Perdreau Lady Clifford

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •13 to 14-inch (33 to 35 cm) heavy sauté pan with a close-fitting lid
• •Small heavy saucepan for warming Sauce Soubise
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Truffle slicer or very sharp small mandoline
• •Long match or wand lighter
• •Tongs and a large basting spoon
• •Warm oval serving platter and separate sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the final quarter

   Remove the partridges from the cold about thirty minutes before cooking. Pat every surface and the cavities dry, season inside and out with the salt and pepper, then tie the legs neatly against the bodies. Measure the brandy into a heatproof cup and cap the bottle before it comes near the stove. Melt the glace de viande gently if it is firm. Slice the truffles paper-thin only now and keep them covered; every exposed minute costs fragrance.

   Set a long match or wand lighter and the sauté-pan lid beside the stove before cooking. Brandy is poured from the measured cup, never from its bottle.
2. 2

   Color in butter

   Melt 6 tablespoons (90 ml / 85 g) of the butter in a wide, heavy lidded sauté pan over medium heat. When the foam subsides, add the partridges breast-side down and brown them methodically on every side, about eight to ten minutes in all. Work in two batches if the birds cannot sit without touching, then return them all to the pan. You want an even hazelnut bronze, not black milk solids. If the butter scorches, lift out the birds, wipe the pan clean, add the reserved butter, and continue. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Cook three-quarters

   Lower the heat, cover the pan with the lid slightly askew, and cook the birds for ten to twelve minutes. Turn them every few minutes and spoon the foaming butter over the breasts and legs. Three-quarters cooked means the flesh has firmed while the juices remain rosy, with an instant-read thermometer registering about 140 to 145°F (60 to 63°C) in the thickest part of a thigh. Do not push farther yet. The final ingredients still need their minutes.

4. 4

   Add the perfume

   Scatter the fine raw truffle slices around the birds, keeping them in the butter rather than piled on the breasts. Take the pan off the burner and switch off the overhead fan. Pour in the measured brandy from the cup, stand back, and touch a long match or wand lighter to the vapour at the pan's edge. Let the flame subside on its own, then swirl in the glace de viande. If the brandy does not ignite, do not keep trying: return the pan to low heat and simmer for about ninety seconds, until its sharp alcoholic smell softens. The burnt-brandy effect is preserved, and the dish is safe.

   Never lean over the pan, carry it while alight, or pour brandy directly from its bottle. If a flame persists, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the heat.
5. 5

   Finish and glaze

   Cover again and cook gently for another six to eight minutes, turning and basting twice, until the thighs reach 165°F (74°C). Transfer the birds and truffle slices to a warm platter and rest them for eight minutes. Simmer the pan juices briefly until they form a light, glossy glaze, then remove the pan from the heat. If the glaze looks oily rather than united, whisk in the cold water one teaspoon at a time until the butter and meat glaze come together. Spoon the truffles and glaze over and around the birds.

6. 6

   Warm Soubise apart

   While the partridges rest, warm the finished Sauce Soubise in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often so the onion purée does not catch. If it has tightened in the cold, loosen it with a teaspoon or two of water until it falls softly from the spoon. Transfer it to a warmed sauceboat. Do not pour it over the partridges; serving it apart preserves the contrast between the ivory onion sauce, the bronzed skin, and the truffle-dark glaze.

7. 7

   Serve without delay

   Give each diner one partridge, with its share of truffle slices and butter glaze. Pass the Sauce Soubise separately so everyone can spoon it beside the bird rather than over the crispest skin. The truffle is at its fullest now, and waiting gains nothing. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use young farmed partridges of similar size so all four finish together. An older wild bird wants a slow braise, and that is another preparation entirely.
• •The source allows two ounces of raw truffle for every bird, and this recipe keeps that ratio. It is lavish because the truffle is a principal ingredient, not decoration. Truffle oil cannot replace it, and preserved slices will not give the same fragrance.
• •A proper glace de viande is firm and gelatinous when cold, glossy when melted, and restrained in salt. Frozen homemade glaze or a sound unsalted concentrate is the home equivalent to the stockpot the original kitchen kept ready. Bouillon paste brings salt without the necessary body.
• •Keep Sauce Soubise in its own sauceboat. Its sweetness softens the gaminess of the partridge, but pouring it over the platter would smother the butter glaze and the truffle perfume.
• •Serve with a supple red Burgundy or an elegant northern Rhône red. Avoid a heavily oaked, high-alcohol wine, which overwhelms the truffle and makes the brandy finish taste coarse.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the finished Sauce Soubise up to two days ahead, cool it promptly, and keep it covered in the cold. Warm it gently while the cooked partridges rest.
• •The partridges can be cleaned, dried, and tied earlier in the day. Keep them uncovered in the cold so their skin remains dry, then bring them out thirty minutes before cooking.
• •Measure the glace de viande and brandy before guests arrive, but leave the truffles whole and covered until the pan is ready. Their fine slices lose perfume quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)