheasants 12 minutes. Remove the birds from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes on a rack. Reserve the roasting fat and juices.
Place the roasting fat and juices in a large, heavy pan and set over a medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes or so, until caramelised and tender. Add the flour, cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously, and then gradually stir in the reserved 700ml braising liquor. Bring to the boil, simmer for 1 minute, then set aside.
Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, add the finely diced vegetables and pancetta and cook for 2–3 minutes, until tender. Add the duck livers and cook for 4–5 minutes, until any moisture has evaporated and the livers are brown and crumb-like. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside. Carve the breasts of the birds off the bone. Remove the skin and discard. Cut through the pheasant breast horizontally and then cut all the breasts into 1cm dice. Place in a large bowl and add the braised legs, thighs and shoulders, plus the onion mix and the liver mix. Stir gently but thoroughly to combine. This pie mix should be rich and there should be enough moisture in the form of a thick, coating ‘gravy’ to lubricate the pie. If it looks too dry, add a little bit of the reduced sauce. Taste the mix and season if necessary. Set aside, covered in the fridge.
TO MAKE THE PIES
You will need 8 tart rings, 10cm in diameter and 2cm deep. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 2–3mm thick, then cut out eight 14cm and eight 11cm discs. Place the rings on a flat baking tray and line each ring with a large disc of pastry, ensuring you press the pastry into the ‘corners’ of the ring where it sits on the tray. Fold any excess over the rim of the ring.
Stir the pie mix to make it manageable. Completely fill each pie shell, being careful not to drip any mixture on to the rim of the pastry. Brush egg yolk on to the rim of each pie and sit the smaller discs on top. Press down gently with the palm of your hand to expel any air pockets and methodically press around the edges to seal the pastry lid to the pie. Now work around the rim of each pie with a fork, pressing firmly enough to leave an imprint. This will ensure the pies are completely sealed. Trim off any excess pastry by running a knife around the edge. Lightly brush the tops of the pies with egg yolk. Make a small hole in the top of each one with a toothpick and then set aside in a cool place.
CREAMED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Put the cream in a small saucepan, bring to the boil over a gentle heat and simmer until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and set aside. Using a coarse grater, grate the Brussels sprouts into a bowl. Melt the duck fat in a large pan. Add the Brussels sprouts, shallots and pancetta and cook over a gentle heat for a good 5 minutes, until the sprouts and shallots are tender. Season with nutmeg, a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper, drain through a colander then cover and set aside.
CELERIAC AND QUINCE PURÉE
Melt the butter in an ovenproof pan. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes or so, until the onion is tender. Add the quince, celeriac, apple juice and milk and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and transfer to an oven preheated to 120°C/Gas Mark 1. Cook for 30 minutes or until the quince is tender. Remove from the oven, place over a high heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Transfer to a blender and blend to a smooth purée. Pass through a fine sieve into a fresh pan, season to taste and set aside.
TO SERVE
Place the pies in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 5 minutes.
Heat up the purée and the sauce. Warm through the Brussels sprouts and the reduced cream and combine the two, then check the seasoning. Carefully lift the rings off the pies. Lay out 8 large preheated plates. Place a spoonful of creamed Brussels sprouts on each plate and flatten it out to the size of the pie. Place a pie on top, then garnish the plate with a spoonful of quince and celeriac purée. Serve the sauce in a jug on the side.
ROAST GREY-LEGGED PARTRIDGE WITH CELERIAC, CHANTERELLES AND A VELOUTE OF LENTILS
SERVES 8
Grey-legged partridges are becoming increasingly rare, and in general we choose not to put them on the menu at The Square. However, they are a wild bird and end up in ‘the bag’ in many shoots, so if you see some, try this simple but delicious dish that makes the most of one of Britain’s finest game birds. If you can’t get any, then use the red-leg variety.
OVERVIEW
The partridges are trussed with bacon over the breasts and simply roasted. They are served with salt-baked celeriac, which is crushed with a fork and spiked with chanterelles, glazed button onions, Savoy cabbage and a bacon-infused velouté of lentils.
FOCUS ON
Select consistently sized plump partridges with no visible damage from shot.
Yellow chanterelles are far superior to the more woody grey variety. Here, where they are wilted and folded through the celeriac, their soft, supple texture is important.
