February 2010
Recipe By Chef Filip Langoff
From the cookbook COCO buy it online
In this dish, the combination of sweet onions and acidic cranberries and spices brings out the flavor of the pidgeon in an amazing way. The hazelnuts and porcini mushrooms accentuate the lovely aromas of the forest.
Method
For the pigeon: Pluck the pigeons and remove the legs and thighs, leaving only the 2 breast fillets on the carcass. Rub the insides of the carcasses with salt and pepper. Put the garlic, thyme, juniper twigs, and berries under the carcass and vacuum-pack each carcass separately in a vacuum bag. Poach in a water bath with an immersion circulator at 140°F for around 45 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 135ºF. Brown the breasts in a pan in the clarified butter, skin side down. Let the meat rest for 2-3 minutes before carving from the carcass. Season with salt and pepper.
For the onion puree: Combine all the ingredients in a pan, cover and cook until the onion is tender. Uncover and reduce over high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated. Drain off the fat, remove the herbs and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
For the onion chips: Preheat oven to 250°F. Cut shallots lengthwise 1 mm thick with a mandolin and place on a baking sheet. Sift crumiel over the shallot slices. Dry in the oven for 20 minutes.
For the pickled onion: Peel and halve the onions. Bring the water, sugar and vinegar to a boil. Vacuum pack all the ingredients in a vacuum bag. Poach at 185ºF for 35 minutes. Cut the onions in half and sauté cut side down, to caramelize.
For the porcini mushrooms: Clean and trim the mushrooms, reserving the trimmings. Halve and sauté in butter. Season with salt and pepper.
For the forest crumble: Preheat oven to 300°F. Toast the nuts for around 4 minutes, then shell them. Process the juniper berries and needles in a blender. Press through a fine sieve to make a fine powder. Place the nuts in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Add the cranberries, junper power, gin and hazelnut oil. Pulse 4 times.
For the cranberry jelly: Combine juice and gelatin in a small pan and heat to 200ºF, stirring constantly. Transfer the pan to an ice bath and whish until old. Press the gel through a fine sieve, and store in a pastry piping bag.
For the porcini reduction: Peel and chop the shallots Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the mushrooms and shallots with the juniper berries. Deglaze the plan with the port. Add the stock and reduce over low heat until half the original quantity remains. Pass through fine mesh sieve. The mixture should have an intense porcini flavor.
To serve: For each person, train a drop of onion puree across the plate and make a smaller drop with the cranberry jelly. Cut a pigeon breast in half and place the halves on either side of the puree. Add the rest of the ingredients leaving space in between. Glaze the meat with the reduction. Sprinkle forest crumble over the top. Garnish with heather flowers.
