Salmis de Bécasse

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) ovenproof skillet or shallow roasting pan
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Narrow boning knife
• •Heavy poultry shears
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Warm oval serving platter
• •Small mortar or sturdy chopping board for the offal

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the woodcock

   Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Working on one bird at a time, open the cavity carefully and remove the viscera without puncturing them. Separate the liver, heart, and slender intestinal tract from the muscular gizzard, keeping only clean, intact organs that an experienced hunter or game processor has identified as suitable for consumption. If an organ has ruptured, smells sour, or was not kept properly cold, discard the viscera. Do not guess. Keep the usable organs covered below 40°F (4°C), wipe the cavities with paper, and inspect every bird carefully for shot.

2. 2

   Roast them rosy

   Rub the birds with 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter, then season inside and out with most of the salt and pepper. Arrange them breast-up in a snug ovenproof skillet and roast for 10 to 14 minutes, basting once with the browned butter, until the skin is burnished and the deepest part of each breast reaches 151°F (66°C). Rest the birds for at least 3 minutes while keeping them at or above that temperature. This is underdone in the classical sense, rosy and yielding rather than raw. For pregnant, elderly, immunocompromised, or otherwise vulnerable guests, cook the birds to 165°F (74°C). Do not roast by the clock alone; overcooked woodcock cannot be rescued.

3. 3

   Carve without delay

   Transfer the birds to a board, leaving every drop of roasting fat and fond in the skillet. Remove the legs cleanly at the hip, then take each breast half from the keelbone with a narrow knife. Place the joints on a plate and cover them loosely so their crust does not soften. Chop the necks, wing tips, skin trimmings, and carcasses into small pieces with poultry shears. The meat now waits for the sauce, but it must not sit in a hot oven and continue cooking.

4. 4

   Build the carcass fond

   Set the roasting skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter. Add the chopped carcasses and brown them deeply for 6 to 8 minutes, turning until the bones and trimmings smell roasted rather than merely warm. Add the shallots, carrot, and celery, then cook for 4 minutes. Sprinkle over the flour and stir for 2 minutes, letting this small roux turn hazelnut-brown. It gives the sauce body without making it heavy.

5. 5

   Reduce the sauce

   Pour in the wine by thirds, scraping the skillet floor thoroughly after each addition so every dark speck of fond dissolves. Boil until the wine has reduced to about ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g), then add the stock and bouquet garni. Hold the sauce at a lively but controlled simmer for 20 minutes, pressing the carcasses beneath the liquid occasionally. Strain it through a fine sieve into a small saucepan, pressing firmly on the solids, then skim the surface and reduce to about 1¼ cups (300 ml / 300 g). It should nap the back of a spoon. If it tightens too far, loosen it with a spoonful of stock; if it runs like broth, reduce it further.

6. 6

   Fry the croûtons

   While the carcasses simmer, melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter in a clean skillet over medium heat. Fry the baguette slices until crisp and evenly golden on both sides, then season them lightly with salt. Hold the croûtons uncovered. Covering them traps moisture and steals the crisp edge the sauce needs beside it.

7. 7

   Enrich with intestines

   Mince the chilled liver, heart, and usable intestines repeatedly until they form a fine paste. Whisk several spoonfuls of the hot sauce into this paste, then return the mixture to the saucepan. Bring it to a controlled simmer and cook for at least 2 minutes, ensuring it reaches 165°F (74°C), then pass the sauce through the fine sieve once more. Take it off the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) chilled butter, a small piece at a time. If the sauce looks grainy, strain it while hot. If the butter separates, whisk in 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) cold stock off the heat, then add the butter again gradually. Ça se rattrape.

8. 8

   Warm and serve

   Warm an oval serving platter in a low oven, then bring the sauce just below a simmer. Add the carved breasts and legs in one layer and turn them gently for 60 to 90 seconds, only until warmed through. Never let them boil in the sauce; the meat will tighten and the finished emulsion may split. Arrange the joints immediately on the warm platter, spoon over enough sauce to glaze them generously, and set the croûtons around the edge. Carry the remaining sauce separately and serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use only lawfully obtained woodcock. Commercial sale is prohibited in many places because woodcock is a migratory game bird, so check local hunting, possession, and food-service rules before planning the dish.
• •The intestines are not a decorative flourish. They are the defining instruction in this woodcock variation, but they must come from intact, properly chilled birds and be identified by someone experienced with game. If that cannot be guaranteed, do not replace them with chicken liver and pretend nothing changed. Choose salmis de faisan instead.
• •A strong, unsalted, gelatin-rich stock matters because the home sauce has only a short carcass simmer. If your stock tastes thin when warm, reduce it by one-third before measuring the required amount.
• •Choose a dry red wine with bright acidity and little aggressive oak. A red Burgundy is splendid when the bottle permits, but a sound Pinot Noir or restrained Gamay will build the same balance without bullying the bird.
• •Search every cavity and joint for shot, then check again while carving. Steel and lead pellets are unpleasant at best and dangerous at worst.
• •Salmis does not wait gracefully. Seat your guests before the joints return to the sauce, warm the platter, and have the wine poured. One cook, one stove, one evening, but everyone else must be ready.

Advance Preparation

• •Up to 6 hours ahead, dice the vegetables, assemble the bouquet garni, measure the wine and stock, and cut the baguette. Keep the vegetables covered in the refrigerator.
• •The birds may be cleaned and the usable organs separated up to 4 hours ahead, provided everything is immediately covered and held below 40°F (4°C). Do not mince the organs until the sauce is ready for them.
• •From roasting onward, make the dish straight through. Repeated cooling and reheating defeats the underdone meat that defines salmis and turns a generous game preparation into a dry one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)