Making the lentil velouté is not an exact science and the end result can be anything from a thick, grey gravy to a watery, flavourless liquid. We are aiming for the middle ground, so use your judgement to help achieve a velvety, frothy velouté.
Peel the button onions carefully. Do not over trim the root or they will burst in the cooking process.
KEY COMPONENTS
Lentil velouté
Crushed celeriac with chanterelles
Button onions
TIMING
The stock for the velouté can be made the day before and the velouté itself up to 12 hours in advance. The celeriac and chanterelle mix and the button onions can be cooked up to 4 hours before serving. It is only the Savoy cabbage leaves and the partridge that require last-minute attention.
LENTIL VELOUTÉ
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
10 smoked streaky bacon rashers, finely sliced
1 Spanish onion, sliced
1 bay leaf
750ml Chicken Stock
1 tablespoon duck fat
6 shallots, sliced
75g Puy lentils
400ml milk
150ml double cream
CRUSHED CELERIAC WITH CHANTERELLES
190g plain flour
175g rock salt
160g egg whites
1 head of celeriac, weighing about 1.2kg
150g unsalted butter
200g yellow chanterelles, stalks trimmed, washed and dried in a salad spinner
BUTTON ONIONS
40 button onions
30g duck fat
300ml Chicken Stock
OTHER INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
8 plump grey partridges, trussed with bacon over their breasts
12 tender, pale-green Savoy cabbage leaves, cut in half, rib removed
150ml Chicken Stock
METHOD
LENTIL VELOUTÉ
Place a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the grapeseed oil, followed by the bacon, and cook for 3–4 minutes, until the bacon has rendered its fat but before it gets any colour. Drain the bacon through a colander, collect all the juices and fat, return them to the pan, then add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent, then return the bacon to the pan with the bay leaf. Cover with the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Pass through a colander, discard the solids and set the stock aside.
Melt the duck fat in a heavy-based pan. Add the shallots with a pinch of salt and cook for 3–4 minutes, until softened. Add the lentils, 700ml of the bacon stock and the milk and cream. Bring to the boil and simmer for 35 minutes or until the lentils are completely tender. Transfer to a blender, reserving a few of the lentils, and blend to a smooth velouté. If it seems too thin, add some of the reserved lentils and reblend; if it seems too thick, reblend with a little of the reserved bacon stock. If it seems to lack smoothness but is basically thick enough, add a splash of cream – but not too much, as this will dilute the flavour. Ensure it is thoroughly blended so there is no ‘texture’ to it whatsoever. Pass through a fine sieve, check and adjust the seasoning, then set aside to cool. Cover and chill.
CRUSHED CELERIAC WITH CHANTERELLES
Mix the flour, rock salt and egg white into a paste. Place a quarter of it in a baking tin, set the whole, unpeeled celeriac on top and pack the remaining paste around it, ensuring it is completely covered. Place the tin in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, set aside to cool for 20 minutes, then break open the salt crust, prise out the celeriac and cut off the top. Carefully scrape out the flesh and place in a bowl. Crush with a fork, cover with cling film and set aside.
Place a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat, add the butter, swirl the pan to melt it and let it foam up. Add the chanterelles and a pinch of salt and cook for 1 minute. Tip the mushrooms and their buttery juices into the bowl with the celeriac and mix gently. You should have a moist, textured, flavourful mixture. Set aside to cool at room temperature; do not chill.
BUTTON ONIONS
Peel the button onions and carefully trim off any excess root; be careful not to over trim the root or tear the onion layers when peeling, or they will burst when cooked. Place a large, heavy-based ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the duck fat, let it melt, then add the onions, toss them gently in the fat and season with salt and pepper. Let the onions caramelise slowly. Do not scorch them, and adjust the heat if necessary. In order to get them tender, succulent and juicy, they must be golden all over, and this takes at least 5 minutes of careful cooking. Once coloured, add the chicken stock and transfer the pan to an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3. Cook for 15–20 minutes, tossing the onions occasionally, by which time the chicken stock should have reduced to form a delicious glaze on the onions. Remove from the oven and set aside, covered with a lid.
