Roast Quail wrapped in Bacon with Orange Pomegranate Sauce |
Pheasant, Poussin, capon, squab,
quail, goose, duck, — choices, choices; how does one make up his or her mind?
First, forget the turkey and make the meal truly memorable. Its not that turkey
isn't wonderful if cooked properly, its just that there are other domesticated
birds that can bring a excitement to the table with just a little extra effort
and usually a lot less cooking time. Holiday dinner plans should take into
consideration the tastes of the guests or family partaking in the feast. Oddly,
some people don’t do fowl.
Flavors range from the familiar
Poussin and game hen, to the more exotic such as Muscovy duck and goose. Also
take into account appetite— quails for the lighter feast or as an appetizer;
larger and richer birds, like goose and duck, for the famished.
Many butchers in the area do carry
many of these non-mainstream birds, however they are usually frozen. If you
want a fresh bird plan ahead and order well in advance of your feast.
A large portion of the population
dines on chicken several times a week, broilers or fryers, averaging around 3
1/2 to 4 pounds, being the bird presented in most meat counters. However there
are other delicious options in this family.
Poussin or squab chicken (baby
chickens usually weighing between 18 and 22 ounces) and the Rock Cornish Hen, a
species of chicken usually harvested at about the same weight as a poussin;
make a wonderful single serving bird. Both of these birds are can be cooked in
similar manners. Roasting or grilling at higher temperatures provides the best
result, sealing in the juices and reducing the cooking time: the meal on the
table in less than an hour. Whole birds may be stuffed with vegetables, wild
rice or any other preferred mixture before roasting, however, I favor splitting
the birds in half and grilling or sautéing. These birds benefit by seasoning,
basting and or marinating, as they have a mild flavor. This tendency gives the
chef a chance to show off his or her favorite sauces.
Capons
Are neutered roosters that have
been grain feed and fattened. Weighing as much as six pounds, they can feed an
entire family of six. Stuffed and simply seasoned, this succulent bird roasted
for a holiday dinner will have the diners applauding.
Domesticated Game Birds
The farming of game birds is quite
different than the rearing of commercial chickens. They are not fed hormones or
steroids and are usually not crowded into pens, therefore, they are not as
susceptible to salmonella bacteria and do not require cooking to over 160°F as
most mass-produced chicken is.
Most game birds are suited to
roasting; grilling and sautéing, however boiling and stewing generally take
away flavor rather that add it. To truly receive the most out of the bird, a
little kosher salt and a few turns of fresh ground black pepper will suffice.
There are many wonderful cookbooks
that cover the subject of preparing game birds in great detail, but even a
basic book such as my favorite, “The Joy of Cooking,” can give helpful hints.
Squab
Or pigeon are similar to Poussin
and game hen in size, the difference being that the flesh is darker and the
flavor is mildly gamy. Today’s farm raised squab is usually ring pigeon or rock doves that
have not yet developed feathers. These young pigeons are raised on grain diets until they are about a month
old. The squab farming industry has been well established in Northern
California for many years with one of the largest American producers located in
Modesto.
Squab was immensely popular during
the 18th and 19th centuries. With a plentiful supply they appeared on banquet
menus braised in sherry, Madeira or Marsala or briefly grilled or spit roasted.
Also, highly prized by the Chinese and Middle Eastern cultures, numerous
recipes abound. Marriages to exotic sauces, like hoisen, and unusual preparations
such as baked into pies or wrapped in lettuce leaves and steamed, give this
bird tremendous versatility.
More modern approaches to cooking
require techniques similar to that of preparing Poussin, these birds should not
be over-cooked; this would result in dry and gamy tasting flesh.
Quail
The smallest of the farm-produced
fowl are raised in California, Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina with the
California species being the larger. They are one of the more popular
domesticated game birds their availability is steady. The three main varieties
include the coturnix from Japan, the
most common farm raised breed, the American Bobwhite and the Pharaoh Quail.
