A smart autumnal dinner party main course from David Butterfield of the Camelot Restaurant at Five Lakes Hotel, Tolleshunt Knights, Essex.
Bacon wrapped redleg partridge crown with confit leg,
madeira game gravy and bread sauce (serves 4)
INGREDIENTS
2 litres game or chicken stock
4 whole partridges (with legs cut off)
Duck or goose fat
12 thin slices streaky or pancetta bacon
Unsalted butter
200g button mushrooms, sliced
4 large shallots, sliced
500ml dry white wine
500ml medium madeira
100ml double cream
Sea salt and black pepper
Thyme sprigs
1 large shallot, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 star anise
1 bay leaf
600ml whole milk
8 slices stale white bread, crusts removed
75g butter
METHOD
The day before, bring the stock to the boil, add partridges and gently simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, decant contents and allow to cool down for an hour together. Meanwhile cover the legs in a small but deep dish or roasting tray with the fat and cook in a pre-heated 130c oven for 35 minutes. Leave legs in the fat to cool. Refrigerate the submerged crowns and legs overnight.
The gravy can also be made in advance. Put a good knob of butter into a hot frying pan and sauté the mushrooms and sliced shallots until brown. Add wine and madeira and boil vigorously until reduced to a syrup, stirring occasionally. Add the stock and boil fiercely until evaporated to a sauce consistency, stirring periodically. Add cream and bring back to a boil while whisking. Strain through a sieve and allow gravy to cool, discarding vegetables. Refrigerate until required.
Drain off the stock from the crowns for the gravy. After drying with kitchen paper, butter and season each bird well. Wrap each with three rashers of bacon and tie with clean string.
Pre-heat the oven to 200c. Seal the partridge in hot olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan and then put on top of thyme sprigs, add legs skin side down and cook for 15 minutes or until well browned.
Make the bread sauce by gently frying the diced shallot with the thyme, garlic, star anise and bayleaf in unsalted butter until soft. Add milk and simmer, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile blitz the bread in a food processor until rough breadcrumbs.
Sieve the milk and then pour sufficient milk into the food processor while it is running until you reach a good thick consistency. Decant into a warm bowl and whisk in the remaining butter. Keep hot.
Reheat the gravy gently. Once rested for a few minutes, serve the partridge crowns and legs with the bread sauce and gravy on the side.
Accompany with your favourite seasonal vegetables. As pictured, David suggests swede and carrot puree, roasted shallots and wild girolle mushrooms.
FIVE LAKES HOTEL, GOLF, COUNTRY CLUB & SPA
Undoubtedly the most impressive resort in the whole of East Anglia, Five Lakes is set in no less than 320 acres of lush Essex countryside. Purpose built from scratch, it is a golfers paradise, with two 18 hole golf courses including one to PGA Championship standard.
The extensive conference facilities are impressive, 18 banqueting and exhibition spaces accommodating up to no less than 3000 guests. But private guests need not fear its size, this AA Four Star quality hotel offers the expected variety of leisure and eating opportunities with a well equipped country club and spa to relax in. In the evenings diners can indulge in the international cuisine of the Two Rosette awarded fine dining Camelot Restaurant - a typical meal might start with seafood cassoulet with toasted parmesan ciabatta and truffle oil, a main course of seared scallops, steamed clams, galic, pancetta, black linguine and petit pois sauce, perhaps ending with white chocolate and vanilla pannacotta with cherry compote and amaretti.
Part of the AB Hotels Collection, Five Lakes’s sister hotel is Sopwell House at St. Albans, Hertfordshire and will also be joined by a Georgian London townhouse hotel called the Arch in Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch W1 opening in 2009.
Colchester Road, Tolleshunt Knights, near Tiptree, Essex
T: 01621 868888 W: fivelakes.co.uk