TO SERVE
Place 2 large, heavy-based frying pans over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute, then add the grapeseed oil. Season the partridges and place them in the pans on one of their breasts. Seal until just golden, then turn on to the other breast and colour similarly. Turn on to the front end and colour. Transfer the birds to a roasting tray (reserve the frying pans for cooking the cabbage) and roast in an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 for 8–10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Place the frying pans back over a medium heat, add the cabbage leaves and a pinch of salt and sauté them, moving them constantly, for 3–4 minutes, until wilted. Divide the chicken stock between the 2 pans and cook for 2–3 minutes, until the chicken stock has all but evaporated and the cabbage leaves are supple and tender. Drain and keep warm.
Untruss the birds and remove their legs. Cut off the drumsticks and prise the bone out of the thigh. Carve the breasts off the bone and set them back in the roasting tray, cut-side down. Add the drumsticks and thighs to the tray, cover with foil and warm through in the oven for 2 minutes. Similarly warm through the onions. Heat up the celeriac mix and heat the lentil velouté to near, but not quite, boiling point.
Lay out 8 preheated large bowls, and put 3 pieces of cabbage in the bottom of each. Spoon a decent quantity of crushed celeriac on top. Set 2 partridge thighs on this and sit the 2 breasts on top. Arrange the onions down the centre of the breasts. With a hand blender, blend the velouté and spoon a generous quantity over and around the partridge.
ROAST PIGEON FROM BRESSE WITH A CONFIT OF ROOT VEGETABLES AND LIVERS AND A CROUSTILLANT OF THE LEG WITH CABBAGE
SERVES 8
This is a harmonious, elegant and flavourful dish, celebrating the flavours of winter. Bresse has a great poultry heritage and is rightly proud of its birds. The pigeons are plump, flavourful and supremely tender and call out for mighty garnishes and robust wines.
OVERVIEW
The pigeon legs are braised gently and the meat shredded from the bone. It is mixed with softened onions and cabbage and rolled first in feuilles de brick and then in potato spaghetti. This is then deep-fried to yield a spring-roll-like creation. The breasts are roasted on the bone, removed and served with a fine dice of caramelised vegetables, spiked with chicken livers and bound with a Madeira glaze. The dish is garnished with Savoy cabbage leaves and two purées – rhubarb and celeriac – and served with a Madeira jus.
FOCUS ON
Bresse pigeons, or squabs, bear no resemblance to their wild cousin, the wood pigeon. Any keen butcher will be able to source them. Buy large, plump birds.
The root vegetable mix is a lot of work but well worth the effort. The end result should be a delicious combination of sweet, bitter and savoury.
The potato spaghetti can only be made using a rather expensive Japanese-style mandoline. It is by no means critical and you could either replace it with a thin layer of kataifi pastry or simply double-roll the croustillants in feuilles de brick.
The sauce calls for plenty of Madeira but it does contribute significantly to the overall dish.
KEY COMPONENTS
Madeira sauce
Croustillants
Root vegetable confit
Rhubarb purée
Celeriac purée
TIMING
All the key components of this dish can be made the day before. Do not roll the croustillants, however, or they will become soggy. They should be rolled no more than an hour or two in advance.
MADEIRA SAUCE
8 pigeons
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
100g plain flour
50g unsalted butter
½ carrot, cut into 1cm pieces
6 shallots, sliced
½ small leek, chopped
125g button mushrooms, sliced
1 bay leaf
a sprig of thyme
75ml sherry vinegar
350ml medium-sweet Madeira
1 litre Brown Chicken Stock (see Brown Chicken Stock)
250ml Veal Stock
250ml Chicken Stock
CROUSTILLANTS
2 Spanish onions, peeled
½ Savoy cabbage, outer leaves removed
50g unsalted butter
8 sheets of feuilles de brick
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 large Agria potatoes or other ‘chipping’ potatoes
ROOT VEGETABLE CONFIT
110g peeled carrot
110g peeled parsnip
110g peeled turnip
110g peeled celeriac
2 shallots, peeled
3 field mushrooms, stalks removed
80g chicken livers
7 tablespoons grapeseed oil
6 teaspoons unsalted butter
RHUBARB PURÉE
400g rhubarb
100g caster sugar
a strip of orange zest
CELERIAC PURÉE
400g peeled celeriac
50g unsalted butter
75g white onion, finely sliced
300ml whipping cream
OTHER INGREDIENTS
8 tender Savoy cabbage leaves
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
50g unsalted butter
200g trompettes de la mort, stalks trimmed
1 litre sunflower oil, for deep-frying
METHOD
MADEIRA SAUCE
Remove the legs from the pigeons. Cover the crowns (i.e. the body without the legs) and return them to the fridge.
