A Truly Scottish Wild Food Recipe from Monachyle Mhor for Spring
Wild Aberfeldy Young Grouse, Balquhidder Chanterelles, and Bread Sauce
Ingredients
1 Young grouse – breast on the crown
Knob of Butter
Splash olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
A handful of Chanterelles
A knob butter
1/3 of Lemon juice
2 tbspns chopped parsley
3 leaves of tarragon
Salt
Pepper
Sherry vinegar jus
250ml of dark veal stock
75ml of port
Spring of thyme
Sherry vinegar to taste
Bread sauce
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 whole shallots, finely chopped
2 tsp sea salt flakes
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
100g of homemade brown bread
150ml of milk
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 whole cloves
Sprig of thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
50 ml double cream
2 tbsp of sherry jus
Garnish
Handful of foraged hairy bittercress
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Methods:
Young grouse- breast on the crown
Season the grouse well. Heat a frying pan, add the knob of butter and pan fry the grouse breasts quickly until coloured on all sides. Place the grouse crown in oven at 210C for 5-7 minutes, depending on the size. Remove and transfer to a warm plate to rest for 5 minutes
Keep the pan to make the jus.
Balquhidder chanterelles
Clean with a pastry brush. Put a pan on a medium to hot heat and add a knob of butter. Add the chanterelles. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped parsley and tarragon. Add a tiny squeeze of lemon juice.
Sherry vinegar jus
Deglaze the pan you cooked the grouse in with the dark veal stock and port. Add the spring of thyme and reduce this by two thirds. Taste and season with a splash of sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. Pass through a muslin cloth until clear. Keep warm until serving.
For bread sauce
Preheat oven to 180 C. Place garlic, thyme and shallots and diced bread in a small baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and olive oil. Bake until bread is toasted, golden in colour, about 7-10 minutes. Place it in small sauce pan, cover with milk, add grated nutmeg and whole clove. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes, remove cloves than puree in a food processor with the double cream and 2 tbsp of sherry vinegar jus. Season to taste.
Finally, garnish with hairy bittercress, and serve.
Recipe courtesy of Marysia Paszkowska, head chef at Monachyle Mhor and creator of the 2019 SWFF long table banquet.