Chef Juliette
Caneton Nantais à la Choucroûte
A whole Nantes duckling, browned and gently braised with Rhine wine, carved over choucroute glazed nearly dry with salt pork, then finished beneath a restrained veil of glossy veal sauce.
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Pigeonneaux en Casserole à la Paysanne
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 1777, Pigeonneaux en Casserole à la Paysanne, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Four squabs roast without liquid in a buttered casserole, then meet their paysanne garnish of salt pork and golden potatoes before a little good gravy gathers every browned juice.
Main Dishes
French
Comfort Food
One Pot
Dinner Party
25 min
Active Time
45 min cook•1 hr 10 min total
Yield4 servings
Pigeonneaux en Casserole à la Paysanne (country-style squabs in a casserole) teaches the discipline of dry casserole roasting. The one true thing to know before touching the pan is this: no liquid enters while the birds cook. Butter, a close-fitting lid, and the squabs' own juices keep the flesh succulent while the casserole builds a concentrated fond underneath.
The original formula assumed an earthenware saucepan, several birds moving through service, and a saucier with good gravy always ready. For four at home, a heavy lidded casserole replaces the old earthenware vessel, and a small measure of rich poultry gravy replaces the stockpot that never left the fire. The source proportions remain exact: one and one-half ounces of salted pork and two ounces of potatoes for every pigeon. Maintaining a sauce station was brigade scaffolding and can go; Blanchings (No. 273), sautéing the potatoes, and adding both only when the birds are two-thirds cooked are the dish itself and must stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.
When it is right, the squabs arrive burnished and compact, surrounded by butter-gold potato slices and little dice of pork, with just enough gravy to gather the casserole juices. Watch the timing of the garnish. Add it too soon and the potatoes dry before the birds are ready; add it too late and it never takes on the flavor of the pot.
Pigeonneaux en Casserole à la Paysanne sits in the French cuisine bourgeoise repertoire rather than belonging to one province: households with access to dovecotes roasted young pigeons in covered earthenware and used salt pork and potatoes to carry their juices. In the Parisian classical kitchen, that household method became a named casserole formula, but à la paysanne still described the garnish, not an imagined rustic region. Its restraint is deliberate: the bird cooks without moistening, and gravy enters only when the dish is ready to serve.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
oven-ready domestic squabs
Quantity
4, about 1 pound (450 g) each
salted breast of pork or unsmoked salt pork
Quantity
1¼ cups (300 ml / 170 g), prepared according to Blanchings (No. 273)
cut into small dice
waxy potatoes
Quantity
2 cups (475 ml / 225 g)
peeled and sliced ¼ inch (6 mm) thick
unsalted butter
Quantity
4 tablespoons (60 ml / 57 g)
softened and divided
fine sea salt
Quantity
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g)
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 1 g)
rich poultry gravy
Quantity
⅓ cup (80 ml / 80 g)
heated
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| oven-ready domestic squabs | 4, about 1 pound (450 g) each |
| salted breast of pork or unsmoked salt porkcut into small dice | 1¼ cups (300 ml / 170 g), prepared according to Blanchings (No. 273) |
| waxy potatoespeeled and sliced ¼ inch (6 mm) thick | 2 cups (475 ml / 225 g) |
| unsalted buttersoftened and divided | 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 57 g) |
| fine sea salt | ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g) |
| freshly ground black pepper | ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 1 g) |
| rich poultry gravyheated | ⅓ cup (80 ml / 80 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •4½ to 5-quart (4.3 to 4.7 L) lidded ovenproof casserole
- •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Slotted spoon or flexible turner
- •Wooden spoon
Instructions
- 1
Ready the squabs
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with a rack in the center. Pat the squabs thoroughly dry, including their cavities, then tuck the wing tips underneath and tie the legs together loosely. Season inside and out with the salt and pepper. Rub 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter over the birds and use another 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) to coat the bottom and sides of a heavy lidded casserole. Arrange the squabs breast-side up in one snug layer and cover.
