Game – Cooking with seasonal cuts part 2

WOODCOCK CAREME

Ingredients (Serves 2)
2 woodcock, oven ready and barded in bacon (roast for 14 minutes and rest for at least 14 minutes)
50g chopped shallots
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
50ml brandy
200ml brown game stock
60ml double cream
Seasonings
40g butter
2 heart-shaped croutons
Method Remove head and neck and cut right down the middle of the long beak giving two halves exposing the brains which are a delicacy and to be used as a garnish.
Cut the legs and breasts off the roasted birds and reserve until the sauce is finished.
Use a teaspoon to remove the guts from the carcass take out the liver and spread on a heart shaped crouton put a side till assembly of the dish. Chop the carcass and the rest of the guts and sauté with some chopped shallots in half of the butter deglaze with the brandy and pour in the stock and reduce by half. Add the cream and reduce to a coating consistency and pass though a fine sieve. To finish whisk in the mustard and butter . Assemble the woodcock on top of the crouton with the two halves of the head and beak skewered in to the breasts and completely nap with the sauce then serve.

Braised shin of red deer(Serves 4)
1kg of red deer shin cut though bone - like osso bucco
50m sunflower oil or 50g clarified butter
500ml venison stock
100g Mirepoix - carrot, onion, celery and leek
2 tomatoes deseeded
200ml good claret
Seasoning
4 juniper berries
1/4 stick cinnamon
6 cloves
8 crushed black peppercorns
60ml red wine vinegar
1tbs redcurrant jelly

Method
Seal the meat and drain. In a deep braising dish sweat the Mirepoix, add tomatoes and spices and then place the meat on top.

Pour in the wine and vinegar, reduce by half, then add the stock, season and braise gently in an oven for about two-and-half hours, or until the meat is just about falling off the bone. Take out the meat and reserve, keeping hot

Pass the stock and reduce again. Finish sauce with a little butter and redcurrent jelly to taste.

Spelt risotto
100g pearled spelt, washed and drained
50g chopped onion
Sprig of thyme
100ml white wine
100ml seasoned chicken stock
50g butter
25g grated Parmesan

Method
Sweat the onion and add spelt and thyme. Gently add some water and wine, alternately a little at a time, until all is incorporated - this should take about 16 to 18 minutes. Taste spelt to check if cooked - it should be a little al dente.

Now work the butter in to make it creamy in texture, then finish with the Parmesan and season.

Glacé baby vegetables
Baby carrots
Baby turnips
Grelotte onions

Method
Peel and cook the ingredients in a glacé of water sugar and butter until al dente - then season and serve.

To assemble, place spelt in centre of a deep bowl, place red deer on top with sauce over the top and sprinkle baby vegetables around.

Torchon truffled muntjac (Makes 12 portions)
1 saddle of Muntjac deer, approx 1.5kg fillet, stripped out silver skin removed and completely clean of any fat
10g black Périgord truffle
10g salt
50ml double cream
20g wood or red vein sorrell

Method Using all the trimmings from when filleting the saddle, place this in a food processer, blend then add cream slowly and pass though a fine sieve.

Place the fillets side by side and on then place a layer of finely sliced truffles on top - the length of both fillets.

Put the mousse in a piping bag and pipe a thin layer of mousse down the length of one of the fillets. Now place the other fillet on top and roll in clingfilm to form a thick sausage shape and leave to chill for 20 minutes.

Take out of clingfilm and put in vacuum bag. Keeping the sausage shape, put loops of string around to keep the shape and place in water bath at 72°C for one hour.

Arrest the cooking by placing in a cold water bath until chilled and reserve till needed.

Celeriac rémoulade 1/2 celeriac peeled, julienned fine and blanched
50ml good mayonnaise
Juice 1/2 lemon
1/2 tbs Dijon mustard
Seasoning

Method Combine all.

White balsamic vinegar jelly 1,300ml good white balsamic
75g caster sugar
3 leaves of gelatine bronze

Method Heat vinegar and sugar and add soaked gelatine leaves. Place in flat tray and, when set, cut out neat 1cm cubes. Assemble with rémoulade under a slice of the Torchon with a few cubes of jelly and baby sorrel.

Partridge and chanterelle terrine, Traditional roast grouse, Boodle's hare royale and Roast teal >>