Étouffée – Pigeon breasts cooked in spiced broth on swede puree with leeks and carrots

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 2 pigeon(s) (Étouffée pigeons), ready to cook
• 600 g turnip(s), diced
• 70 g potatoes, roughly diced
• 70 g carrot(s), roughly diced
• 400 ml milk
• 200 ml cream
• 1 tbsp chives, in rolls
• 10 spring onions
• 6 carrots
• butter
• Sugar
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• nutmeg
• 500 ml water
• 200 ml sweet soy sauce (Ketjap Manis)
• 100 ml soy sauce
• 2 cl rice vinegar
• 50 g sugar
• 3 stalk(s) cinnamon, small
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• 4 star anise
• 2 tbsp pepper, mixed
• 6 grains of allspice
• ½ tsp coriander
• 3 carnations

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

With half the quantity, this dish could also be a good intermediate course in a menu

French étouffée pigeons are fattening pigeons with a very delicate flavor, bred specifically for fine dining and of incomparable quality to regular wild pigeons. They can be purchased fresh from gourmet mail-order companies. These birds weigh approximately 450–550 g and are delivered fresh, ready to cook, including heart, liver, and gizzards. Wash and dry the pigeons, and remove the innards. To remove the breasts, cut the pigeons lengthwise to the left and right of the breastbone with a sharp knife and scrape the breast meat down along the rib bones and remove it. The innards, legs, and bones are not needed for this dish and should be set aside for another purpose. To make the purée, combine the turnip, potato, and carrot cubes with milk and cream, sprinkle with a pinch of sugar, and cook over low heat until soft. Drain the vegetables through a sieve and collect the cooking liquid. Puree the diced vegetables, adding enough of the cooking liquid until you reach a creamy but not too soft consistency. Then pass the puree through a fine sieve to make it even more velvety. Finally, stir in the chives and season the cream with a little salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. In the meantime, make the spice broth. Bring all ingredients to a boil and let it cool to around 70°C in a covered pot on a raised plate. Poach the pigeon breasts at this temperature for about 10-12 minutes, until they are still pink inside. A thermometer is a great help here. For lack of anything else, I used my meat thermometer and put a cork around the probe to prevent it from sinking to the bottom of the pot and indicating incorrect temperatures. This worked really well. For the vegetables, peel the carrots with a vegetable peeler, leaving some of the green parts. Trim the spring onions. Cook the carrots in a covered pan with melted butter at low heat for about 8-10 minutes. Shake occasionally and season with a pinch of sugar and a little salt. Then add the spring onions and cook for another 5-8 minutes. To serve, spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the purée onto the plates and spread lightly. Slice the breasts horizontally lengthwise and arrange them on top, fanning them out slightly. Arrange the spring onions and carrots next to them. * Tip: The stock can be used several times and can also be frozen. It is ideal for game, wildfowl, and beef.