Quail are very small, eight ounces
or less on average, so at least two birds person are needed to satisfy an
appetite for an entree, however, a single fowl is quite satisfactory when
served as an appetizer course with wild grain salad or endives in raspberry
vinaigrette.
Quail, as with the previous birds,
may be purchased “de boned,” that is, with the breast and backbones removed.
This is done to make them easier to eat but most chefs agree that it also
changes the flavor and degree of moistness. Quail cook quickly and may be
prepared in a variety of ways-but simply butterflied and grilled with a little
lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil lets you reap the most from the least.
Pheasant
Of all of the farm-raised game
birds, the pheasant has been deemed one of the most valued. From the tables of
the Roman Emperors and French aristocracy to the banquets of the noblemen of
England, it has held a place of gastronomic history. The Caesar's served the
bird with its elegant plumage and beaks and legs gilded. King Henry the VIII
employed only his most trusted servants to take care of his flock and Philip Duke
of Burgundy, in 1453, had his knights swear allegiance in front of his
pheasants before going on the Crusades.
The ring-necked pheasant is the
most common variety of these domestically raised birds and California is noted
as one of its largest producers with its many farms. There they are raised on a
corn and soy bean diet and harvested when they weigh between 2 and 3 pounds.
When preparing pheasant great care
needs be taken to avoid over-cooking the mild flavored breast. The traditional
technique describes roasting the bird until the breast of the bird is just
starting to become opaque (just past pink), then removing the breasts to a warm
plate and returning the carcass with the legs back into the oven or barbecue
until they are medium well.
Goose
A bird of many celebrations, goose
had been served to celebrate Saint Michael’s Day on September 29 in Germany and
Christmas in England as Bob Cratchit’s famous family fed on this fleshy fowl.
Saint Martins Day, November 11, was the traditional day for eating goose in
Northern Europe as a punishment to the geese that gave away his farmyard-hiding
place from the admirers who wanted him to be pope. The ancient Romans
considered the goose to be sacred and valued them as watchdogs to warn them of
coming barbarian invasions.
The Toulouse goose is the most
common species that is domestically raised. These succulent birds are usually
butchered before they are 9 months old and weigh about 8 to 12 pounds. A larger
bird will serve 4 to 6 people. Geese do not need barding or larding (the adding
of extra fat by inserting into the meat or under the skin) as they usually have
a savory layer of fat. Geese may be roasted or barbecued much the same way, as
you would cook a turkey, but watch for barbecue fires. * See duck
Duck
The most sumptuous and commonly
used of all domesticated game birds is the duck. From tables of the Chinese
Emperors to four-star restaurants of France, duck is a gastronomic mainstay.
Its moist and juicy flesh without the gaminess of its relatives, make it a
perfect foil for sauces of fall fruit - apples, pears and persimmons or in
spring with cherries or in summer with berries. The recipes are endless. In
China, duck rules. It is prepared in hundreds of ways and is the primary food
animal.
In the United States the first
farm-raised ducks theoretically arrived in San Francisco from China in 1873.
These Peking ducks were on their way to New York, but about a dozen of them
ended up on Northern California farms to become the basis of our modern duck
farms. Since these birds were on their way to Long Island they became Long
Island ducklings. Other popular and common varieties include the Muscovy duck,
a large goose-like South American species, moulard-sterile offspring of the
Muscovy and Peking duck, the French Rouen or smaller Nantais duck,
Barbary-offspring of the Rouen and Muscovy and the English Aylesbury. All but
the Muscovy are descendants of the Chinese Imperial Peking duck species.
“Duckling” was once a strict description for birds under two months of age, now
it includes duck aged six months or less.
The two most famous preparations
of duck are the French and Chinese versions of “pressed duck.” In the French
version the duck is roasted, and while still rare to medium rare, the meat is
removed from the bones and the bones placed in a “duck press.” This
wine-press-like machine then is used to extract the remaining blood and juices
from which a sauce is made. In the Chinese version, the duck is boiled with
star anise and ginger until the meat easily falls off of the bones. The meat is
blended with water chestnut flour and some of the cooking broth to make a flat
loaf on a large oval platter. This loaf is steamed, cooled, cut into chunks,
and fried in peanut oil. It is usually served with plum sauce and cashews,
almonds or peanuts.
