Salt CrustRoasted Partridge with Figs and Chocolate-Balsamic Syrup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 4 juniper berries, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 partridges (8 to 10 ounces each), or squab, cleaned, washed, and dried
- 4 large fresh figs, stems removed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 pounds sel gris
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup water (optional)
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 ounce bittersweet chocolate
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Mix together the garlic, rosemary, juniper, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Rub the partridges inside and out with the mixture and stuff a fig into the cavity of each bird.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Put as many of the birds as will fit comfortably in the pan and brown as evenly as possible all over their surfaces, about 2 minutes per side.
- Repeat until all of the birds are browned.
- Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
- Have ready a large casserole dish just large enough to accommodate the four birds.
- Press the sel gris between your fingers.
- It should be moist enough to stick together.
- If it isnt, stir in a few tablespoons of water until the salt is moist enough to cling together when firmly pressed.
- In the casserole dish, make four 1/2-inch-thick oval pads of the sel gris, each just large enough to hold a bird.
- Place a bird on each oval and pack the remaining salt around each bird until it is completely encased.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- While the birds are roasting, boil the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan or skillet until reduced by half.
- Remove from the heat and swirl in the chocolate until melted; keep warm.
- Remove the birds from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Break the salt crusts and brush off any salt clinging to the surface of the partridges.
- Remove the figs from the cavity and arrange on four plates, along with the birds.
- Drizzle with chocolate-balsamic syrup and serve.
garlic, fresh rosemary, berries, freshly ground black pepper, partridges, fresh figs, extravirgin olive oil, sel gris, water, balsamic vinegar, bittersweet chocolate
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/salt-crust-roasted-partridge-with-figs-and-chocolate-balsamic-syrup-382462 (may not work)