Courtesy Andre Garrett, Head Chef, Cliveden House Hotel
Pigeon (Serves 4)
4 pigeons, cleaned, gutted, crowned, tied and singed with the blow torch
When prepped steam the pigeons at 64 degrees for 25 mins, chill down and set aside for service.
In a hot pan, fry the pigeon in rapeseed oil to colour and sear, add 2 tablespoons salted butter and baste and turn every 2 mins until cooked medium rare, take out and rest in a warm place for at least 10 mins.
Pumpkin, salsify and chestnuts
2 batons salsify
Peel the salsify and cut into 8cm batons, vacuum with a little olive oil and cook at 85 degrees for 45 mins, chill and set aside
1 potimarron pumpkin
Peel the potimarron pumpkin and deseed, cut into 2 cm thick slices and vacuum with a little olive oil, cook at 85 degrees for 45 mins, chill and set aside
12 frozen chestnuts
50g butter
200ml golden chicken stock
Place the chestnuts, butter and stock into a vacuum bag, cook at 85 degrees for 2 hour, take out and drain off liquid, reduce by half and then add the chestnuts, reduce until glazed, season
In hot pans foam 2 tablespoons of salted butter, add the salsify to one and the pumpkin to the other, add 1 sprig of thyme and slice of garlic, roll over gently to colour and cook through drain when ready.
Macaroni
140g 00 flour
Pinch salt
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon olive oil
Blend the flour and salt in robot coupe, drop in the eggs and olive oil, bring to a crumb and stop, tip onto bench and bring together but don’t overwork, place in vacuum bag to rest overnight.
Roll and stretch the pasta 8 to 10 times, cut out 8 cm disks and roll them onto a small piece of wood, press the end with water to stick and dry the macaroni in a tray of semolina for 1 hour, blanch in boiling salted water to cook through and chill in iced water.
Caramelised salsify puree
4 sticks salsify
50g butter
200ml double cream
Peel and chop the salsify, in a large pan foam the butter and add the salsify, season and place onto a low heat, caramelize for at least 2 hours slowly until golden, whist still hot place in blender and blend, drizzle in the cold cream until the correct consistency, season to taste and blend till cool, this will cook out the cream. Pass and set aside.
Pigeon jus
1 kg pigeon carcass
2 carrots, washed
1 white onion
2 sticks celery
1 stick dried fennel
5 white peppercorns
5 coffee beans
3 sprigs thyme
200ml madeira
2 litres veal stock
Chop the carcass and caramelize in a large heavy bottomed pan in foaming butter, drain, add chopped vegetables to pan and continue to caramelize, add carcasses again and toss over, add coffee, fennel and peppercorns, add half the madeira and reduce to syrup, toss over to coat, add rest of madeira and reduce by half, toss over the bones to glaze, add the stock and bring to the boil, cook out for 2 hours, skimming all the time, pass through muslin, reduce to consistency, season and set aside.
Livers from pigeons
Salted butter
2 table spoons sherry vinegar
Clean and chop finely the livers, heat a large pan and foam the butter, add the livers and cook, keep moving and cook the livers well, deglaze with the vinegar and reduce, pour in enough sauce and cook together to coat
Baby spinach
Picked and washed baby spinach
Classic French vinaigrette
Liver jus above
Salt and pepper
Take the spinach and dress with vinaigrette as a salad, season and dress with a little warm liver jus, toss over and dress ontop of the salsify and pumpkin.
Reheat the pigeon and vegetables, dress the salsify, pumpkin and chestnuts onto warm plates, heat the macaroni in boiling water and pipe in the warm salsify puree, dress the baby spinach ontop, carve the breasts off the pigeon and place ontop the spinach, serve the warm sauce on the side.