Place a large, heavy-based frying pan over a high heat and leave for 1 minute, then add the oil. Season the pigeon legs with salt and pepper, dip the skin side into the flour and then place all the legs in the pan, skin-side down. Add the butter and fry until the legs are golden underneath. Turn them over and lightly colour the second side, then transfer to a heavy-based casserole. Add all the vegetables to the frying pan, season with a pinch of salt and fry for 5 minutes or until pale golden. Transfer them to the casserole with the legs and add the bay leaf and thyme. Place over a high heat and, once frying again, add the vinegar. Cook until completely evaporated, then add the Madeira and simmer until reduced by half.
Add the stocks, bring to the boil, cover the pan and place in an oven preheated to 120°C/Gas Mark ½. Cook for approximately 40 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a colander and then through a fine sieve. Pick out the legs and set aside, covered, on a plate (you will need them for the croustillants). Return the stock to the stove, bring back to the boil, skim off any scum with a small ladle and simmer until reduced by half – it should now be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Take 100ml of this and reserve for the vegetable confit garnish. The remainder is the sauce. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and set aside in the fridge.
CROUSTILLANTS
Shred the meat of the pigeon legs and pick through it to ensure there are no small bones remaining in it. Finely slice the onions and cabbage but keep them separate. Put a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat for 1 minute. Add the butter, allow it to melt and then add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly coloured. Add the cabbage and cook similarly until you have a tender mix. Stir in the leg meat, then add a twist or two of pepper, remove from the heat and set aside cool.
Lay out a sheet of feuilles de brick and trim it to give a rectangle about 18cm x 25cm. Place an eighth of the pigeon and cabbage mixture at one end of the sheet, leaving 4cm clear at each side. Brush the rest of the sheet with beaten egg, then start to roll it up tightly. Once it is half rolled, fold in the edges neatly and finish the roll to give a neat, round, firm ‘spring roll’. Repeat with the remaining sheets and filling, then cover and set aside in the fridge.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Peel the potatoes, then set one on the Japanese mandoline and turn the handle to yield long strands. Do not stop until the whole potato has been ‘turned’ – you need the strands to be as long as possible. Once all the potatoes are turned, plunge them into the boiling water for 10 seconds. Remove, drain in a colander and refresh under cold running water. Carefully and methodically lift up small handfuls of potato and lay them on a tray lined with a dry cloth. Press another cloth on top and set aside to dry for 10 minutes.
One by one remove the ‘spring rolls’ from the fridge and wrap neatly in a single spiralling layer of potato spaghetti, cutting any excess potato off when the roll is completely wrapped. Try to tuck the last strands under the preceding ones to secure the ends. Cover these croustillants and return them to the fridge.
ROOT VEGETABLE CONFIT
Methodically cut all the vegetables into 4mm dice: cut the root vegetables into slices, then batons and finally cut across into dice. Cut the shallots in half, cut vertically down through them, leaving the root end intact, then cut horizontal cuts towards, but not as far as, the root. Finally chop down across the grain of these cuts. Cut the field mushrooms into slices, then batons and finally into dice.
Tip the chicken livers on to a chopping board and cut away any large veins or sinews. Transfer the livers to a food processor and blend for 30 seconds, then tip them into a bowl.
Place a heavy-based frying pan over a high heat and cook all the vegetables, each type separately, as follows: for each batch, add a tablespoon of grapeseed oil to the hot pan, followed by the diced vegetables, a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper. Add a teaspoon of butter and fry over a high heat, stirring frequently, until just golden, then drain through a colander. You can re-use the drained oil once enough has accumulated. When you have finished frying the vegetables, wipe the pan dry and return to a high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, followed by the livers and a sprinkling of salt. Cook, stirring continuously, until any excess moisture has evaporated and you have a dry, crumbly mixture left. Add this to the drained vegetables and transfer to a saucepan. Add the reserved 100ml Madeira sauce and cook over a medium heat until the sauce has reduced and the vegetables bind into a sticky mass. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and then set aside to cool.
Cut the rhubarb into 5cm pieces, toss with the sugar and orange zest, then place in a small ovenproof dish. Cover with foil and bake in an oven preheated to 140°C/Gas Mark 1 for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, drain the rhubarb, pour the juice into a small pan and simmer until reduced by three-quarters. Transfer the rhubarb to a blender, add the reduced juice and blend to a smooth purée. Pass through a fine sieve, transfer to a squeezy bottle and set aside in the fridge.
