The Essential James Beard Cookbook (36 page)

Heat the fat slowly in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it begins to render. Add the neck and wing tip pieces, the heart, and gizzard and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Pour in enough cold water to cover the ingredients by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off the scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to low and add the thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Simmer until richly flavored, about 2 hours. Strain into a heatproof bowl. Let stand and cool to room temperature. Skim off the fat that rises to the surface of the stock and transfer the fat to a large jar with a lid. Measure and reserve 3 cups of the stock. (Any extra stock can be used like chicken stock in any recipe.)

To prepare the stuffing: Sauté the onion in the melted butter in a large skillet over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and toss to moisten throughout. Add the apples, dried plums (prunes), chestnuts, thyme, and nutmeg, season with salt, and blend well. Stuff the goose with this mixture, and truss (see
here
); or just skewer the cavity closed and tie the legs together. Place the goose, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour in a preheated 400°F oven, then prick the skin all over with the tines of a meat fork to release the fat. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and roast for another hour, without basting. As the fat is rendered, remove it from the roasting pan with a bulb baster and add to the other rendered fat from the stock. After the second hour, test the bird to see if it is done. It should be well browned, the leg meat should be soft when pressed, and the juices should run clear, with the faintest blush of pink when the thigh is pricked. If more cooking is required, reduce the heat to 325°F and continue roasting. The total cooking time will be from 2 to 2½ hours. Remove the goose from the oven and allow to stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Degrease the pan juices, removing as much fat as possible, and add the fat to the jar with the fat from the stock. (Refrigerate the fat for another use; it is excellent for sautéing potatoes.) Add the stock to the roasting pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to about 2½ cups. Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in ¼ cup of water, whisk into the boiling goose stock mixture, and let the sauce thicken lightly. Strain into a sauceboat. Carve the goose and serve with the sauce.

SAUTÉ OF QUAIL WITH WHITE GRAPES

MAKES 3 SERVINGS

Editor: White grapes are the same thing as green grapes.

6 slices stale bread about 2 inches thick

6 quail, cleaned

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for buttering the croustades

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup
Chicken Stock
or canned chicken broth

6 tablespoons Cognac

1 cup seedless white (green) grapes

Trim each slice of bread into an oval croustade a little larger than the quail. Hollow out a shallow cavity into which the quail will fit and toast the croustades gently in a 300°F oven for about 15 minutes. Butter the cavity into which you will place the bird.

Melt the butter in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the quail and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the broth. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the Cognac over the birds and remove from the heat. Ignite the Cognac with a long match. If the fire doesn’t burn out on its own after 30 seconds, cover the skillet with its lid. Return the skillet to medium heat, add the grapes, and shake the pan to coat the grapes with the juices. Serve the quail and grapes in the croustades, and pass the pan juices separately.

SAUTÉED PHEASANT WITH CALVADOS AND APPLES

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

For this dish, it is preferable to use only the pheasant breasts, although you may, if you wish, cook the dark meat in another skillet as a second helping for guests with hearty appetites. Serve with steamed buttered rice garnished with pistachio nuts.

Breasts of 2 young pheasants

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter

¹
⁄
₃
cup Calvados or applejack

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup dry white wine

6 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup heavy cream

3 large egg yolks

Cut the breasts in half lengthwise; discard the breastbone. Sauté the breasts in a large nonreactive skillet over medium heat in 6 tablespoons of the butter until they are a rich ivory color—do not brown, as this is a blond sauce. Pour in ¼ cup of Calvados and remove from the heat. Ignite the Calvados with a long match. If the fire doesn’t burn out on its own after 30 seconds, cover the skillet with its lid. Season the breasts with salt and pepper. Return to medium-low heat, add the white wine, and cover. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pheasant meat looks barely cooked through when pierced in the thickest part with the tip of a sharp knife. Do not overcook. Transfer to a hot platter and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.

In the same skillet, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the apples, sprinkle with the sugar, and cook, turning occasionally, until they are glazed, about 3 minutes. Add the apples to the platter with the pheasant and cover with aluminum foil.

Add remaining Calvados to the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Whisk the cream and egg yolks together lightly in a small bowl. Whisk a little of the hot skillet juices into the bowl, then whisk back into the skillet, and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth and lightly thickened. Do not allow to boil. Serve in a sauceboat.

FISH AND SHELLFISH

Whole Broiled Fish

Broiled Marinated Halibut Steaks

Cold Poached Salmon in Red Wine Aspic

Sardines with Mint

Sautéed Trout

Goujonettes of Sole

Sole Poached in Vermouth

Walnut-Breaded Sole

Sautéed Fish Steak

Shad Roe Poached in Butter

Solianka (Russian–Pacific Northwest Fish Stew)

Mussels Marinière

Boiled Lobsters

Fried Oysters

Scallops Sauté Provençal

Shellfish à la Nage

Fried Shrimp

Steamed Clams

Chuck’s Baked Shrimp

Cioppino

Clam Hash

Le Grand Aïoli

Crab Soufflé

Whole Broiled Fish

Whole fish
, either small ones or those of fairly good size, are delicious broiled. Have the fish scaled and gutted and the head and tail left on (unless this would make it too large for your broiling facilities).

Rub the skin with
oil
on both sides and then with
kosher salt
and
freshly ground black pepper
. Slash the skin in two or three places on each side with a sharp knife, to prevent its splitting when broiled. You can also salt and pepper the inside of the fish and put a
slice or two of lemon
inside, or, if you wish, stuff a few sprigs of fresh herbs or a sprinkling of
dried herbs
inside. Crushed or chopped herbs may be rubbed on the skin with the seasonings.
Thyme, rosemary,
and
summer savory
are good herbs for fish.

Measure the fish at the thickest point to estimate the cooking time—the rule for any type of fish cookery is to allow 10 minutes per inch of measured thickness. Place a strip of aluminum foil on the broiler rack or in the broiler pan; brush it with oil, and arrange the fish on it to allow for easy turning. Or, if the fish is not too large, arrange in a disposable aluminum foil broiler pan with a corrugated surface.

Broil the fish approximately 4 inches from the preheated broiler, according to size (large fish 4 to 6 inches from the heat; smaller fish 2 to 4 inches away), allowing 10 minutes per measured inch of thickness for total cooking time. Halfway through the cooking turn the fish with a large spatula, using the foil to help. Be careful not to overcook or let the skin char too much. If the heat seems too intense, lower the pan an inch or two. Test the flesh with a toothpick or a fork 3 or 4 minutes before the end of the estimated time. If it flakes, it is done.

When done, transfer to a heated platter and serve at once with an appropriate sauce, such as
Mustard Sauce
,
Hollandaise Sauce
,
Béarnaise Sauce
, or
Caper Sauce
.