What Cookers Cook-Game Fowl

GAME BIRDS & WATERFOWL

Duck

Goose

Partridge

Pheasant

Quail

Squab

Wild Turkey

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Roast Pheasant

Serves 4

Pheasant

I always cook at least a brace of birds extra to use for fricassee.

2 Young Pheasants
1 Bunch of Thyme
4 Rashers of good Smoked Bacon
125 ml Red Wine
250 ml Game Stock
50 g unsalted butter
seasoning
2 tsp Corn Flour
2 tsp Red Currant jelly

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C

Rub the butter over the birds and season well. Place a genrerous sprig of thyme inside each of the birds, cover them with the rashers of bacon and put them in a roasting tray and roast for 40 minutes. Remove the birds from the pan and place in a warm place to rest.

Deglaze the juices from the pan with the red wine (it helps to do this on the heat as it gets all those caramelised bits off the bottom of the tray) remove the excess fat and pour into a saucepan. Add the stock and red currant jelly and reduce by half. Slake the cornflour with a little water and add to the gravy, stirring all the time. Check and adjust the seasoning.

Remove the breast and thighs from the pheasant (retain the carcasses for stock). Serve half a bird for each person, with the bacon if you have not already eaten it!

Pheasant Note: Traditional accompaniments include bread, sauce, roast parsnips, and game chips (thick cut crisps) which you can make or just use the better commecial one such as Tyrells.

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Cornish Game Hens

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Quail

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Squab

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Partridge Normande

Serves 4

partridge normande

This is an authentic old French recipe.

4 Partridge
700g Apples
100g Unsalted butter
5 tbsp Double Cream
1 tbsp Oil
Seasoning

Using the butter and oil, brown the partridge on all sides in a hot pan. Peal and core the apples and cut into thick slices. Arrange half the apples on the bottom of a casserole. Put in the partridge. Season and cover with the remaining apples. Pour over the pan juices and the cream. Place in a preheated oven at 160c for 1 hour

It is a lovely dish but personally I prefer it with a few herbs, some finely chopped leeks and about 100 ml of good dry cider. I have given you the basic one so you can try your own variations.

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Guinea Fowl

These birds are highly prized for their great flavor and high yield of meat.

Guinea Fowl is the bird of choice, the Sunday bird, in countries like France and Italy. Guinea fowl, is also known as Pintade, Faraona or African pheasant. With striking white spots on its gray feathers, a mature Guinea fowl is similar in size to a ring-necked pheasant and slightly smaller than a chicken. Guinea fowl meat is white like chicken but the taste is more reminiscent of mild pheasant, without the sharp gamey flavor. Nothing could be simpler than preparing a Guinea fowl: just substitute Guinea fowl for chicken in your favorite recipes!

Guinea fowl should always be cooked until well done. To check visually to see if guinea fowl is done, pierce it with a fork. You should be able to insert the fork with ease, and wiggle the leg with ease. Guinea fowl dries out quickly; do not overcook.

Roasting Mix together 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sprinkle over outside of whole guinea fowl and inside body cavity. Place guinea fowl in shallow pan, breast side up. Roast in 350°F (180°C) oven for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 180°F (82.2°C), basting occasionally. Let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Braising Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add oil, then brown guinea fowls on all sides. Add cooking liquid (water, broth, or wine), herbs, spices, and vegetables, cover, and place in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 45 minutes or until done.

Pan-frying Heat skillet over medium heat. Rub guinea fowl with salt, pepper, and spices if desired. Add oil to skillet, then cook bird in covered skillet for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook another 10 minutes.

Grilling Rub guinea fowl with mixture of oil, salt, pepper, and spices. Place guinea fowl on prepared grill with rack about 8 inches (about 20cm) from heat source. Grill, turning frequently (using tongs to prevent piercing skin) until fork tender. To test the temperature, place your palms above the coals or heat source at cooking level. If you have to remove your hands after 2 seconds, the temperature is hot; after 3 seconds, medium hot; and after 4 seconds, medium. More than 4 seconds indicates the grill has not reached cooking temperature.

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Roast Breast of Pigeon with Creamed Cabbage and a Rich Port Sauce

Roast Breast of Pigeon

4 Oven Ready Pigeons
1 Small Savoy Cabbage
3 Rashers of Good Smoked Bacon
50g Unsalted Butter
100ml Double Cream
100ml Port
500ml Game stock

Remove the pigeon breasts from the carcasses. Roast the carcasses off and use them to make a stock. Remove the stem from the cabbage and slice it as finely as possible. Melt the butter in a hot pan and add the bacon cut into strips. Fry until crispy and add the cabbage, turn down the heat and sweat the cabbage until soft. Do not season until the end, it will draw the juice out of the cabbage. Heat a pan to properly hot. Add a little oil and put the seasoned breasts in. When the breasts are just starting to brown, add the remaining butter. Turn the breasts over and colour the other side. Remove them from the pan and allow to rest for at least five minutes.

Put in the port (if your going to flame the port, not necessary but it looks cool, turn your extractor on first. There is nothing cool about burning the kitchen down and those filters are full of fat which catches easily)

When it has halved in volume, add the stock and 50ml of cream. Boil until the sauce becomes glossy. You can speed this process up with a little corn flour if you like a lot of sauce, or add another knob of butter for greater opulence in the sauce. Add 50ml cream to the cabbage, season and heat through. Season the sauce at the end, not before because you are reducing it and that makes it easy to over-season. Place the cabbage on the plate. If you can, slice the breast into thin slices and arrange on top. If not, let the diners cut up their own food. Pour the sauce over and serve.

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