Sous vide grouse with beetroot

Not yet rated

This sous vide grouse recipe from Adam Stokes is a remarkable symphony of flavours, combining the excellent flavour of game with sweet beetroot and beautiful spring onions. Because the beetroot and the grouse are cooked in a water bath, this recipe requires some preparation.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Grouse

Beetroot water

Beetroot and vegetables

Grouse sauce

Spring onion milk froth

To garnish

Equipment

  • Blender
  • Water bath

Method

1
Mix all ingredients from the beetroot water list together in a jug. Thoroughly wash the baby golden beetroots and put them into a vacuum packing bag with half of the beetroot water
2
Place the sealed bag into a water bath at 85°C for 3 hours. After 3 hours, remove from the bath and open the top of the bag, being careful not to discard any of the beetroot water
3
Peel and quarter the golden beetroot and return them to the bag. The bag can be refrigerated and then the contents can be warmed through in the unsealed bag when ready to serve
4
Peel the red beetroot and keep the trimmings to one side. Using a Japanese Mandolin, slice the beetroot into 1mm cross sectional slices
5
Place the remaining half of the beetroot water and the beetroot trimmings in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer until the liquor turns red
6
Remove the trimmings. Place the slices along with enough liquor to cover into a vacuum bag, seal and place in a water bath at 90°C for 40 minutes
7
Cool in the bag and reheat in the water bath when ready to plate the soused beetroot slices
8
Meanwhile, prepare the grouses and roast the neck and legs of each in a pan over a medium heat in a little oil for approximately 10 minutes or until golden brown - place these to one side for use in the grouse sauce
9
The remaining part of the grouse is referred to as the crown. Seal the crown in a vacuum packing bag with a pinch of salt, butter, thyme and garlic. Place in the water bath for one hour at 57°C
10
Remove the grouse crowns from the bag, seal the crown skin until nicely roasted and crisp
11
Thoroughly wash the young garden turnips and using a small knife, scrape the edges around the leaves to remove all soil. Once again, use a Japanese mandolin to cut each turnip vertically into three
12
Sauté the turnip slices in grapeseed oil until golden and season with salt
  • 20ml of grapeseed oil
13
Sweat the shallots and juniper in the bottom of a big pan until golden. Deglaze the pan with red wine vinegar
14
Add the port, veal glace, chicken stock, cream, lemon and blackberries and bring to the boil. Continue to boil the mixture until the liquid is reduced by half
15
Add the roasted grouse bones used earlier in the recipe and infuse for 20 minutes. Strain and add salt to taste
16
Wash and roughly chop the spring onions, place in a pan with the whole milk and bring to the boil
17
Simmer for 5 minutes and cool in a bowl over ice. Blitz and pass the mixture, add the lecithin and salt to taste
  • 2g of lecithin
  • 1 pinch of salt
18
Refrigerate and when ready to serve froth with a hand processor so a foam appears on top of the milk
19
Peel the girolles and blanch in an emulsion of garlic, thyme, butter and water. Use the bottom of a heavy saucepan to crack the cobnut shell. Peel off the nut membrane and cut the nut in two
20
Warm the grouse sauce and coat each bramble in the sauce before assembling on the plate with the grouse crowns. Finish the dish with wood sorrel and the foam from the top of the spring onion milk
First published in 2015

Adam Stokes has achieved a lot in his career so far – including a Michelin star in two out of his three cheffing jobs. From refined country cuisine in the lowlands of Scotland to more modern, inventive dishes at his own restaurant in the heart of Birmingham, the themes that remain strong are intense flavours, beautiful British ingredients, stunning presentation and intricate technique.

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.