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How to Butcher and Cook Grouse with James Durrant

Scroll down to watch James Durrant, former Head Chef of The Game Bird at the Stafford Hotel in London, prepare and cook this Roasted Grouse dish.


Ingredients

  • 1 whole Grouse
Braised legs & sauce:
  • Legs from grouse
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 celery stick
  • 1 garlic bulb
  • 2 onions
  • ¼ bunch thyme
  • 50g white wine
  • 50g madeira
  • 400ml chicken stock
Thyme:
  • 12 sprigs of thyme
Pâté:
  • Grouse offal
  • 20g duck liver
  • 1 shallot
  • ½ clove garlic
  • 10ml port
Game chips:
  • 2 large baking potatoes
Bread sauce:
  • 50ml milk
  • ½ onion
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • Breadcrumbs
Parsnip puree:
  • 50g parsnips
  • 15g butter milk to cover parsnips
Baby onions:
  • 3 baby onions
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp. sugar

Method

Roasted grouse:

  • Remove the legs and offal from the grouse, leaving the breast attached to the crown.
  • Use all trimmings (neck and backbone) for braising the legs.
  • Roast the breast on the crown in the oven for 2-4 minutes at 185 degrees depending on size and carve when needed.
  • Keep offal to make Pâté.

Braised legs & sauce:

  • Roast bones from prep in a pan.
  • Add diced vegetables and thyme, roasting until browned.
  • Add white wine and Madeira, reducing until thickened.
  • Add chicken stock, bring to the boil and add pre-seared grouse legs.
  • Simmer until legs are tender.
  • Remove legs and allow to chill.
  • Once chilled, remove thighbone.
  • Pass off liquid to separate pan and reduce until required consistency for sauce.

Thyme:

  • Deep fry 12 sprigs of thyme at 160 degrees.

Pâté:

  • Pan roast all offal until golden on outside.
  • Pan roast foie-gras until golden and cook in oven until cooked through.
  • Add shallots, garlic and port to pan and cook until liquid is reduced.
  • Chill all elements.
  • Once chilled, blend all elements together.
  • Spread on to brioche when plating.

Game chips:

  • Peel potatoes and slice on mandolin, rotate by 90 degrees per slice to create a criss-cross effect.
  • Fry at 160 degrees until golden.

Bread sauce:

  • Add the onion and cloves, add to a pan with milk and heat gently for 20 minutes to infuse.
  • Remove the onion and cloves and whisk in breadcrumbs. Whisk until thickened and creamy.

Parsnip puree:

  • Chop parsnips roughly and boil in milk until soft.
  • Remove from milk and blend with butter until smooth.

Baby onions:

  • Peel and roast in vegetable oil until golden.
  • Add 1 spoon of sugar and chicken stock and reduce.

About this recipe:

This recipe is by James Durrant, former head chef of The Game Bird at the Stafford Hotel in London. Learn how to butcher and cook grouse in this video with James.



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