You might remember my good friend Olivier who did a cooking demonstration for us a few months ago. That day he offered to show us how to make a Bécasse en Cercueil in the winter, an old school recipe that was first published in 1892 in “La table au pays de Brillat-Savarin” by Lucien Tendret. A dish that’s still occasionally served in 3 stars Michelin restaurants like Daniel and Alain Ducasse. Being the little pest that i’am i’ve been bugging him everyday since to teach us how. Finally winter came, some phone calls were made and a woodcock magically appeared.

I have to warn you that there are some images on this post that are not appropriate for small children, bunny rabbits and for people who rather keep a few extra degrees of separation between themselves and their food. If supermarket packaged tubular meat is your thing be warned that there’s a picture of a dead animal with a long beak after the jump. Don’t you freak-out on me! I believe in seeing the whole process. I think it inspires more respect for the food that we eat, limits the waste and truly demonstrate the skills of the chef. There’s nothing wrong with knowing what’s on your plate.

It’s Joël Robuchon who was telling us recently: “Whether we cook a fish or a mushroom, we’re taking a life. Therefore we should treat food with utmost respect.” I think proper respect is paid in this post. Let’s see what Chef Olivier does with birdie.

After plucking the feather and passing the bird over an open flame, Olivier quickly removed the gizzard and the tongue with the dexterity of a surgeon and rinsed the beak with a little Cognac. “It’s to kill any germs that might be still in there.”, he said. “Maybe i should rinse with Cognac several times a day too!” , i said. ” Shut-up!!”, he said. The neck is twisted to allow the beak to be pushed through the legs and body for roasting.

Olivier started by melting the fat of a few thick, chunky lardons in a copper pan and added the prepared woodcock on its side. The idea is to start the cooking on the side so by the time the legs are cooked, the breasts are a perfect pink. The whole process takes under 10 minutes in a hot oven.

Cercueil literally means coffin in French. And Olivier shows you how to make one on the photo-montage above. It’s not that all difficult but it takes a little practice. Now let’s pretend you are working in a fancy restaurant and you are asked to produce those perfect little bread boxes with Chef Olivier looking over your shoulder. My friends, i assure you you would get yelled at if they didn’t look just like that.

The bread ‘coffins’ are then pan-fried until golden brown in butter and olive oil with a smashed garlic clove. I guess you could also use the fat in which you cooked the bird. I don’t like to discriminate against fat.

The bird is seasoned, basted in more fat and cared with lots of love. Note that the cooking of the woodcock is so quick that all the garnishes should be done ahead of time.

When the woodcock is done Olivier gives it a little rest before removing the innards and carving it. The roasted breast and legs of the woodcock are covered and left in a warm place on top the the stove. The innards are finely chopped and added to the farce a gratin.

“A farce a gratin is a stuffing that’s made with foie-gras, chicken liver, shallots, cognac and seasoned with salt and pepper” , explains Olivier. The toasted little bread boxes are then filled with the stuffing and baked for a few minutes. This little coffin is one of the best bite i’ve had all year. Seriously good. And i’m mean.. seriously!

And  i’m not just sayin’ that because he’s reading this post.

The garnish of the dish consists of a Garniture Forestière, in this case a mixture of glazed chestnuts, shallot confit, chanterelles, thick lardons, peeled grapes and baby braised endives. I know.. what you really can’t take your eyes off  is the ‘whiter than white’ chef’s jacket. It’s ok, it’s ok.

I mentioned the no-waste policy earlier in this post, and here we are at it again. Olivier chopped the carcasse of the woodcock and used it as the base for the sauce. On a side note, Olivier had more hair before he made the sauce but the Cognac flambée gave him a little trim down the middle section. hmm.. it will grow again.. err.. i think.

Shallots and crushed peppercorn are added to the bones before being deglazed and flambée with cognac. A rich poultry stock is added and reduced and the sauce is thickened with some of the chopped innards before being strained.

