Pigeon and persimmon

GBC Lake Pigeon FILM 1080P 31 3 22
  • 8
  • 3 hours 20 minutes plus overnight brining, confiting and cooling time
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This – believe it or not – is a simplified version of what Jonny and the team at Trivet actually do to create this dish of pigeon with persimmon, kale and carrots in the Michelin-starred restaurant. To experience the real deal (and save yourself an awful lot of work!) you’ll need to book yourself a table, but for those of you after a true culinary challenge, the recipe is below!

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First published in 2022

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Curing mix

Sauce

Persimmon purée

Kale gremolata

Croquettes

Carrots

To serve

Method

1

Begin by preparing and brining the pigeons. Remove the legs from the pigeons to create 8 crowns (your butcher can do this for you). Set the legs aside and, if the pigeons come with them, reserve the hearts too. Combine the yoghurt, milk and salt in a container, then submerge the crowns in the yoghurt brine and place in the fridge for 12 hours

2

For the curing mix, toast the spices then add to a blender with the thyme, rosemary, garlic and salt. Blitz into a fine powder, then use this mixture to evenly coat the reserved pigeon legs (and hearts, if you have them). Place in the fridge to cure for 2 hours, then rinse off the cure and pat dry

3

You can either cook the legs and hearts in a sous vide or in the oven. If cooking sous vide, place them into a vacuum bag with 50g of duck fat, then cook in a water bath at 60°C for 12 hours. If you don’t have a sous vide, place in an ovenproof dish and cover with duck fat. Place in an oven set at around 70°C and cook for 12 hours

4

While the crowns brine and the legs and hearts confit, you can make the other elements. Start with the sauce. Pour the stock in a pan and simmer until reduced by half. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes, or until you’re happy with the consistency of the sauce, then strain and reserve

5

To make the spice mix, toast each of the spices individually until fragrant. Blitz together into a fine powder, then store in an airtight container

6

To make the persimmon purée, blitz the persimmons in a blender at the highest speed for 2 minutes, then pass through a fine sieve. Season with the salt, vinegar and white pepper to taste, then store in the fridge until needed

7

To make the kale gremolata, blitz all the ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Store in the fridge until needed

8

Once the pigeon crowns have finished brining in the yoghurt, lift them out, wash off the excess brine and pat dry. Reserve in the fridge until ready to cook

9

Once the pigeon legs have finished confiting, lift them out of the fat and leave until cool enough to handle. Shred the meat off the bones, then combine the meat with some pigeon sauce, persimmon purée and duck fat until bound together. Season to taste with some of the spice mix, some thyme leaves, salt and pepper, then pack into a baking tray so the mixture is 2cm thick. Place into the fridge or freezer to set

10

You now have all the elements needed to finish the dish. Jonny cooks the pigeon over a charcoal barbecue for the best flavour and texture, so light one and wait until the coals glow white. You could also use a griddle pan, but it will lack the smoky flavour. Take the pigeon crowns out of the fridge to come up to room temperature before cooking, and ensure the other elements are out of the fridge too

11

Cut the set leg meat mixture into 8 small batons, then dust in rice flour, coat in egg yolk and then cover in the popped wild rice, packing the grains tightly onto it

  • rice flour, for dusting
  • 4 egg yolks, beaten
  • 1 handful of wild rice, heated in a dry pan until popped and puffed up
12

Finely slice the persimmon and season with smoked olive oil and white pepper. Place somewhere warm (near the barbecue is good) to just soften slightly

13

To cook the carrots, mix 10g of the spice mix into the butter to create a spiced butter. Peel and cut the carrots lengthways, then cut into 2-inch pieces on the angle. Place the butter into a pan with enough water to create an emulsion, then heat until just below boiling. Add the carrots and cook for 7 minutes, then keep warm until ready to serve

14

Using tongs, hold the pigeon crowns as close to the coals as you can, turning them regularly, until the skin browns up and the breasts are rare. Leave to rest somewhere warm. If you have confited the hearts, briefly grill them on the barbecue to reheat

15

Gently reheat the pigeon sauce and bring a small pan of oil to 180°C. Deep-fry the pigeon croquettes for a few minutes until crisp, the drain on kitchen paper. Toss the kale in a little of the kale gremolata

  • vegetable oil, for deep-frying
  • 4 handfuls of kale leaves, ideally a mix of variegated types
16

To serve, add 4 slices of persimmon to each plate, along with pieces of carrot. Add a handful of kale, then carve the breasts and place them on top of the persimmon. Finish with a few dots of persimmon purée, the pigeon sauce and the duck croquette (and heart, if using)

First published in 2022

A former executive chef at Heston Blumenthal’s legendary The Fat Duck, Canadian-born Jonny Lake has been working at the pinnacle of the industry for decades. Since opening his own London restaurant Trivet with master sommelier Isa Bal, he’s thrilling diners with a menu inspired by his various travels and in 2024 won two Michelin stars for his efforts.

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