Roast Grouse With Blackcurrant Beetroot Sauce Recipes

NORTHERN ONTARIO PARTRIDGE (RUFFED GROUSE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the slices of bacon in the skillet and fry until they have released their juices, but are not crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside. Place the partridge breast halves into the pan, and brown them quickly, about 2 minutes per side.
• Remove the partridge pieces, and wrap each one with two slices of bacon. Secure with toothpicks. Pour enough of the drippings from the skillet into a baking dish to cover the bottom. Place the partridge pieces into the dish along with the chicken broth, white wine, shallots, garlic, salt and black pepper.
• Roast uncovered for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove drippings from the baking dish using a turkey baster, and place in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Serve gravy with partridge.

FETTUCCINE WITH CREAMY ROASTED BEET SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine beets, onion, and garlic cloves in a bowl. Add olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Transfer to a baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven until cooked through and tender, about 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven and let cool until beets can be handled, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove beet skins.
• Transfer mixture to a food processor. Add vegetable broth and lemon juice; pulse until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan.
• Stir heavy cream into the beet mixture in the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until it begins to simmer, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese until melted. Set aside.
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Cook fettuccine at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Pour beet sauce over pasta and toss until well combined. Top with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and a pinch of additional thyme.

BEETROOT PANCAKES

Steps:

• Put the beetroot in a jug with the milk and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Pour into a bowl with the rest of the pancake ingredients and whisk until smooth and vibrant purple.
• Put a small knob of butter in a large non-stick frying pan and heat over a medium-low heat until melted and foamy. Now create 3 or 4 pancakes each made from 2 tbsp of the batter. Cook for 2-3 mins then flip over and cook for a further minute until cooked through. Repeat with any remaining batter. Heat oven to lowest setting and keep the pancakes warm in there until needed.
• Serve with your favourite pancake toppings or make a simple compote by simmering frozen berries in with 1 tbsp blackcurrant jam until bubbling and syrupy (about 5-10 mins). In a small bowl stir together the remaining jam and the yogurt. Stack the cooked pancakes with the yogurt and pour the warm berry compote over the top.

ROAST GROUSE WITH BLACKCURRANT & BEETROOT SAUCE

Steps:

• First make the stock for the sauce: place a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. When it is hot, melt the butter with the sunflower oil. Add the grouse legs and brown in the pan for 4-5 mins, turning regularly. Add the shallot, bay leaf, thyme and whisky, and reduce the heat. Allow any liquid to evaporate, then add the chicken stock. Press the legs down in the stock so that they are all covered. Reduce the heat to a bare simmer and cook gently for 1 hr.
• Discard the legs. Strain the stock into a clean pan and reduce, over a medium heat, until you have about 300ml. Allow this to cool, then cover and chill if not using immediately. Can be done a day ahead up to this stage. You can finish the sauce once the grouse are cooked.
• Clean the grouse: remove any remaining feathers, and rinse the birds inside and out with cold water. Pat them dry with kitchen paper. Divide the butter between the cavities of the birds, and add to each a thyme sprig and some chopped shallot. Season the birds inside and out, and wrap a slice of pancetta over the top of each bird. The birds are now ready to cook, but can be chilled for several hours if necessary - allow them to come to room temperature before you cook them (this will take 1 hr or so).
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Place the grouse in a roomy roasting tin and the buttered slices of bread on a baking tray - they will toast at the same time as the grouse cook. To cook the grouse to medium, put in the oven for 18-20 mins. Keep an eye on the toasts and remove them when they are golden brown. The grouse are cooked when the breasts feel firm to the touch. If you have a cooking thermometer, cook them so that the thickest part of the breast, just above the wing, registers 55C.
• Remove the birds from the oven. Place each on a piece of the buttered toast to absorb any juices that drain from the birds. Cover loosely with a piece of foil and leave to rest for 10 mins while you finish the sauce.
• Put the roasting tin on the heat and, when it is warm, add the grouse stock. Let it simmer, scraping the juices from the bottom so that they dissolve in the stock. Add the redcurrant jelly, blackcurrants, beetroot, and finally the cassis. Simmer the sauce for 3-4 mins, then remove from the heat and season to taste. Serve the grouse on heated plates with a little sauce drizzled around, and some buttered spinach, if you like.