Paul's cooking .......

A partridge and a pear treat

 

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!

Confit of duck

 

I’m thinking of a winter’s evening, with the wind howling outside, yet inside warm and toasty in front of a log fire perhaps. What better food could there be than a delicious confit of duck, the perfect winter accompaniment to an evening in!

Plan ahead, as although the confit can be eaten immediately after cooking, it’s best a week or two later, stored in the fridge. That being the case increase the salt to 4 tablespoons – don’t worry the salt acts as a preservative and will mellow with time.

Ingredients:

 4 leg joints of duck (drumstick and thigh)

4 wings of duck

Neck and giblets of 2 ducks

2 tablespoons of good cognac

3 tablespoons of sea salt

1 bay leaf, finely chopped

5 sprigs of fresh lemon thyme, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled

minimum of 900 g duck or goose fat

Potatoes to roast

Firstly a little housekeeping! When preparing any meat for preserving, please maintain the highest levels of hygiene, in particular ensure that the storage jars are well sterilised in a hot oven for at least 20 minutes before use.

Take your duck legs and trim off any excess skin. Now place in a bowl with the wings, neck and giblets, and pour over and rub in the cognac. Add the salt (extra if storing), chopped bay leaves and lemon thyme and chopped and un-peeled garlic. Cover well and leave in the fridge for up to 24 hours. (This dish requires high levels of patience and self-discipline !)

Remove from the fridge, un-cover and toss the duck joints in the brine that is now at the bottom of the bowl. Pour off any excess brine and pat the joints dry. Take the un-peeled garlic and thread onto a cocktail stick.

Now take a large flameproof casserole dish and heat the duck (or goose) fat gently until melted. Carefully add the leg joints, neck, giblets and skewered garlic. It is imperative that all the duck is covered, so add extra if required.

Over the lowest possible heat, bring the fat back slowly to a simmer - this normally takes 30 - 35 minutes. Meanwhile set the oven to a temperature of 140 C. When the fat is just at boiling (180 C if using a thermometer) place the dish in the oven, covered, and cook for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, take out of the oven and remove the wing, neck, and giblets. Set aside. Now leave the legs in the oven for a further 30 minutes. When cooked the meat will have shrunk to the bone and the skin a delicious nut brown colour.

Once the legs are cooked, remove form the oven and discard the garlic. If serving immediately, allow the legs to cool for 10 minutes.

If preserving, allow the duck joints to cool completely and then pack into sterilised jars. Pour the fat on top, ensuring all is submerged. Seal the jars and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

To re-heat, remove from the jars, and place on a baking tray in the oven, skin-side up at 190 C for 20 minutes, followed by an 8 minute blast at 200 C for a really crispy skin.

Un-believably delicious served with roast potatoes, or served with sliced, sauteed potatoes and a crisp green salad. A real taste of Gascony !!

Enjoy!