Roast Partridge, by Michael Caines MBE, Chef Patron of Michelin-starred Lympstone Manor

Serves

4

Prep Time

60 mins

Cooking Time

60 mins

Ingredients

For the partridge

• 4 partridges oven-ready and trussed
• toasted walnuts
• 200g wild mushrooms prepared and washed
• quince puree
• Gewurztraminer sauce
• braised chicory

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For the Quince Purée

• 100g sugar
• 500ml water
• 40g butter
• juice of half a lemon
• 500g quince, peeled, core removed and chopped

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For the Gewurztraminer Sauce

• 250g partridge carcasses
• 25g shallots, finely sliced
• 125g button mushroom, finely sliced
• 500ml chicken stock
• 500ml veal glace
• 50ml cream
• 50ml vegetable oil
• 25g butter
• 375ml Gewurztraminer wine
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 white peppercorns
• pinch of salt

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For the Braised Chicory

• 4 large chicory
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 1 large onion
• 50g butter
• 20g sugar
• 15g salt

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To Finish

• 100g smoked lardons, finely sliced
• 50g garlic puree
• 20g butter

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Method

Braised Chicory

• Sweat the onion in the butter with the salt, but do not colour. Add the chicken stock and bouquet garni.
• Now add the chicory and bring to the boil. Cover with some aluminium foil and place into a pre-heated oven at 180c for about 30 minutes until tender and soft. Once cooked remove from the oven and leave to cool.
• Drain the braised chicory from the cooking juices, slice into thin strips and drain off any excess water.
• In a saucepan sweat off the lardons in the butter, add the sliced chicory and fry until dry.
• Once the chicory is dry add the garlic puree and season with salt and pepper.

Quince Purée

• Mix the sugar, water, butter and lemon juice in a saucepan, add the prepared quince and bring to the boil.
• Reduce to a simmer and cook until soft. Strain off and save the liquid and liquidize to a smooth puree in a blender, then pass through a fine sieve and adjust texture using the cooking liquid.
• Season and place in a piping bag.
• Bring the red wine to the boil and reduce it by a third, to remove the alcohol and concentrate the colour and flavour.
• Leave it to cool.

Gewurztraminer Sauce

• Heat the oil in a roasting tray, add the carcasses and then the butter and lightly colour.
• Add the shallots and seal without colouring, then add the sliced mushrooms and sweat until slippery.
• Add the Gewurztraminer wine and reduce by half. Now add the chicken stock, veal glace, cream, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and a pinch of salt.
• Bring to the boil, lightly skim off any scum and reduce to a simmer, cook for 45 minutes and then pass through a colander then through a fine sieve.
• Reduce to sauce consistency then pass finally through a muslin cloth and correct the seasoning.
• Place a handful of walnuts in a saucepan and cover with half water and milk. Bring to the boil and leave them to rest for ten minutes.
• Peel using a small knife and toast in the oven with a knob of butter.

Roasting the Partridge

• Season and roast off the partridge in a pre-heated oven at 200c for 8 minutes and then remove from the oven and leave to stand for a further 16 minutes.
• Now remove the legs and breast keeping the carcass for your sauce.
• In a frying pan heat some butter and place the partridge legs and breast skin side down and colour until golden brown then seal the flesh slide briefly before removing.

To Serve

• Meanwhile, pan-fry the wild mushrooms in a little butter with salt and pepper, reheat the braised chicory and warm through the quince puree in a microwave for a few seconds.
• Place some chicory in the middle of the plate in a ring, pipe some quince puree onto the plate or around the edge and then sprinkle the mushrooms around with the toasted walnuts,
• Place the partridge breast on top of the chicory and then the legs to the side.
• Add the Gewurztraminer sauce and serve.