I drove 60 miles, maybe more, to pick up the Guinea fowl for lesson #7. I also bought a Cornish game hen so I could compare the two. It was worth knowing because the Cornish game hen is waaay less fattening than the Guinea fowl.
The dish, Pintadeaux au choux, was disappointing. The savoy cabbage was cooked and cooked to death. The whole thing seemed greasy. The Guinea fowl was a bit tough, though nicely flavored. The Cornish game hen was pretty tender, but bland. I enjoyed the contrast of the polish sausage with the other flavors, but on the whole it was a disappointment. And it was fussy to make. Did I miss something? Did I overcook it somehow? I'm not quite sure what the lesson was.
I much preferred the rotisseried pintade we had in France, when Peaceable was living there.
The Bavarian Cream..... I didn't use strawberries, I used frozen raspberries. First of all because I had them and second because I prefer raspberries to strawberries unless they are fresh. This time I didn't wreck the Creme Anglaise. On the other hand I caught the whipped cream just one nanosecond before it turned to butter, so folding it into the custard and fruit puree was really more of a stirring pretty vigorously. But it was divinely delicious nevertheless. I served it in a lovely etched glass bowl of Alec's mum's. You can't see how pretty it is in the picture. Take my word for it.
I served it with Brussels sprouts (which I overcooked dreadfully) and a white bean puree. Just as I thought the meal was done, I realized I had not made any starch and I thought the meal needed it. So I rapidly created the white bean puree - It probably took 5 minutes and it was my favorite part of the meal.
Not CB, but it was so good I'll give you the recipe: Take a can or two of white beans ( I used Navy beans, but if I'd had Cannellini, that would have worked. And I drained them, then heated them with a little chicken broth and some crushed garlic. When they were hot, I put them in the food processor with 2 TBSP of olive oil and 2 TBSP of lemon juice or white wine vinegar. Puree, then adjust seasonings and put in a dish with parsley strewn haphazardly on top.
3 comments:
How does one eat said White Bean Puree? As a side dish, with a spoon? It sounds a lot like a dip I make (with black beans), that one eats on chips or bread.
It sounds delicious, however, and I will try it in a meal very soon.
Could you comment on the flavors of the Guinea Hen with the sausage? We wondered if the gamey flavor would hold up better against the sausage than the Game Hen?
I just read your comments to my earlier post -- will await your comparisons of hens for COG's photographs.
I served the white bean puree just as I would have mashed potatoes. I imagine it could be a nice spread or dip, but it also worked as a side dish.
The Guinea hen I've had is not at all gamey or even like duck - it's more like the dark meat of a chicken. The sausage was very nice with it, but I also liked it with the game hen.
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