Pan Fried Grouse in a Chocolate Sauce

[ESK]

Its that time of year again and while I was in the pub on Friday I was handed two brace of grouse. Lucky me.

I removed the breasts and the cats got leg and thigh for lunch!

Put some small carrots in a pan with just enough water to cover. Add a large knob of butter and a sprinkling of sugar. The carrots are cooked when the water has evaporated and the butter makes a lovely sweet carroty sauce. I threw in some sugarsnap peas near the end.

In another pan I've fried some thick slices of muchroom and slice apple in a pan.

I dusted the grouse in some flour, salt and pepper and a dusting of cocoa powder.

Fry the grouse for about 2 to three minutes a side in butter. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Pour excess oil from pan and de-glaze with a shot of bramble gin. Throw in a teaspoon of cocoa and combine with sticky pan juices. Add some chicken stock, squeeze of orange juice and reduce. Season and add a knob of butter.

Arrange the fruit and veg on the plate. Add grouse and pour over the thickened sauce.

All done in the time it takes to cook the carrots.

Pleasantly surprised as the grouse was beautifully tender/juicy and not too gamey.

[eddie spaghetti]

Drool!

Please don't post these kind of things. I am just back from holiday and have acquired some extra "baggage" :wink:

[The Professor]

Sounds intersting wonder how it would taste with duck or chicken?

[ESK]

Sauce might be a bit strong for the chicken but duck or venison would be ideal.

Use orange flavoured booze or brandy maybe instead of the gin for the duck.

[SSM]

Sounds like a savoury cum sweet dish. You sure have some innovative recipes up your apron.

So far I have never eaten grouse.:( Are their breasts so big that you don't need to do the thighs and legs at all?:rolleyes:


SS

[ESK]

I generally take a theme when I cook and then play around with it.

Venison and Cholcolare sauce is quite a standard dish in fancy restaurants these days. The grouse I have had in the past have been been at best a little whiffy and so have needed a very strong sauce to do them justice.

But doing them with only a few days since they met their maker made all the difference.

The two breasts will make a fairly decent portion for one. The legs and thighs aren't really worth botherring about unless you are going to make game stock. You don't get that much more meat on a grouse leg/thigh than you do a chicken wing.

I was dealing with the whole bird; feathers, guts and all; and I wasn't really in the mood to get my hands dirty as it were.....