Main course

Perdreau à la Bourguignonne

Partridge is a mild-tasting game bird similar to guinea fowl, only a little smaller. It does not have the rich, red meat of grouse, but neither is it as dry as pheasant, nor as bland as a domestic chicken. For most people, partridge is the sweet spot for versatile game cooking.

In the UK, partridge are in season from 1 September – 1 February.In the UK, our common variety is grey partridge, but stocks are in decline, Estimates suggest that there are just 250,000 breeding pairs in the country.

The recipe for ‘partridge à la Burgundy’ comes from Escoffier’s Le Guide Culinare.

Perdreau à la Bourguignonne

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By Auguste Escoffier Serves: 4
Cooking Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

  • 4 partridge, plucked, trussed and season inside and out
  • 100g butter
  • 1 tbsp neural oil
  • 500ml red wine
  • 2 tbsp game demi glace (it is fine to use three Knorr chicken stock pots to approximate this)
  • 12 shallots or pearl onions, glazed (see our Little Black Book to glaze shallots and pearl onions)
  • 150g button mushrooms, cooked by simmering in seasoned water and butter
  • 500ml red wine
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1

Set an oven to 190˚C.

2

Heat the oil and butter in a frying or sauté pan until the butter foams. Fry the partridges on all sides until browned, but by no means cooked through. Remove the birds to a side dish.

3

Add the wine to the pan to deglaze, and then whisk in the demi glace. Reduce by a third. Check seasoning. Strain the sauce into a jug.

4

Place the mushrooms, onions and partridges in a Dutch oven or casserole and pour over the sauce. Place in the oven to cook for about 1 hour. Use a meat probe to check that the breasts have reached 75˚C.

5

Serve at the table in the Dutch oven.

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