CELERIAC PURÉE
Shred the celeriac on the coarse side of a grater. Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan, add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until soft. Add the celeriac, season with salt, then add the whipping cream. Bring to the boil, stirring frequently, then cover and cook at a base simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender, blend to a smooth purée, then pass through a fine sieve. Cover and set aside in the fridge.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
Cut the Savoy cabbage leaves in half and cut out the main rib. Blanch them in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain and refresh in iced water for 15 seconds, then drain again. Pat dry and set aside in the fridge.
TO SERVE
Place a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Season the pigeon crowns, add the grapeseed oil to the pan, then add the birds, breast-side down. Gently manoeuvre them to colour the breasts all over. Add the butter, then turn the birds over and place in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Roast for 6–8 minutes, basting twice. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack crown-side down. Leave to rest for 10 minutes. Return the pan to the heat, add the trompettes de la mort and a pinch of salt and sauté for 1 minute. Drain in a colander and keep warm.
Warm up the rhubarb purée by putting the squeezy bottle in a pan of hot water. Warm the celeriac purée and root vegetable mix in 2 saucepans. Remove the breasts from the birds by carving down and away from the central breastplate. Season them lightly with rock salt and set aside in a warm place.
Heat the sunflower oil to 180°C in a deep-fat fryer or a deep, heavy-based pan. Deep-fry the croustillants in the hot oil for 2–3 minutes, until they are crisp and golden brown. Using a serrated carving knife, trim off each end and cut them in half lengthways. Warm up the sauce.
On each of 8 preheated plates lay 2 pieces of cabbage leaf – both with one end at the centre, one with the other end at 10 o’clock and the other with its second end at 2 o’clock. Place a small spoonful of root vegetable confit on each leaf and put a pool of celeriac puree at 11 o’clock and a ‘dot’ of rhubarb purée at 1 o’clock. Set a breast on each spoonful of root vegetable confit and garnish with some trompettes de la mort. Garnish the plate with 2 pieces of croustillant and spoon some sauce over each breast.
Roast Pigeon from Bresse with a Confit of Root Vegetables and Livers and a Croustillant of the Leg with Cabbage
BREAST OF PIGEON FROM BRESSE WITH HOT-SMOKED CONSOMME, BUCKWHEAT GNOCCHI, ASPARAGUS AND HAZELNUT OIL
SERVES 8
Bresse pigeons, or squabs, are not only full of flavour but also supremely tender. This elegant dish showcases their properties, while the hot consommé and hazelnut oil deliver a pure, harmonious and sophisticated backdrop to the rounded, succulent flavours of the pigeon and gnocchi.
OVERVIEW
The pigeons are broken down into crowns (breasts on the bone) and the legs and carcasses are smoked to yield a smoke-flavoured stock. Some of this stock is used to poach the pigeon while the rest is boosted and clarified to yield a fully flavoured consommé. The dish is served with small buckwheat gnocchi, wilted spring greens, asparagus and hazelnut oil.
FOCUS ON
Source pigeons that are large and plump – 550g each is ideal.
The success of this dish is ultimately reliant on a top-quality stock, and this in turn relies on first-rate ingredients and plenty of the careful preparation – a good consommé is not a cheap byproduct.
Use a cold-pressed extra virgin hazelnut oil – cheap alternatives lack flavour and aroma.
Use extra select, or jumbo, asparagus and keep it al dente.
Make sure the consommé is piping hot when served.
KEY COMPONENTS
Pigeons
Hot-smoked consommé
Buckwheat gnocchi
TIMING
The stocks and consommé can be made the day before. The gnocchi can be cooked up to 12 hours in advance, leaving only poaching the pigeons, wilting the greens and cooking the asparagus to the last minute.
