Best Medieval Game Bird Recipes

MEDIEVAL GAME HEN POT PIE

Steps:

• For the hen: Put the hen in a 1 gallon re-sealable plastic bag with the water, honey, and salt. Seal the bag and move around vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to distribute the honey and dissolve the salt. Set the bag in a leak-proof container and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• For the pastry: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk together the flour and salt in a small mixing bowl and set aside. Combine the milk, water, and lard in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, approximately 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the flour all at once, and stir with a wooden spoon until combined and the mixture begins to form into a ball of dough.
• Place the dough onto a floured work surface and knead until cooled, approximately 5 minutes. Divide the dough in half, and divide one of the pieces in half again. Set aside.
• For the egg wash: Combine the egg and water in a small bowl. Set aside.
• To build the pot pie: Remove the hen from the brine and pat dry. Use kitchen shears to cut away the skin from the breast of the hen. Place the dried fruit into the cavity of the hen and tie the legs with butchers twine. Place the hen in the center of a piece of parchment and trace an oval approximately 1/2-inch larger than the hen, approximately 8 1/2 inches long by 6 1/2 inches wide. Remove the hen from the parchment and turn the paper over to avoid getting pencil on the dough.
• Roll the two quarters of dough into ovals according to the template; this is the base and the top of the pot pie. Place one of the ovals in the center of the parchment. Set the other oval aside. Roll the remaining half of dough into a 1/2-inch thick and 4-inch wide strip of dough that will go around the oval piece and surround the hen. Brush around the edge of the base pastry with egg wash. Place the thyme sprigs on the base, then top with the hen. Place the 4-inch wide strip of dough around the hen, forming a "wall" around the hen. Press the ends together. Press down to seal this to the base pastry. Sprinkle the hen with the allspice, black pepper, cumin, and paprika. Brush the top of the "wall" with egg wash. Place the remaining oval of pastry on top of the hen and crimp, attaching the top to the wall. Patch any holes with excess dough. Brush the entire pastry with egg wash. Bake until the hen reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees F, about1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest 20 minutes before serving.

MEDIEVAL GAME HEN POT PIE - ALTON BROWN

Steps:

• In a small pot, combine 2 cups water with honey and salt. Heat just until honey and salt are dissolved. Add 1/2 lb ice and stir. When completely cool, add game hen and soak 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Whisk together flour and salt. Set aside.
• In a large pot, combine milk, water and lard. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and dump in the dry ingredients. Stir until it forms a loose dough.
• Turn dough out onto a board, and as soon as it is cool enough, begin to knead. Knead until it forms a smooth dough, then set aside to cool for at least 5 minutes.
• Using scissors or shears, cut through the skin along either side of the breast and remove the skin from over the breast. Stuff the cavity with the dried fruit, then tie the legs together with butcher's twine. Place bird on a sheet of parchment and trace around the bird, about 1/2" larger than the bird's shape. Set bird and parchment aside.
• Cut dough in half, then cut one half in half again. Turn the parchment over so the pencil is on the underside. Using the heel of your hand, spread one of the smaller lumps of dough out to fill the shape you traced. Set aside, then repeat with the other small piece of dough; leave it on the parchment. Take the larger piece of dough, using bench flour as needed to prevent sticking, and roll out into a piece about 4" wide by 12" long by 1/2" thick.
• Beat egg yolk and water together to form egg wash. Brush the base piece with egg wash. Scatter thyme sprigs over base, then top with the game hen. Place the long "wall" piece of dough around the game hen, crimping it to the bottom, then overlapping and pinching the two ends together. Sprinkle the breast of the game hen with the allspice, black pepper, cumin and paprika. Brush the top edge of the wall with egg wash, top with the remaining piece of dough and crimp to seal. Brush all exposed dough with egg wash.
• Transfer parchment to a baking sheet, and place in preheated oven. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and allow to rest 15 minutes before carving. Remove the top of the crust with a serrated or electric knife before extracting and carving the hen for service.

CORNED GAME BIRDS

Steps:

• Bring all ingredients to a boil.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Take 2 1-gallon Freezer zip-top bags and place 5-6 pounds cleaned and skinned birds into each bag.
• Pour 1/2 cooled brine mixture into each bag.
• Get out as much air as possible and seal bag. I place each bag into a second bag just incase it gets a leak.
• Put in refrigerator for 5-7 days turning bags every day.
• Remove and drain liquid.
• Cook as you would corned beef. Place brined birds into a large pot with fresh water and boil on low for at least 30 minutes. The longer they cook the more tender the meat gets.
• Serve hot with boiled potatoes and cabbage or chill and pull pieces off and use them like lunch meat.

MEDIEVAL CHICKEN IN A CLAY ROASTER

Steps:

• Soak the clay pot according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Spatchcock the chicken, making sure to remove the keel bone and breast cartilage, but not cutting the bird into halves. Rinse.
• Season the chicken inside and out to taste with the salt and pepper.
• Combine the softened butter and the minced garlic. The amount of garlic should be adjusted based upon your preference.
• Using your fingers, spread the garlic butter between the meat and the skin of the breast and leg meat.
• Wrap the chicken around the quartered onions and fresh rosemary and place in the prepared clay pot.
• Pour the white wine and the orange juice over the prepared bird, allowing the excess liquid to pool at the bottom of the pot.
• Place covered clay pot in COLD oven and turn the heat on to 450 degrees. Bake until the chicken is cooked (use an oven thermometer) through, checking often after the one hour mark. The time will vary based upon the size of the bird(s). (In our oven, baking time is typically between 75 and 90 minutes.).
• As the bird gets close to being done, take the cover off the pot and allow it to brown.
• Allow the chicken or hens to cool for 10 minutes in the pot with the juices after removing from the oven. Collect the juices and skim off as much fat as possible.
• Cut up and serve the bird with some of the lovely skimmed juice on the side. Thicken it if you want, but we like it just as is.