Choose young domestic squabs of similar weight so all four finish together. Large pigeon or an older wild bird needs a longer braise and is not an even substitution here. - 2
Begin the dry roast
Roast the covered squabs for 18 to 22 minutes without adding water, wine, stock, or gravy. This closed, dry oven cooking is the principle of the dish. At the two-thirds point, the skins will be pale gold, the casserole will hold a little clear butter and concentrated bird juice, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the breast should read roughly 125 to 135°F (52 to 57°C). Do not keep opening the lid; every inspection throws away the gentle heat protecting the breasts.
- 3
Prepare the garnish
While the squabs roast, prepare the diced salted breast of pork according to Blanchings (No. 273), then drain and dry it thoroughly. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the potato slices in one layer, working in batches if necessary, until lightly golden on both sides and nearly tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn them carefully so they keep their shape, then lift them from the skillet. Do not salt them; the pork and gravy will bring enough.
- 4
Join at two-thirds
Remove the casserole lid and reduce the oven to 375°F (190°C). Surround the squabs with the blanched pork dice and sautéed potatoes, turning the garnish once through the butter and juices without covering the birds. Return the casserole to the oven uncovered and cook gently for 12 to 18 minutes, rotating the vessel once, until the potatoes are tender and both the thickest breast and inner thigh of each squab register 165°F (74°C). If the potatoes brown before the birds are ready, lift them to a warm plate and return them for the final 2 minutes. Ça se rattrape. Do not add liquid to slow the browning; lower the oven to 350°F (175°C) and cover loosely instead.
- 5
Finish with gravy
Lift the squabs, pork, and potatoes temporarily to a warm dish and let the birds rest while the gravy is finished. Spoon off any large pool of clear fat from the casserole, leaving the brown cooking juices behind. Pour in the hot poultry gravy and scrape the casserole floor with a wooden spoon until every trace of fond has joined it. If the vessel is flameproof, warm it over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes; otherwise, the retained oven heat is sufficient. The gravy should gleam and pool lightly, not drown the garnish. Taste before adding any salt.
- 6
Bring it to table
Return the squabs to the casserole and arrange the potatoes and pork around them. Spoon the gravy beneath and around the birds so their browned skins remain visible. Serve one squab per person directly from the casserole. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Salt pork means unsmoked cured pork belly here. Smoked bacon changes the clean flavor of the squab and gravy; if salt pork is unavailable, choose thick unsmoked slab bacon and keep the source proportion.
- •Use waxy potatoes such as Charlotte, fingerling, or Yukon Gold. Floury potatoes can crumble during the preliminary sauté and disappear into the casserole instead of remaining distinct slices.
- •The gravy must already taste complete before it enters the casserole. Choose a rich, lightly seasoned poultry gravy without wine, cream, or assertive herbs; its purpose is to gather the fond, not introduce a second dish.
- •Use only earthenware explicitly rated for a hot oven. A 4½ to 5-quart enameled cast-iron casserole is the honest home equivalent and protects the birds from abrupt temperature changes.
- •A light red Burgundy or a cru Beaujolais has enough freshness for the young pigeon and enough fruit for the salt pork. Keep the accompaniment simple, since the potatoes are already in the pot.
Advance Preparation
- •Prepare the poultry gravy up to three days ahead, chill it promptly, and reheat it before the casserole reaches the table. Keep it lightly seasoned because the salt pork will strengthen the final sauce.
- •The salt pork may be prepared according to Blanchings (No. 273) earlier the same day, then drained, dried, covered, and chilled until needed.
- •The potatoes may be sliced up to two hours ahead and held in cold water. Drain and dry them completely before sautéing, because wet slices spit in the butter and refuse to brown.
- •Roast the squabs just before serving. Reheating cooks the small breasts twice and costs the tenderness this method is designed to protect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 285g)
Calories
955 calories
Total Fat
80 g
Saturated Fat
28 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
46 g
Cholesterol
250 mg
Sodium
1100 mg
Total Carbohydrates
13 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
46 g
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