Pintade (Guinea Fowl)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small heavy metal roasting pan, about 13 by 9 inches (33 by 23 cm)
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Kitchen twine
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Small saucepan

Instructions

1. 1

   Read and season bird

   Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C) with a rack in the lower-middle position. Remove the giblets without rinsing the pintade, reserve the neck if one was supplied, and dry the bird thoroughly inside and out. Season the cavity and skin evenly with the salt and pepper. A dry surface browns; water left on the skin merely delays the roast.

   The bird must be young. If it is labeled mature, stewing, or boiling guinea fowl, stop here and choose a braise instead. Weight is only a guide; the butcher's description matters more.
2. 2

   Bard and truss

   Rub 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the softened butter over the breast, legs, and flanks. Tuck the wing tips beneath the bird and tie the legs together without cinching them hard against the breast. Overlap the bacon across the breast and the tops of the thighs, then secure it with two loops of kitchen twine. The barde protects the lean meat while its fat renders; leave the lower flanks exposed so they can take colour.

3. 3

   Begin the roast

   Set the reserved neck, if supplied, in a small heavy roasting pan and place the pintade breast-side up over it. Roast for 15 minutes, then lower the oven to 375°F (190°C). Carefully pour ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) of the stock around the bird, never over its skin, rotate the pan, and roast for another 25 minutes. Watch the fond on the pan floor: if it races from chestnut toward black, add stock 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time and move the pan down one rack. Ça se rattrape. Act while the fond is still brown, because burnt fond cannot make a good jus.

4. 4

   Brown to exact doneness

   Lift the bacon from the bird with tongs and lay the strips beside it in the pan. Baste the exposed skin once with the pan fat, then roast for 15 to 25 minutes more, lifting out the bacon as soon as it is crisp. Begin checking early with an instant-read thermometer, avoiding bone. Remove the pintade the moment the thickest parts of both breast and thigh reach 165°F (74°C). If the breast becomes deeply bronze before the centre is ready, lay the bacon back over it or cover that area loosely with foil and continue cooking the legs.

5. 5

   Rest without trapping moisture

   Transfer the pintade and crisp bacon to a warm platter or carving board. Rest the bird for 15 minutes, covering it only loosely at the sides with foil so the skin remains burnished. Collect every juice that runs onto the board. The rest is part of the cooking: carve immediately and the juices leave the meat instead of staying where they belong.

6. 6

   Build the jus

   Pour all visible bacon fat from the roasting pan into a heatproof bowl, leaving the brown glaze behind. Set the metal pan over medium heat, add the remaining stock, and scrape the fond into it with a wooden spoon. Simmer until reduced to about ⅔ cup (160 ml), then strain into a small saucepan and add the resting juices. Taste before adding any salt because the bacon has already spoken. Off the heat, whisk in the remaining cold butter until the jus gleams. If it looks greasy, whisk in 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of cold water; if it is too tight, add the second tablespoon. If it is thin, return it to the heat and reduce briefly.

7. 7

   Carve and serve

   Remove the twine. Cut away the legs and divide them at the joints, then remove each breast in one piece and slice it thickly across the grain. Arrange the meat on the warm platter with the crisp bacon. Spoon a little jus around the carved meat, not over the browned skin, and pass the rest at the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask specifically for a young roasting guinea fowl weighing about 3 to 3½ pounds (1.4 to 1.6 kilograms). A mature bird may look splendid in the butcher's case, but the roasting pan will expose its age; put that one into a covered braise instead.
• •Use thin unsmoked bacon for the home barde. Thick slices insulate rather than baste, while strongly smoked bacon overwhelms the pintade's delicate game character. If smoked bacon is all you have, it will still protect the bird, but the finished jus will be distinctly smoky.
• •Use the thermometer. Guinea fowl is lean enough that colour and cooking time alone are poor judges, and waiting for the legs to look dramatically loose usually means the breast has gone too far.
• •Serve with gratin dauphinois, buttered cabbage, chestnuts, or a smooth celeriac purée. A Pinot Noir, a mature Beaujolais, or a restrained Loire red has enough freshness for the jus without bullying the bird.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and keep them for up to three days. Reheat carved meat gently under a cover with a spoonful of jus until it reaches 165°F (74°C); dry heat punishes pintade twice.

Advance Preparation

• •The pintade can be dried, seasoned, trussed, and barded up to 4 hours ahead. Keep it on a tray on the lowest refrigerator shelf, then take it out while the oven heats.
• •The jus may be strained and reduced while the bird rests, then held off the heat for about 15 minutes. Whisk in the cold butter only just before serving so the finish stays glossy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)