Guinea fowl with liquorice braised leeks, morels and rosemary

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Marcus Eaves' roast guinea fowl recipe produces an expertly poised dish. The meat is roasted on the bone and paired with a sweet and warming shallot purée, leeks enhanced with the flavour of liquorice and textural morels. The final dish only uses the breasts, so reserve the legs for soups, stews or salads.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Guinea fowl

Shallot purée

Braised leeks

Morels

Spinach

Equipment

  • Blender
  • Butcher's string

Method

1
Begin by preparing the shallot purée. Slice the shallots and place them in a saucepan over a medium heat with the butter and a pinch of salt and sugar. Place a lid on top and leave to cook on a gentle heat for around 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally
2
Once the shallots are completely soft, drain off the excess butter and pour in the double cream. Simmer gently for a further 5 minutes, then transfer to a blender and blitz until the purée is smooth
  • 100ml of double cream
3
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
4
Stuff the cavity of the guinea fowl with the crushed garlic, rosemary and thyme. Truss the bird using butchers' string to secure the cavity
5
Rub butter all over the skin of the bird and place in a roasting tin. Roast in the hot oven for 35 minutes, or until the leg juices run clear when pierced with a sharp knife
6
Meanwhile, prepare the braised leeks. Leaving the roots intact, trim a little off the tops and wash the leeks thoroughly in ice water to remove any soil or sand. Bring the chicken stock to the boil and add the thyme, liquorice root, garlic and a pinch salt
7
In a separate pan, lightly caramelise the butter to make a beurre noisette. Add the butter to the stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Then, place the leeks in the stock and simmer until tender, approximately 15-20 minutes
8
Remove the leeks from the stock, cut them in half lengthways and drain on kitchen towel. Place a pan over a high heat and add some oil. Once scorching hot, caramelise the leeks until dark golden brown and set aside
9
Once the guinea fowl is cooked, remove from the oven and rest the bird upside down for approximately 25 minutes so that the juices relax back into the meat. Reserve any juices in the roasting tin
10
Wash the morels thoroughly in warm water to remove any soil or sand until completely clean
11
Preheat a frying pan and add the butter, garlic, thyme and morels. Lightly fry the morels until they start to soften. Remove the excess butter with a spoon or absorbent kitchen paper and glaze the mushrooms in a splash of chicken stock. Season to taste
12
In a separate pan, lightly sauté the spinach in a knob of butter, season and keep warm
13
Before serving, in separate pans reheat the shallot purée, leeks and morels
14
Spoon some of the purée onto each plate. Remove the breasts from the bird, carve each in half lengthways and arrange on top of the purée. Place the leeks and morels neatly around each plate and garnish with the baby spinach. Drizzle with the cooking juices and serve immediately
First published in 2015

Followers of Marcus Eaves’ career can’t be surprised to see him earning wide acclaim for his delicious cooking. He currently oversees the menus at Mayfair private members' club George.

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