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This year may be the Year of the Rooster, but in 2017, consider the pigeon.
Smaller than your standard poultry pick, pigeon – or squab, the name given to the unfledged delicacy before the young bird takes flight – is no less flavoursome for being so small and tender.
In fact, for such a small package it packs a considerable punch.
Similarly punching well above its weight and in a class of its own is the Essenza Mini, Nespresso’s smallest and one of its most impressive (and stylish) machines yet, delivering results that far exceed the expectations set by its diminutive scale. It just so turns happens that, when combined, the two comprise a formidable pair that invites further inspection.
Delicately gamey and with none of the metropolitan associations of its quotidian cousin, the standard pigeon, Good Luck Pinbone chefs Gemma Whiteman and Mike Eggert’s recipe for crispy skin pigeon is matched in a robustness of flavour by a glossy red wine, cinnamon and star anise lacquer made magic through the unexpected introduction of a shot of Nespresso Livanto extracted using an Essenza Mini.
A contemporary take on a Chinese classic – similar to much of what they’ve accomplished at the brilliant Good Luck Pinbone – the addition of Nespresso Livanto brings a sweet caramel note and an earthy complexity to the sauce that works well with its anise flavours, as well as the pigeon’s rich flavour profile. What results is a quiet showstopper of a dish that’s as much about bold flavours (and shapes) as it is about colours and textures – a balance both parties understand all too well.
Crispy skin pigeon with wild plums and Nespresso, star anise sauce
NESPRESSO STAR ANISE SAUCE
1 X 40ML SHOT NEPRESSO LIVANTO GRAND CRU
¼ CUP RED WINE
1 ½ CUPS BROWN CHICKEN STOCK
1 X CINNAMON STICK
1 X STAR ANISE
PINCH OF BROWN SUGAR
1 TABLESPOON BUTTER
CRISPY CHICKEN
2 X PIGEONS
2 CM PIECE OF GINGER, WITH THE SKIN ON, CUT INTO THIN SLICES
2 STALKS OF SHALLOTS/ SPRING ONIONS
1 STICK CINNAMON
2 X STAR ANISE
1 TEASPOON FENNEL SEEDS
1 CUP SOY SAUCE
2/3 CUP SAKE OR SHAO XING (CHINESE COOKING WINE)
½ CUP BROWN SUGAR
2 STRIPS OF ORANGE ZEST, ALL WHITE PITH REMOVED
8 WILD PLUMS, CHEEKS CUT FROM THE STONE TO SERVE (IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO FIND WILD PLUMS, A SMALL BLOOD PLUM WILL DO NICELY!)
To cook the pigeon, you will need to start this recipe 1.5 hours prior to serving as you need to give the birds time to rest and cook slowly in the liquid.
Begin by making the poaching stock. In a pot large enough to comfortably sit the pigeons (leaving enough room to completely cover them in liquid and not be squished together) add the ginger slices, cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, soy, sake, sugar and orange zest. Tear the shallots in half, helping them release their flavour and add them to the pot. Pour in 1.5 litres of water and bring to the boil. Let the stock boil for a couple of minutes to cook off any raw alcohol flavour before tasting and adjusting using more soy if needed.
When you are happy with the flavour of the stock, turn it off and gently lower the birds into the pot – make sure they don’t touch or you could risk breaking the skin of the pigeon. Let the birds rest in the cooling stock until it reaches a temperature that you can put your finger in and not scald it! This should take approximately an hour.
Using a pair of tongs, very carefully lift the birds, one at a time out of the pot and sit them on a plate to let the skin dry out a little.
To make the sauce, add red wine, cinnamon and star anise into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour in the brown chicken stock and reduce by half. Pour over the shot of Nespresso Livanto and continue to simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly. Just before you serve whisk a tablespoon of butter into the warm sauce to emulsify and make your sauce beautiful and glossy.
To serve the pigeon, fill a flat based wok with one litre of vegetable oil and heat until the surface begins to shimmer, approximately 180 degrees. The best way to test if the oil is ready is by using the end of a wooden spoon: if it bubbles when it hits the oil, it is ready to go! Very carefully using tongs place the pigeon one at a time in the oil and cook until the skin is golden, turning if necessary. They should take about three to four minutes each. Drain the pigeon well on paper towel.
Cut the birds into quarters, by splitting them directly down the middle, from the neck to the tail, then with the cut side laying on the chopping board cut in between the leg and breast. Arrange on your plate and pour over sauce. Garnish with the cheeks of fresh wild plums.
Credit: Kimberley Low
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CREDITS
Creative Direction: Justine ODonnell
Motion: E Michael Wolf
Stills: Kimberley Low
Location: Good Luck Pinbone
Special thanks to: Gemma Whiteman, Mike Eggert and Berri Eggert
