ROAST GROUSE

Ingredients:

• butter, for frying

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 500g button mushrooms, finely chopped

• a pinch of thyme

• 4 young grouse

• 1 small lobe of fresh foie gras

• 4 large Savoy cabbage leaves

• 1kg puff pastry

• 4 eggs, beaten, to glaze

• watercress, to serve

Sauce

• a little vegetable oil

• grouse legs and carcass (from above)

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 1 carrot, chopped

• 1 stick celery, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• ¼ bottle red wine

• splash of green Chartreuse (optional)

Method

Heat a little butter in a pan, add the onion and sweat until softened. Add the mushrooms and thyme, and cook over a medium heat until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is dry – 10–15 minutes. Season to taste and leave to get cold.

Carefully remove the breasts from the grouse, remove the skin and keep the carcass. Season the breasts. Heat a little more butter in a hot pan, put the breasts in and sear for 10 seconds on each side. Remove from the pan.

With a hot knife, slice the foie gras into four – each slice should be about 2.5cm thick. Season and put into the hot pan in which you have seared the grouse breasts. Sear the outside of the foie gras for 20 seconds on each side, and remove immediately. Keep on one side.

Blanch the cabbage leaves for about a minute in boiling salted water, refresh under the cold tap, drain and pat dry.

Cut 4 large squares of clingfilm. Lay a cabbage leaf on each. Put a spoonful of the mushroom mixture (you are going to need to divide it into 8 spoonfuls in all) in the centre of each cabbage leaf. Lay a grouse breast on top, then a slice of foie gras, and finish with the other breast. Put a spoonful of the remaining mushroom mixture on top.

Pick up the four corners of the clingfilm and twist them together, so that the cabbage leaf encloses the grouse and foie gras. Keep twisting the clingfilm so that you end up with a tight cabbage ball. Tie in a knot to secure.

Put the cabbage balls into the fridge, to set the foie gras and firm everything up while you roll out the pastry.

Cut off a third of the pastry, roll out, then using a saucer (about 14cm diameter) as a guide to cut around, cut out 4 discs and put them into the fridge.

Roll out the rest of the pastry, and this time, cut out 4 circles of around 20cm diameter (use a suitable plate again, to cut around). As you cut out each one put it into the fridge – it is good to keep pastry cool at all times.

Lay the smaller discs out on a clean work surface and brush with beaten egg. Unwrap the clingfilm from the cabbage parcels and put one in the middle of each disc. Cover with the larger disc, and pinch together and seal the edges. Brush each round parcel well with beaten egg. Put back into the fridge until ready to cook.

Preheat the oven to 225°C/Gas 7.

To make the sauce, heat a little vegetable oil in a pan, put in the grouse legs and carcass, together with the vegetables and garlic, and cook until the vegetables have softened. Pour in the red wine and a little water and bring to the boil. Skim off any impurities, turn the heat down and simmer to reduce rapidly until you have a nice light sauce – not too thick. Stir in the Chartreuse at the end.

Put the parcels into the oven for 15 minutes until the pastry is golden. To check that the grouse is done, insert a skewer into the middle. It should come out warm. Serve with the sauce and a little watercress.