PIGEONS
10 x 550g Bresse pigeons, heads removed, necks on
HOT-SMOKED CONSOMMÉ
8 duck carcasses, trimmed of excess fat and finely chopped
150g smoking chips
1 onion
1 small turnip
1 carrot
1 small leek
1 celery stick
1 bay leaf
6 shallots, sliced
20 button mushrooms, quartered
500ml Madeira
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 strip of orange zest
200g egg whites
BUCKWHEAT GNOCCHI
2 large Agria potatoes (or other baking potatoes)
200g rock salt
20g egg
15g egg yolk
25g plain flour
15g buckwheat flour
25g Parmesan cheese, grated
3g salt
OTHER INGREDIENTS
16 spears of extra-select English asparagus
16 leaves of tender spring greens
15g unsalted butter
8 dessertspoons cold-pressed extra virgin hazelnut oil
METHOD
PIGEONS
Eight pigeons are for serving and 2 are for the consommé. Remove the legs from all the birds and cut off the rear end of the carcasses. Trim the wings by cutting through the first joint. Cut the necks off where they join the crown and place 8 of the birds, covered, in the fridge. Remove the breasts from the 2 remaining birds, cover the breasts and chill. Chop the trimmings from the 8 birds and the carcasses of the 2 boned birds as finely as possible and set aside.
HOT-SMOKED CONSOMMÉ
This is a three-stage process. First, a white duck stock is made. This is boosted with more duck bones and the pigeon carcasses, and the resulting brown stock is then clarified with the pigeon meat. Whilst this is a fairly lengthy process, it only requires undivided attention for short periods at the start of the second and third stages. The stove does the rest of the work.
To smoke the duck carcasses, place them in the compartment of a smoker set up for cold smoking and smoke as per the manufacturer’s instructions for 10 minutes. Alternatively, ignite the smoking chips in a pan over a medium heat and then place the pan in a cold oven containing a tray of the chilled duck bones. Leave for 20 minutes.
Peel the onion, turnip and carrot, trim the leek and celery and cut them all into rough 1cm dice. Mix the vegetables together and place a quarter of them, covered, in the fridge. Place two-thirds of the smoked duck carcasses into a large, deep, heavy-based pan, cover with 5 litres of water and place over a high heat. Bring to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes, then skim off the fat and scum from the surface and add the remaining three-quarters of the vegetables and the bay leaf. Cook at a bare simmer for 1 hour, skimming any fat or scum from the surface from time to time. Remove from the heat, allow to cool for 20 minutes, then drain through a large colander. Discard the bones and leave the stock to cool.
Meanwhile, place the remaining duck bones in a roasting tray with the trimmings and carcasses from the pigeon. Season lightly with salt and roast in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 15 minutes, until they start to colour. Stir the bones thoroughly, add the shallots and button mushrooms and season with another pinch of salt. Turn the oven down to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the contents of the roasting tray are golden and caramelised. Carefully drain through a colander and transfer the bones to a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the Madeira, place over a high heat and boil until the Madeira has almost completely evaporated. Cover with the white duck stock, add the peppercorns and orange zest, bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for 1 hour at a bare simmer, skimming any fat and scum from the surface every 10 minutes – this will help the stock to clarify naturally. Turn off the heat, leave the stock to cool for half an hour, then pass through a large colander. Discard the bones and transfer the stock to a heavy-based saucepan that it fills by three-quarters. Taste the stock. Whilst it will gain another layer of flavour in the clarifying process, it is important to season it fully at this stage. Allow the stock to cool and then set 3 litres aside to poach the pigeons.
Place the pigeon breasts and the remaining mixed vegetables in a food processor. Add a generous pinch of salt and blend for 10 seconds. Scrape the sides down and blend for a further 5 seconds. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk with a pinch of salt for 30 seconds until they have loosened up. Tip the contents of the processor bowl into the egg whites and mix thoroughly. Tip this finished clarification mix into the saucepan containing the stock, stir gently but thoroughly and place over a medium heat. Bring the stock to the boil, stirring every 4–5 minutes. As the stock approaches boiling point, stop stirring and allow a crust/raft to form on the surface. At the point where the stock is trying to bubble through, lift some of this crust out with a ladle. Turn the heat down and leave the consommé to tick over for 20 minutes. It should be crystal clear after 5 minutes or so. Turn off the heat, carefully ladle out the consommé and pass it through a double layer of muslin into a bowl. Avoid disturbing the crust, which can now be discarded. Taste the consommé, adjust the seasoning if necessary, leave to cool, then cover and chill.
