# Pigeonneau (young pigeon) with a millefeuille of root vegetables



## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

Pigeonneau or young pigeon, is not a hunted bird. It is bred, more specifically, these ones came from France.

*The millefeuille of root vegetables *is in fact nothing more than a quiche without a pastry, using very little "appareil" aka cream/egg mixture to glue everything together. I uses celeriac, potato, carrot, turnip. Slice it all in thinly on a mandolin or with a knife and steam the slices. I steamed the celeriac first and then added a few minutes later the carrot, then later the potatoes and again later, the turnips. In an ovendish I made layers of celeriac, carrot, turnip, potato and finally a layer of chopped parsley. Season each layer lightly! Then repeated those layers, ending with potato. Mix cream and eggs in a ratio of 100 ml cream + 1 whole egg and seasoning, and pour over the layers. Bake 30-45 minutes at 200°C/400°F, leave to cool 15 minutes and then cut pieces out or use a ring to cut rounds out.





  








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chrisbelgium


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Feb 23, 2014












  








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*The sauce is a reduction* of red wine, red wine vinegar, juniper berries, parsley stalks, black pepper corns, balsamico vinegar, a little sugar. When reduced at least by half (taste!!), add stock of your choice. I used left-over leek bouillon. Leave to reduce again by half. Add a chunk of very cold butter (about a tbsp.) and swirl the pan away from the fire until all butter is dissolved. I used a slice of the umami butter I made a week ago...mamma mia; http://www.cheftalk.com/t/79467/just-learned-about-umami/30#post_458244

*The pigeons are cooked on the whole*, starting with browning them in an oil/butter mixture. Start with the sides and hold them down using some paper towel. I then proceeded the cooking in the oven at 200°C/400°F in a peculiar way. You need a timer for this. It's a method of cooking in the oven at intervals and resting outside the oven;

- cook for 1 minute + rest for 1 minute

- cook for 2 minutes + rest for 2 minutes

- cook for 3 minutes + rest for 3 minutes

- cook for 4 minutes + rest for 4 minutes. Ready to serve.

This method will give you the tenderest birds, cooked to perfection. Not one drop of blood sips out of the meat!

Cut the meat from the breastbone. Serve!





  








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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

Looks nice - never heard of that method with the oven before... live and learn.

I'll have to give it a try.


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## jofleischer (Feb 24, 2014)

this looks delicious...will give it a try next weekend and let you know how i get on!


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

@MichaelGA  This cooking method is not my invention as you can guess. It's something I read in a food magazine a few years ago. It came from a Dutch chef who was looking for a method to cook delicate whole birds like this, where the main problem is that legs and breast have a very different cooking time. It's incredible how nice his method works. The legs and breasts are absolutely perfectly done and come out nicely tender. Strangely enough, I haven't read or heared about this method since I read that magazine.

I guess this would work absolutely perfect for wild duck too.

@jofleischer Thanks, hope you enjoy this as well as we did!


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

ChrisBelgium said:


> ...Strangely enough, I haven't read or heared about this method since I read that magazine.
> 
> I guess this would work absolutely perfect for wild duck too...


With baking I'm getting the strongest feeling that there's more to just setting the oven at one single temperature or baking/roasting in one single session. It's about manipulating both (not necessarily simultaneously) the oven temperature but also the placement of the food within the oven.


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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

kokopuffs said:


> With baking I'm getting the strongest feeling that there's more to just setting the oven at one single temperature or baking/roasting in one single session. It's about manipulating both (not necessarily simultaneously) the oven temperature but also the placement of the food within the oven.


Add to that fact that most kitchens have only two ovens - High and low... about 325 and 475... you choose which (non-conv)

I've always shuffled things to make it turn out right but the 'minute' timing i've never done...

I see how this technique could have developed -and I see why - its like doing scrambled eggs when you only have a burner that is OFF - ON... you have to adapt and switch it up.

Pan - in - Pan - out etc.


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

I'm convinced there are much more chef's tricks that never get noticed. And indeed, a lot of them are simply about mastering or playing around heat.


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