The roasted woodcock is arranged on the plate with the stuffed ‘coffin’. Chunks of lardon are placed around with the rest of the garnish, shallots confit, chestnuts, braised endives, chanterelles and grapes making sure everything is nice and hot. The rich hot poultry sauce is then drizzle over everything on the plate.

I find the presentation reminiscent of the sacred chamber of a Pharaoh. Arms crossed, surrounded by a multitude of treasures honoring the life of the defunct. The story doesn’t say if it’s being buried next to a big fat chunk of lard that opens the gates of heaven…

Special thanks, once again, to Chef Olivier for demonstrating this classic French dish for all of us. Encourage him to come back and cook for us, please.

If you like this post check out:

• An afternoon with Joel Robuchon
• Master Kyoto Chef Yoshimi Tanigawa
• Cooking session with Chef Olivier

• Roasted Woodcock “en cercueil”

• Recipe from La table au pays de Brillat-Savarin (1892) by Lucien Tendret, adapted by Olivier Reginensi
• Serves 4

• • For the woodcocks:

  • 4 woodcocks (becasses)
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 100 g butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 30 g rich chicken stock
  • 2 pain de mie slices (4 cm thick)
  • fleur de sel
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • Cognac

  • For the farce a gratin:

  • 1/2 pound fresh chicken liver
  • 1/4 pound raw foie gras
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Cognac
  • salt and pepper

  • For the Garniture Forestiere:

  • 8 shallots, confit
  • 20 Muscat raisin, peeled & seeded
  • 12 chestnuts, roasted in lard and glazed in chicken stock
  • a chunk of lard, cut into thick lardons and cooked
  • 2 endives, braised
  • 12 chanterelles, sauteed in butter
  • rich poultry jus

  • For the Woodcocks:

  • Pluck the feather of the woodcocks and carefully burn the remaining bits over an open flame. Remove the gizzards and the tongues with a pin. Rinse the beak with some Cognac. Twist the neck and push the beak through the legs and body for roasting.
  • Cut the bread into 4 cm by 4 cm cubes. Carve them into little hollow boxes following the technique on the pictures above. Pan-fry them in butter and olive oil with a smashed garlic clove until golden brown.
  • Melt some of the lard in a sautee pan and add the woodcocks on their side (do one or two at the time). Season with salt and finish the cooking on their back, add butter to the pan and make sure to baste the birds frequently. The whole process should take less than 10 minutes in a hot oven.
  • When the woodcocks are cooked remove the innards, chop them finely and mix them to the farce a gratin (see recipe below). Fill the bread ‘cercueils’ with the mixture and brush the top with some of the remaining cooking fat to keep a crust from forming. When ready to serve, cook in a moderate oven for 2 minutes.
  • Carve the breasts and legs of the woodcocks, reserving the bones and keep warm, covered on top of the stove.

  • For the farce a gratin:

  • Clean livers and foie gras, season well, and refrigerate. In a heavy pan over high heat, sear foie gras, cooking to medium rare. Drain well and reserve fat. In the same pan, heat reserved fat and sear chicken livers, cooking to medium rare. Add shallots and then brandy and reduce. Place livers, foie gras in a glass bowl and cover. Season and puree in food processor. Strain mixture through a fine drum sieve into a bowl and refrigerate.

  • For the sauce & garnish:

  • Chop the bones and brown them in the roasting pan. Add a smashed clove of garlic and the chopped shallots. Deglaze with Cognac and flambee. Add the rich chicken stock and reduce. Add a teaspoon of the chopped innards to thicken the sauce. Check seasoning, strain and keep warm.
  • Warm the components of the garnish and glaze them in butter and chicken stock. Season.
  • Split the heads in half and season with fleur de sel. Arrange the breasts, legs and ‘cercueils’ on the plate. Garnish with the glazed fruits and vegetables. Drizzle with the sauce. Serve immediately.

  

Tags: Poultry