Clean the bird and truss the legs to hold them close to the body. Roast in a hot oven (475° F.) for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the breast and cut it in thin slices. Crush the remainder of the bird through a duck press and use the juice and blood for the sauce au sang (see “The Last Touch in Sauces”). Arrange the slices of breast on the serving dish and garnish with small triangles of bread fried in butter. Serve with them either fried hominy or wild rice and red currant jelly.
Wild goose and wild turkey—at least all I have prepared—have come from one of the Southern states. These birds are very apt to be tough and so are usually hung for a week or two in the refrigerator to make them more tender. They can be cooked plain or filled with an English stuffing—a bread crumb, onion, and herb mixture. They can be roasted, but I would not advise it unless you are very sure that the bird is young enough to be tender. I think braising is always a wiser choice.
Braised Wild Goose or Turkey
Clean the bird and stuff it, if desired. Truss to hold the legs and wings close to the body and cover with slices of fat salt pork. Roast in a medium-hot oven (400° to 425° F.) until the bird is well browned. Remove the fat from the roasting pan and add 1 onion, 1 carrot, both sliced, 2 or 3 sprigs parsley, 1 stalk celery, 1 bay leaf, a little thyme, and 1 quart stock or consommé. Cover the pan and continue cooking, basting frequently, for 2 to 3 hours, or until the bird is tender. Strain the gravy and thicken it with a little arrowroot or cornstarch (about 1 tablespoon mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water). Serve with cranberry or applesauce, wild rice, fried hominy, or corn fritters (see page 66).
As the season advances and the birds are less tender, or if you get a bird that you suspect may be a bit on the tough side, the best way to cook it is to make a salmis. This is different from a braised bird in that the bird is cut up and the sauce is more like a stew. There are various recipes for salmis, but the following is a well-flavored dish and simple to make.
Salmis of Pheasant (Or Other Wild Bird)
Roast the pheasant as already described. Remove the breasts and legs. Put the breasts on a warm plate and spread with butter or fat from the roasting pan to keep the meat from drying out. Put the legs aside and chop up the remaining carcass—bones, skin, etc. Cook 10 to 12 mushrooms for 5 minutes in ½ cup water, to which have been added 1 teaspoon butter and the juice of ½ lemon, and set them aside.
To make the sauce, heat 2 tablespoons salad oil, add 1 onion, chopped, and cook until golden-brown. Add 1 shallot, chopped, 1 clove garlic, crushed, and 1 ½ tablespoons flour and cook for a minute or 2 longer. Add ½ cup either red or white wine and mix well. Continue cooking until the mixture is thick, stirring constantly. Add 1 cup stock or strained canned tomatoes, ½ teaspoon salt, 3 peppercorns, a faggot made by tying together 2 stalks celery, 3 sprigs parsley, ½ bay leaf, and 1 sprig fresh (or 1 pinch dry) thyme. Add the legs and chopped carcass of the bird. Simmer slowly for about 1 hour. Remove the legs from the sauce, cut the meat from the bones, and slice it. Cut the breasts in slices, arrange all the sliced meat in the serving dish, and place the cooked mushrooms on top. Correct the seasoning of the sauce with salt, strain it, and pour over the meat and mushrooms. Garnish with triangles of toast spread with rouennaise (see page 89).
Another way to prepare pheasant or partridge that may not be tender is to make a terrine. This is a little more trouble, but is a dish that can be prepared far ahead of serving time because it is served cold. And because it will keep for several days in the refrigerator, it is handy for using up extra birds.
Terrine of Pheasant or Partridge
Clean the pheasant, remove the skin in one piece, and save it. Remove the breasts, cut each one into 6 slices, and put them in a bowl. Mix together 1 small onion, sliced, 2 to 3 slices carrot, 1 bay leaf, 1 pinch thyme, 2 sprigs parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ cup dry sherry or Madeira and pour it all over the meat of the bird. A pinch of Parisian spice (optional) and 2 ounces cognac may be added if desired. Let the meat marinate in this for several hours. Remove the bones and sinews from the pheasant, combine the meat with ¾ pound fresh lean pork and ½ pound fresh fat pork, and chop it all very finely or run it through a food chopper. Put the meat in a bowl with ½ teaspoon salt, 1 bay leaf, a little Parisian spice (if available), and 1 egg, beaten. Drain the marinade from the breast meat and pour it over this mixture. Mix all together well.
Line a small terrine or casserole with the skin of the bird. Cut ½ pound fresh fat pork in thin slices and arrange them over the bottom and sides. Put 1/3 of the ground meat mixture in the bottom and lay 6 slices of breast meat on top. Add another layer of 1/3 the ground meat mixture and lay the other 6 slices of breast meat on top. Finish with a layer of the final 1/3 of the ground meat mixture. Cover with the remaining slices of fat pork. Place a bay leaf on top and cover the dish closely. Place it in a pan of hot water and bake in a hot oven (425° to 450° F.) for about 1 ½ hours, or allow 20 minutes per pound. The terrine is cooked enough if the fat on top is perfectly clear when the cover is removed; if the fat has a cloudy appearance, the terrine needs more cooking.
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