Guinea Hen Cooked on Hay with Truffle
As its name partly
suggests it, the Guinea hen is a bird endemic to Africa, to practically the
whole continent, where it lives and is
able to adapt to a large variety of habitats, from savannas to forests, and
even deserts, with the vulturine guinea hen, found in Eastern Africa and able
to survive without drinking water for a very long time. No wonder then why it was
a bird easy to adapt in Europe where, following the Egyptians (in some
languages, its other name is Pharaoh’s hen), the ancient Greeks and Romains
raised it to offer to the gods, before considering it as an ornament animal and
eventually an edible bird. Outside of Africa, the guinea hen is therefore a
domesticated animal, although, unlike chickens for instance, its way of living
remains on the “wild side”: perching on trees, foraging, laying its eggs in
hidden and changing areas…
This bird is particular
popular in France, where its name pintade is directly derived from the
Portuguese pintada meaning literally “painted”. A reference to its
“polka dotted” plumage. France is the first worldwide producer of this bird and
it is considered as a relatively fancy bird served on Sunday meals. For
instance, in my family originated from the East of France, we use to serve it
with, and on top of, sauerkraut.
From its origins and
its persisting wildness, its meat has kept some attributes: lean, dark and
having a subtle gamey taste, between the chicken and the pheasant. In this
respect, this is the perfect bird for people who wish to be initiated or
prepared to gaminess. This is also something to consider when you cook it, as
it could be rapidly dry. No rotisserie or BBQ for the Guinea hen, but lead on
pot-roasting, bacon wrapping… or like the recipe proposed here, roasted on a
layer of hay in a bread-tightened Dutch oven, with as a bonus, truffle slices
slid under its skin (you can also put butter)!!!
This is a recipe similar to the hay-roasted truffled chicken proposed a while ago here… Except that I didn’t cook it whole, just legs and the breasts, the carcass being used to make a perfect truffle risotto. In fact, this fabulous and delicious recipe was inspired both by the Alain Passard's poulet au foin (Hay Chicken) and by the poularde en demi-deuil (literally half-mourning hen, referring to its black truffle accoutrement) created by la Mère Brazier... There are worse inspirations than those two iconic chefs!!! Except that I didn’t cook it whole, just legs and the breasts, the carcass being used to make a perfect truffle risotto.
Levels of difficulty
|
Cost
|
Preparation
|
Resting
|
Cooking
|
n
|
$$/$$$
Summer/Winter truffle
|
30 minutes
|
30 minutes after cooking
|
40 minutes
|
Ingredients 2/4 servings depending on the bird’s size
§ 1 guinea hen
§ 1 good handful of organic hay
§ A few slices of truffle (here, Summer truffle,
less flavorful but much cheaper than the Winter truffle
§ ~1 cup of flour
§ 10 g of baker yeast (optional)
§ Oil and butter
§ S&P
|
Instructions
§
With
the flour, the yeast and some water, make a simple dough and shape it like a
ribbon, the length of which should be equivalent to the circumference of your
pot/Dutch oven lid. NB: the yeast is optional, as the ribbon only aims at
sealing the lid and the pot. Adding yeast will just allow you serve a piece
of the ribbon with the bird, as a reminder of how it was cooked,
§
Remove
the legs, the breasts on their bone and the wings from the bird, keep the
wings (to make drumettes as a starter for instance) and the carcass to make a
broth (for your side risotto for instance),
§
Slide
a slice (or more) of truffle under the sin of the legs and the breasts,
§
Rapidly
sear them in oil and butter to color them on the skin side,
§
Salt
and pepper them,
§
Place
the hay in the bottom of a Dutch oven and shape it a bit like a nest,
§
Place
the legs and breasts on the hay, skin side up,
§
Put
the lid on and “seal” it with the dough ribbon on the full rim length,
§
Put
in a 400 F preheated for 40 minutes,
§
After
the 40 minutes, take the out of the oven and let it rest, lid and seal on,
for around 30 minutes. This is an important phase allowing the bird to gently
complete its cooking and the hay to further infuse it,
§
After
this time, break the seal, enjoy the flavors exhaling from the pot and serve
the bird.
§
Here,
I served it with a truffle risotto made with the bird carcass broth and some
truffle trims…
|
Gallery
Comments
Post a Comment