Partridges with green peppercorns

The is a dish from the Pays de Caux Region of Normandy in France – The use of Calvados and cider is a clue.

The dish is basically that of braised partridge.  It calls for a large quantity of horn-of-plenty (trompette de la mort) mushrooms.  As these are expensive and difficult to source, it may be desirable to replace them with ordinary mushrooms or a mixture or ordinary mushrooms and wild mushrooms.  The flavour will still be pretty good.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 65 Mins

Total Time: 80 Mins

Ingredients

For 2 servings…

2                    Partridges  - with giblets         

                     Pepper      

                     Salt          

60 gms            Butter       

150 gms          Bacon  - streaky, smoked - diced

700 gms          Horm-of-plenty mushrooms     

2 sprigs           Thyme      

2 sprigs           Tarragon   

                     Olive oil    

12                  Onions  - pickling     

100 ml             Calvados   

2                    Carrots  - sliced       

160 ml             Cider  - dry

160 ml             Water       

1 bunch           Herbs  - thyme, bay leaf, tarragon         

For the sauce

400 ml             Cream       

40 gms            Peppercorns  - green 

½                   Lemon  - juice of      

                     Pepper      

                     Salt          

To garnish

                     Fried bread

                     Watercress

Method

To prepare and cook the partridges…

Draw the partridges and set aside the giblets (hearts, livers and gizzards).

Season the insides of the birds and stuff with small knob of butter, few pieces of bacon, 3 mushrooms, a sprig of thyme and a sprig of tarragon.  Truss the partridges, brush the outsides with oil and season salt and pepper.  Place them in a cast-iron casserole and brown them in oil with diced bacon and the onions.  When all the ingredients have begun to brown, add the Calvados.  Reduce the heat and add the mushrooms, carrots and giblets.  Season sparingly with salt and pepper.  When the mushrooms begin to sweat, pour on the cider and water and add the bunch of herbs.  Cover and simmer over a low heat for 40 minutes – turning the birds twice during the cooking.

When cooking time is up, remove the partridge and lay them on a hot serving dish.  Cover and keep warm.  Carefully drain the vegetables into a sauce pan and keep them warm.

To make the sauce…

Mix the cream and green peppercorns with the stock remaining in the saucepan.  Reduce by one-third over a moderate heat.   Add the lemon juice and check the seasoning.

When sauce has reached the desired consistency (it should resemble a light cream), set aside a little of sauce and blend the reserved vegetables into remainder.

To serve…

Pour the vegetable mixture around the partridges and pour over remaining sauce.  Garnish the edge of the serving dish with slices of bread fried in butter and sprigs of watercress.

Variations

If horn-of-plenty mushrooms are not available, replace them with ordinary mushrooms or a mixture or ordinary mushrooms and wild mushrooms.

Wine recommendations

A fairly robust red wine.

Conventional

     Chinon

Interesting

     Côtes du Rhône

     Irouleguy

     Médoc

     Saumur-Champigny