Roast Woodcock

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small heavy roasting pan, about 13 by 9 inches (33 by 23 cm)
• •Wide skillet, about 12 inches (30 cm)
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Unwaxed cotton kitchen twine, for a broken-beak rescue
• •Small warmed sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare and truss birds

   Set a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat it to 475°F (245°C) for a full thirty minutes. Take the woodcock from the refrigerator twenty minutes before roasting and pat every surface dry without rinsing. Fold the wings behind each bird, cross the legs over the abdomen, turn the head alongside the body, and carefully pass the long beak through the fleshy part of both thighs to hold them. If a beak begins to split, stop forcing it. Ça se rattrape: secure the legs and head against the body with unwaxed cotton kitchen twine instead.

   The dealer should remove the eyes and gizzard while leaving the remaining viscera intact. If the birds haven't been legally inspected and prepared for this traditional service, don't attempt that anatomical work at home.
2. 2

   Fry the bread

   Trim each bread slice into a broad oval just large enough to support one bird. Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat and fry the slices until pale gold on both sides, about two minutes per side. They will brown again beneath the woodcock, so stop before their edges turn dark. Arrange the croûtons in a small heavy roasting pan with a little space between them.

3. 3

   Bard and roast

   Drape two bacon slices over the breast of each woodcock, overlapping them enough to cover the lean meat, then set each bird breast-side up on its croûton. Roast without opening the oven for fifteen minutes. Check each bird at the thickest part of the breast and innermost thigh without touching bone; it must reach 165°F (74°C). Continue roasting as necessary, checking at one-minute intervals, usually no more than eighteen minutes for birds of this size. The skin should be chestnut-brown, the bacon bronzed at its edges, and the bread dark gold with rich juices gathered at its center.

   If the exposed bread edges darken before the birds are cooked, shield only those edges with narrow strips of foil. Don't cover the birds, because dry, fierce heat is what gives them color before their small breasts lose moisture.
4. 4

   Rest on croûtons

   Lift each bird together with its croûton onto a warmed oval platter, keeping the bacon in place. Rest them for five minutes while you make the pan liquor. The brief rest settles the juices, but don't hold woodcock longer than this; a tiny roast cools with astonishing speed.

5. 5

   Swill the pan

   Spoon off any large pool of clear bacon fat while leaving the dark fond in the roasting pan. Remove the pan from the burner before adding the Cognac, especially over a gas flame, then return it to medium heat and scrape the floor clean with a wooden spoon. Simmer for one to two minutes, until the raw alcoholic edge softens and the liquor reduces slightly. Stir in the concentrated game gravy and bring it just back to a simmer. If it turns sticky, loosen it with a teaspoon of hot water; if fat sheets across the surface, spoon that fat away. Ça se rattrape. The finished liquor should be thin, dark, and glossy, not thickened like a conventional sauce.

6. 6

   Serve the woodcock

   Pour the pan liquor into a warmed sauceboat and serve it separately, exactly as the source directs. Give each guest one whole woodcock on its butter-fried croûton, with the bacon still draped over the breast, and pass the liquor for spooning at the table. The crisp edges and richly soaked center of the bread belong in every serving. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order woodcock from a licensed game dealer and specify the traditional preparation when you place the order: plucked, head and beak attached, eyes and gizzard removed, everything else left intact. Availability and sale are regulated, and if the dealer can't supply the bird this way, choose another preparation rather than improvising.
• •"Just sufficiently high" means professionally matured until the game flavor has deepened without spoilage. That judgment belongs to an experienced dealer. Never hang an undrawn bird on a domestic counter or in an improvised pantry.
• •Use a thermometer. The old kitchen judged woodcock by touch and juice, but wild game served at home should reach 165°F (74°C). This is the one deliberate safety change to the old service; it protects the table without altering the source's flavorings or brief roasting method.
• •Resist adding thyme, juniper, garlic, or a sweet glaze. Bacon, brandy, concentrated game gravy, and the bird's own drippings are the entire register. The woodcock must remain the strongest voice on the plate.
• •Don't salt automatically. The bacon and concentrated game gravy may provide all the seasoning required, and there is no graceful rescue for an oversalted pan liquor.
• •Pour an earthy red Burgundy or a mature Pinot Noir with enough freshness to meet the game and Cognac. Keep the side dish quiet, such as a small gratin of potatoes or buttered celeriac.

Advance Preparation

• •Arrange the dealer preparation when ordering the birds. Keep them in the cold in their original wrapping and follow the dealer's use instructions; home hanging is not part of this translation.
• •The bread can be trimmed and the bacon separated up to eight hours ahead. Cover the bread at room temperature and refrigerate the bacon.
• •Measure the Cognac and concentrated game gravy before the birds enter the oven. Once roasting begins, the dish moves quickly and the pan liquor must be made during the five-minute rest.
• •The finished woodcock cannot be held without losing heat and moisture. Fry the bread shortly before roasting and plan to serve as soon as the pan liquor reaches the sauceboat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 280g)