BUCKWHEAT GNOCCHI
Wet the potatoes under cold running water. Place half the rock salt on a baking tray, stud it with the potatoes, prick them with a fork and sprinkle them with the remaining salt. Transfer to an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 and cook for 1¼ hours or until they are completely tender. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 20 minutes, then cut them in half and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Pass this through the fine mesh of a drum sieve or through a potato ricer. Take 150g of the potato flesh, place it in a bowl and add the egg, yolk, flours, Parmesan and salt. Carefully fork this mix through to make a dough, working it as little as possible in the process. Turn it out on to a well-floured work surface and briefly knead into a smooth mass. Roll it out into a sausage 1cm in diameter and cut this into 1cm lengths. You should have at least 40 gnocchi. Press the surface of each with the back of a small fork.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Gently transfer the gnocchi to the pan and poach for 2–3 minutes, by which time they will have floated to the surface. Lift the gnocchi out and refresh in a bowl of iced water for 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to a tray lined with a kitchen cloth. Cover and chill.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
Trim 3cm off the base of each asparagus spear and peel carefully and sparingly.
TO SERVE
Bring the reserved brown stock to the boil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Lower the pigeons into the stock, bring the temperature to 85°C and poach for 20 minutes. Lift out the pigeons and keep warm. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, plunge the asparagus in and cook for 2 minutes or until just tender. Lift out, cut each spear into 3 and set aside. Cook the greens in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain through a colander and set aside. Sauté the gnocchi in the butter in a non-stick pan until lightly coloured, then drain on kitchen paper and keep warm. Bring the consommé to the boil.
Carve the breast off the pigeons, lift off the skin and slice each breast into 3 pieces. Drain the gnocchi. Lay out 8 preheated large bowls. Line each bowl with 2 pieces of spring greens. Place 3 gnocchi and 3 pieces of asparagus in each bowl, sit 6 pieces (2 breasts) of pigeon on top and garnish with 3 more pieces of asparagus and 2 more gnocchi. Pour over the hot consommé and drizzle a dessertspoon of hazelnut oil over each portion.
Breast of Pigeon from Bresse with Hot-Smoked Consomme, Buckwheat Gnocchi, Asparagus and Hazelnut Oil
MAINTAINING STIMULATION, CREATIVITY AND ADVENTURE
One of the greatest challenges facing any cook, whether professional or amateur, is how to maintain a sense of creativity and adventure.
I certainly face this challenge and, given that I am not overly motivated by the desire to innovate, the most obvious opportunity to create an adventure is lost on me. My adherence to classical, harmonious flavour combinations is total. This is mirrored by a rigid following of the seasons. The repertoire of ingredients at my disposal is therefore both repetitive and cyclic. It is also fair to say that, as the years roll by, I tend to stumble across combinations – either specific garnishes or dishes as a whole ¬– that I particularly like. It is inevitable then that year after year I tend to revisit these triumphs and reuse, update or rejig them.
Given the confinements of seasonality, adherence to classical flavours and the use of perennial favourites, where does the opportunity for stimulation, creativity and adventure arise? The source of all of this lies in the ingredients themselves, and the relentless fire is fuelled by a desire to create ever more delicious things with them. The annual cycle is just long enough to ensure that my enthusiasm for nature’s ingredients is completely reinvigorated year upon year. It is the overwhelming desire to take the first bunch of English asparagus, stare it in the face and think long and hard about exactly which rich, unctuous, tip-cloaking emulsion I can come up with to anoint the first spear. Be it Cambridgeshire asparagus, Yorkshire rhubarb, Scottish girolles or elderberries from Hammersmith, I never cease to be amazed just how refreshed my passion for these ingredients has become since it waned some ten months earlier at the end of the previous season. The adventure lies in sticking to a commitment to myself. Dishes find themselves back on the menu only if they have been improved in some way. The change might be quite radical or merely the slightest tweak, but that’s the deal, and it is the dishes I have come to love the most that provide the greatest challenge. It is a question of taking last year’s spring vegetable salad, dissecting it, analysing its many components and the methods used for their preparation, and seeking out the weaknesses. They are always there and, as one matures as a chef and is less motivated by ego, the layers of imperfection reveal themselves like those of an onion. It may well be that I judge a given dish to be perfect this year, but come the next year I will be able to see fault with it.
The essence for me is therefore to revel in the ingredients themselves. I am grateful and relieved in equal measure that it is nature that fuels my ability to maintain a sense of stimulation, creativity and adventure in the kitchen all these years down the line.
