Perdreau à la Bourguignonne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12 to 14-inch lidded heavy sauté pan for the poêling
• •Shallow 4-quart covered casserole or terrine
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen twine

Instructions

1. 1

   Glaze the onions

   Put the pearl onions in a wide skillet with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter, the water, the sugar, and a pinch of the measured salt. Cover and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until a small knife enters with only slight resistance. Uncover and roll the onions through the pan as the water evaporates, letting the butter and sugar leave them pale gold and glossy. If the sugar catches before the onions are tender, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) water, cover again, and finish them gently. Reserve the onions.

2. 2

   Cook the mushrooms

   Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushroom caps in one layer, rounded sides down, and let them take colour before turning them. Season with another pinch of salt and cook until tender but still plump, about 5 minutes. If they shed water, raise the heat and let that liquid evaporate in the pan; draining it throws away their flavour. Reserve with the onions.

3. 3

   Poêle the partridges

   Pat the partridges dry, tuck the wing tips beneath the backs, and tie the legs close to the bodies with kitchen twine. Season inside and out with the remaining salt and the pepper. Cook the birds to three-quarters doneness according to Poëlings (No. 250), stopping while the breasts still yield beneath a finger and register about 140 to 145°F (60 to 63°C) at their thickest point. Move directly to the finish, because partly cooked game must never be cooled or held for later.

4. 4

   Fill the terrine

   Transfer the three-quarters-cooked partridges to a shallow 4-quart covered casserole or terrine, breast sides up. Arrange exactly six glazed onions and six cooked mushroom caps around each bird. Cover loosely while you make the sauce, keeping the waiting time short.

5. 5

   Reduce the wine

   Pour the red Burgundy into the partridge's poêling pan and bring it to a lively boil, scraping every browned trace from the bottom. Reduce by two-thirds, until about 2/3 cup (160 ml / 160 g) remains and the raw smell of wine has softened into something dark and rounded. Stir in the game half-glaze and simmer for 2 minutes. If the reduction races past its mark and turns syrupy, take it off the heat and whisk in hot water 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) at a time. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Strain and skim

   Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan or heatproof jug. Let it stand for a minute, then skim away the butter and grease that rise to the surface. The sauce should pour freely while coating a spoon with a thin garnet glaze. Taste before adding any salt, because prepared half-glaze can carry plenty of its own.

7. 7

   Complete the cooking

   Pour the sauce over and around the partridges, cover the casserole, and return it to a 375°F (190°C) oven for 7 to 8 minutes. The sauce should barely tremble at the edge, never boil hard. Check the thickest part of each bird without touching bone; it must reach 165°F (74°C). If necessary, continue in 2-minute intervals so the lean breast doesn't spend one moment longer in the oven than it needs.

8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Rest the covered birds for 5 minutes. If the sauce looks thin, lift the partridges and garnish out, reduce the sauce briefly on the stove, then return everything to the terrine; if it has tightened, loosen it with a spoonful of hot water. Serve one whole partridge per person with six onions, six mushroom caps, and a generous spoonful of the glossy sauce. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for young farmed partridge or chukar of similar size. Frozen birds are perfectly sound when thawed slowly in the refrigerator; dry them very well before trussing. If you use wild-shot birds, inspect carefully for pellets and torn bone.
• •Measure finished game half-glaze, not concentrate straight from a jar. Reconstitute a commercial concentrate according to its directions before measuring. Unsalted veal demi-glace is the honest home substitute when game half-glaze cannot be found, though the sauce will lose some of its game character.
• •Choose a dry red Burgundy with clean fruit and modest oak. The wine is reduced severely, so bitterness and harsh wood only become louder. It needn't be dear, but it should be pleasant enough to pour with dinner.
• •The six onions and six mushroom caps per bird aren't decorative arithmetic. They are the Burgundian garnish and part of the original proportion, so keep them generous and serve every bit.
• •A young partridge is lean and waits for nobody. Use the thermometer at the final stage, then rest the birds briefly and bring them straight to the table.

Advance Preparation

• •The onions may be glazed and the mushroom caps cooked up to 8 hours ahead. Chill them separately, then let them lose their refrigerator chill before arranging them around the birds.
• •Truss the partridges up to 8 hours ahead and refrigerate them uncovered so their surfaces remain dry. Season shortly before cooking.
• •Have the finished game half-glaze measured before beginning the poêling. The wine sauce itself cannot be made ahead because it depends on the fresh partridge fond in the pan.
• •Never stop after partially cooking the birds. Once the Poëlings stage begins, continue through the wine sauce and final 7-to-8-minute cooking without delay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 340g)