Home preparation of duck is quite
easy as long as you remember that a lot of fat will be rendered during the
cooking process. This means that you should first score the entire duck by
making small slashes over the skin of the bird. This helps to release the oils.
Have a deep enough pan under the duck to collect the fat (save for making
confit or sautéing) while roasting. Warning!!! Do not barbecue a domestic duck
without taking these precautions. Precooking or de fatting before putting over
an open flame will reduce any fire hazard.
Many recipes require the cooking
of the breast of the fowl separately from the legs. In this instance, cook the
legs ahead of time or simmer in duck fat until well done. Score the breast with
a sharp knife and sauté in a hot pan that has been sprinkled with kosher salt.
Place the breast into the pan and reduce the flame. The trick is to render most
of the fat out of the breast and crisp the fat before turning over to cook the
other side. When medium rare to rare, remove and slice thinly before serving.
Cautionary note: all meats keep on cooking after you remove them from heat. For
a medium rare result, remove the meat from a pan or oven while still rare to
medium rare and let rest before slicing.
The method that I use most often
is to remove the breasts and place the seasoned legs attached to the carcass in
a 350° oven for two hours. I sauté the scored breasts in a small amount of oil
until the skin is crispy and the meat is medium rare. For service I remove the
legs from the carcass and fan the sliced breast meat on the plate.
Follow the recipes below that fit the bill and you won’t have to wing it - your guests and family will flock to the table and get down.
Cumberland Sauce
This traditional sauce for game
birds is delicious with all poultry.
Cumberland Sauce
Ingredients
1 orange - juice and zest
1 lemon - juice and zest
1 c. red currant jelly
1 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. port
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Technique
Zest the orange and lemon, using a
potato peeler or zesting tool. Take care not to use the white part of the rind.
Blanch in boiling water for one minute and drain. Julienne into thin strips.
Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan, bring to a simmer reduce by 1/2
and cool.
May be served warm or cold.
Quick and Easy Orange Sauce
Ingredients
1 small can of frozen concentrated orange juice (with pulp)
Soy sauce to taste
Honey or Agave syrup
Method
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and reduce until
thickened
Brush on fowl during the last half hour of cooking.
Roast Quail wrapped in Bacon
with Orange Pomegranate Sauce and Almond Couscous
For 4 people
Ingredients
8 quail or you could
substitute 4 small game hens
4 slices thick sliced bacon
Sauce
Ingredients
½ medium yellow onion, diced
fine
1 large clove garlic
2 tbls. Olive oil
1 tsp. fresh rosemary finely
minced
1 c. pomegranate juice
1 c. zinfandel or other
decent red wine – you can substitute wine with a red grape Verjus
1 c. orange juice
concentrate thawed
Salt
Method
In a two-quart saucepan
sauté the onion in olive oil until slightly browned. Add the garlic and cook
for a few seconds. Remove from heat. Mix the pomegranate juice; wine, rosemary,
and orange juice concentrate in a large bowl. Add the quail or game hens to the
mixture and marinate for 30 minutes. Remove birds and pat dry. Wrap the quail
in half a slice of the bacon or if using game hens use a whole slice per bird.
Add the marinade to the saucepan and reduce over low heat until syrupy.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Turn
the oven down to 375°F as the bird are placed in the oven. Roast the quail
until bacon is browned and birds are firm, about 15 to 20 minutes. If using
game hens use the same technique but they will take about 40 minutes. Pour
sauce over the birds. Serve with the couscous and grilled endive or steamed
broccolini.
Almond Couscous
Ingredients
1 c. couscous
1 c. water
½ tsp. salt
½ medium yellow onion, diced fine
½ c. slice almonds
2 tbsp. Olive oil
Method
Follow the recipe on the box
for cooking the couscous. Sauté the onions in olive oil until translucent. Add
the almonds and cook for a few seconds longer. Mix with the cooked couscous.
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