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Roast Partridges On Liver Canapes
(Perdreaux Rotis sur Canapes)
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| What You Need: |
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½ pound butter
6 slices homemade-type white bread cut ¼ inch thick
¼ pound fresh pork fat, diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or scallions
6 partridge livers or 3 chicken livers
2 tablespoons dry Madeira
½ teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled
1½ teaspoons salt
6 one-pound, oven-ready young partridges, rock Cornish game hens, squab chickens, baby pheasants, or jumbo squabs
7 tablespoons soft butter
½ teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 four-inch strips fresh pork fat, sliced paper thin
6 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup dry Madeira
1 cup beef stock, fresh or canned
1 teaspoon lemon juice
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Clarify the ½ pound of butter (nearly 1 pound in all is needed for this recipe) in a small, heavy saucepan or skillet by melting it slowly, skimming off the surface foam. Spoon the clear butter on top into a bowl and discard the milky solids at the bottom of the pan. Trim the crusts off the bread to make uniformly sized squares or rectangles. In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, heat the clarified butter, then saute the bread, 2 or 3 slices at a time, until it is golden brown on both sides. Set the sauteed bread aside on a baking sheet.
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2. In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, cook the pork dice over moderate heat, stirring or shaking the pan frequently, until they are crisp and brown and have rendered all of their fat. With a slotted spoon, remove the pork dice and discard them. Cook the shallots in the fat remaining in the pan over moderate heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until they are soft but not brown. Add the livers and cook them, stirring or shaking the skillet constantly, for 2 or 3 minutes, or until the livers are lightly browned.
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3. Remove the livers and, with a rubber spatula, scrape the entire contents of the skillet into a small bowl. Chop the livers very fine, almost to a puree, and combine them with the shallots. Stir in the Madeira, tarragon and 1 teaspoon of salt, and beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until it is smooth and thoroughly blended. Spread each slice of sauteed bread with about 1 tablespoon of the liver mixture. Place on a baking sheet and set aside.
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4. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Wash the partridges quickly under running water and dry them thoroughly inside and out with paper towels. Cream 6 tablespoons of the soft butter by beating it vigorously against the sides of a small bowl with a wooden spoon until it is fluffy; beat in ½ teaspoon each of tarragon and salt. Spread 1 tablespoon of this seasoned butter inside each partridge. Neatly truss the partridges with white kitchen string. Brush each partridge generously with vegetable oil. Lay 2 strips of fresh pork fat side by side over the breast and thighs of each bird and tie in place-crisscrossing the string around the bird to hold the pork firmly.
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5. Then lay the birds on their backs on a rack in a large, shallow roasting pan and bake them for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 425°F, baste the partridges with the melted butter and turn them on their right side. In 5 minutes, turn the birds on their left side and baste again. Bake the partridges, basting and turning them every 5 minutes, for 20 ro 30 minutes longer, or until the juices that run out of their vents when the birds are lifted are clear yellow with no trace of pink and the drumsticks feel soft to the touch. Transfer the birds to a heated platter, cut off all the strings, and discard the strips of pork. Cover the partridges loosely with aluminum foil to keep them warm.
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6. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the roasting pan, add ½ cup of Madeira and bring to a boil on top of the stove over high heat, stirring and scraping in with a wooden spoon any browned bits clinging to the pan. Boil briskly for 1 or 2 minutes, or until the Madeira has reduced to about ¼ cup, then stir in the beef stock and continue boiling and stirring until the sauce thickens and is reduced to about ¾ cup. Off the heat, swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon of soft butter and the lemon juice.
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7. To serve, put the canapes under a hot broiler for 30 seconds, or until they are bubbling hot. Arrange the canapes on a heated serving platter and place a partridge on each canape. Spoon the sauce over the birds and serve at once.
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