Grouse with crispy polenta and sweetcorn

There’s a lot to this recipe for grouse with crispy polenta and sweetcorn. It involves many ingredients and the numerous steps present a real challenge to any amateur cook, but if you can dedicate enough time to this grouse recipe, your guests won’t be disappointed.

Ingredients:

For the grouse

• 2 grouse plucked
• Wish bone removed, wings removed and roasted for the sauce
• heather to smoke

For the polenta

• 500g milk
• 75g medium ground polenta
• 25g butter
• Small pinch of pimon d’esplet
• 3g chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 clove of garlic finely grated
• 50g Spanish flour

For the bread sauce

• 200ml full fat milk
• 50g butter
• 100g double cream
• Pinch of white ground pepper
• 2 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 50g breadcrumbs
• 50ml of whisky

For the rye bread croutons

• 1 or two thinly sliced rye bread.

For the sweet corn

• 2 fresh corns on the cob
• 20g of salted butter.

For the pate

• 50 g chicken livers
• Livers + hearts of the two grouse
• 1 small shallot finely diced
• 1 spring of thyme picked
• 35ml Armagnac
• 25ml madina
• Salt
• Pepper

Method for this grouse with crispy polenta and sweetcorn recipe

Cook the grouse

1. Remove the legs and confit them in duck fat at 100pc for 1 hour or wait until the meat is soft to the touch
2. Pan fry the grouse crown until golden
3. Add a knob of butter and baste
4. Place in the oven at 180 C for 6-8 mins, basting regularly
5. Allow to rest for 10 mins. While resting burn the heather and smoke the breasts for 10 mins.

Prepare the jus

1. Roast any bones and trimmings from the grouse add to the chicken stock with the thyme and heather flowers
2. Bring to a simmer remove from heat and leave to infuse for 30mins

Make the pate

1. In a sauté pan cook shallots in the butter on a medium heat until soft and lightly golden. Add the livers and hearts and thyme. Cook for 2 mins, on medium high
2. Add the Armagnac and medina and flame. Season
3. Allow to cool and roughly chop to a course pate

Cook the polenta

1. Bring the milk and butter to the boil
2. Add rosemary, garlic and pimon d’esplet and the polenta lower the heat and stir till smooth and fully cooked for 10-12 mins. Check seasoning
3. Poor into a container and leave to set
4. When cold cut into buttons aprox 1cm thick 4cm long
5. Mix the last 50g of polenta and Spanish flour. Coat the set polenta in the flour mix and deep fry till golden

Make the bread sauce

1. Bring the milk, cream, pepper, and cloves to the boil, whilst stirring
2. Add the breadcrumbs. Stir in the butter and cook for 5 mins
3. Add the whisky and season

Bake the rye bread croutons

1. Set the oven to 120 C dry the thinly sliced rye bread for 8-10 mins.
2. Once crisp break into small pieces.

Brush the sweetcorn with butter, season and grill until cooked

To plate

1. Arrange the polenta on the plate
2. Remove the grouse breasts from the crowns and lay on polenta
3. Drain the legs from the fat
4. Place on another piece of polenta
5. Reheat the pate and place on the toast
6. Place the grilled sweet corn next to the breast
7. Spoon the breast and spoon the bread sauce around. Drizzle the jus and finish with some garnish