From a food lover's perspective it is not by chance that the Christmas hymn finds a partridge in a pear tree, for it is a truly excellent combination and recipes can be found in many older cookbooks.
Here's my take on this
very traditional dish.
Ingredients:
4 partridges, prepared
for cooking and giblets
streaky bacon for
barding
60g unsalted butter
A good tablespoon of
brandy
100 ml chicken stock
sea salt and black
pepper, freshly ground
2 firm william pears
10 cloves
a little grated nutmeg
3 cm cinnamon stick
90g caster sugar
40 ml white wine
vinegar
4 tablespoons water
To begin, take the
pears, peel them carefully, slice in half and remove cores. Now take the
cloves, grated nutmeg, cinnamon stick, sugar, white wine vinegar and water and
put into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Place the cut pear halves into this
liquid and simmer gently for at least 15 minutes, but do not allow them to go
soft, they should remain firm but cooked. Remove from the pan and allow to
cool.
Meanwhile preheat the
oven to 200 C. Take the partridges, remove the giblets including the livers,
setting aside, and season the birds well inside and out.Place the streaky bacon
over the breasts of the birds.
Take a flameproof
casserole dish and heat over a medium flame. Add half of the butter, then the
partridges, livers and their giblets and fry both sides over a higher heat for 5
minutes each side. Take the partridges and giblets out of the casserole dish,
set the giblets aside and remove the bacon from the partridges.
Add the remaining
butter, the brandy and the chicken stock to the casserole dish, and then place
the partially cooked partridges back in also. Place in the oven, uncovered, and
roast for 15 - 20 minutes.
When cooked, remove
the partridges and keep warm. Take the giblets and liver, puree well and add to
the partridge juices in the casserole dish. Taste and season further if
required. reduce a little until the sauce starts to thicken and become glossy.
Serve the partridges,
one per person with the beautifully but gently spiced pear and a little of the
excellent sauce. Ideal accompaniments would be braised celery or perhaps baby
potatoes boiled in their skins.
This is an excellent
dish, simple to prepare but delicious. It's also an amusing take on the
Christmas song well appreciated I'm sure by your dinner party guests!
Enjoy!