High dining at its finest
RECIPE DETAILS
For the squab & the jus:
1. Remove the legs and breasts from the pigeons and sprinkle the legs with sea salt. Leave aside for 20 minutes..
2. Heat the duck fat to 90°C in a small pan. Brush excess salt off the pigeon legs and immerse into the fat. cook at this temperature for approximately 1hr 15m
3. Cool to room temperature in the fat.
4. Chop the carcasses from the pigeons and fry in a non-stick pan until golden. Add the vegetables, garlic, and thyme, and fry for a further 5 minutes.
5. Deglaze with Madeira and reduce by half. Add the veal stock to cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes.
6. Pass into a clean pan through a chinois and reduce to consistency. Finish with a little butter and raspberry vinegar to sharpen, then whisk in a little chocolate. The sauce should be neither too chocolatey or too sharp, but nicely balanced.
For the quinoa:
1. Rinse the quinoa well in cold water and drain.
2. Combine with the light chicken stock the thyme and salt, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes until tender.
3. Remove from the heat and check seasoning. Keep warm.
For the pickled pear:
1. Lightly crush the spices and tie in a muslin bag.
2. Pour the vinegar, water, sugar and lemon juice into a pan. Add the spice bag, bring to the boil, and reduce to simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add the peeled pears, cover with a cartouche, and poach until tender (about 15-20 minutes). Remove from the heat and cool in the liquid.
4. Quarter the pears, leaving the stalk intact. Caramelise in a little butter before service.
For the Savoy cabbage:
1. Remove the rib from the centre of each leaf.
2. Cook the leaves in salted boiling water until tender. Drain well and add butter and seasoning. Reserve.
To finish the dish, assemble all the components:
Confit pigeon legs
Pigeon breasts plus 1 whole clove garlic, 1 sprig thyme, and a knob of butter
Segments of pickled pear plus a little sugar
The warm quinoa
The warm cabbage
The warm sauce
1. Season the pigeon breasts and fry in a hot pan with olive oil for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and rest in a warm place.
2. Meanwhile fry the confit legs on the skin side until crisp.
3. Add the breasts, the garlic, thyme, and butter to the pan and heat briefly together. Remove from the pan and carve the breast into two.
4. In a separate non-stick pan, caramelise the pear segments with a little sugar.
5. Place a teaspoon of quinoa on the plate and arrange beside the pigeon, pear, and cabbage. Pour the sauce around.
