2 lemons, unwaxed
2 pigeons, 200g each
100g pink praline sweets
100ml mead
Butter
1 litre pigeon stock
1tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper
20 baby white turnips
Bunch coriander, chopped
50g black olives, stoned and chopped

First wrap the whole lemons in tinfoil and cook in a hot oven for three hours. Set pigeon to roast in oven. Do not season or add butter at this stage. Save jus.

Roast 30g crushed pink pralines in a pan. When they start to caramelise, add the mead and reduce by half. Next, add 500ml of the stock. Add tablespoon of butter and reduce again by half or until the sauce coats the back of the spoon. Rest.

Clean turnips and cook in 500ml stock with tablespoon of olive oil. Leave to glaze.

When the lemons are cooked, unwrap from foil and halve. Squeeze out juice. Dice the peel.

Season the pigeon, brush with melted butter and roll in remaining 70g crushed pralines. Place on plate. Warm the sauce and add the lemon juice to taste. Spoon sauce around bird.

Warm turnips, add coriander, lemon peel and olives. Spoon two quenelles of this mixture per portion on to plate. Coat with the warmed jus.

by Claude Bosi

Photo © Rob Whitrow