Serves6 (main course) or 12 (first course)
- Active Time:20 min
- Start to Finish:30 min
ADAPTED FROM ASIAN FLAVORS OF JEAN-GEORGES, COPYRIGHT © 2007 BY JEAN-GEORGES VONGERICHTEN, PUBLISHED BY BROADWAY BOOKS, A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE INC.
February 2008
Watch chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten talk about the philosophy behind the creative flavor pairings in his signature dish.
For broth
-
1
cup
Japanese rice vinegar (not seasoned)
-
1/4
cup
plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
-
1/4
cup
Shaoxing rice wine or medium-dry Sherry
-
1/3
cup
coarsely chopped peeled ginger
-
2
tablespoons
star anise pieces
-
2 1/3
cups
fresh orange juice
-
1
cup
sugar
-
3
tablespoons
Lapsang Souchong tea leaves
For squab
-
5
black peppercorns
-
3
white peppercorns
-
3
whole star anise (or 1 1/2 tsp pieces)
-
1
(1-inch) piece of cinnamon stick
-
1
clove
-
6
(1-lb) boneless squabs, wing tips discarded and squabs halved lengthwise
-
3/4
stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-Tbsp pieces
-
Equipment:
an electric coffee/spice grinder
-
Garnish:
flaky sea salt; slices of peeled Asian pear, cut into diamonds; slivers of crystallized tamarind; sprigs of baby cress
Make broth:
-
Blend together vinegar, soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, and star anise in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a heavy medium saucepan and bring to a boil with juice and sugar, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in tea. Let steep, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids.
Make squab:
-
Preheat broiler. Line a large (17- by 12-inch) 4-sided sheet pan with foil. Finely grind spices with 1/2 teaspoon salt in grinder.
-
Pat squab dry, then sprinkle each half all over with 1/2 teaspoon spice mixture. Arrange, skin side up, in sheet pan and place 1/2 tablespoon butter under each half. Broil 2 inches from heat until just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 1 minute.
-
Cut each squab half into 3 pieces and arrange in shallow bowls. Ladle some of broth around squab (you will have some broth left over), then drizzle some of buttery pan juices over squab.
