I'm making this tonight to go with the poussins (spatchcocks) for Christmas dinner. I thought I'd write it up while it's reducing. It's actually part of a quail dish from the sensational "Maze" by Jason Atherton, who used to work for the other Gordon Ramsay. One of the great things about the book is that he gives you a dish, and then two variations on its main ingredients.
Put all of the following into a large 'non-reactive' (ie. relaxd) saucepan.
160g onions, diced
200g apples, peeled, cored and doced
200g raisins
1 tbsp orange zest
juice of 2 oranges (? big or small?)
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
40g finely chopped fresh root ginger (don't use the bottled rubbish!)
250ml white wine vinegar
Bring to the boil. Stir frequently until reduced by two-thirds.
350g caster sugar
1/4 tsp saffron infused in 1 tbsp water
Add sugar and saffron and cook for another 5 mins.
1 kg pears, peeled, cored and diced (i presumed this meant 1 kg BEFORE the peeling etc, since it halved in weight...)
Add pears and cook gently for 1-2 hours until thick and syrupy.
I reckon this will go with any poultry or pork. And with cheese. Can't wait to taste it!
Of course, this doesn tell you what has to happen to the quail / poussins yet. That's the next episode.
Photo on Hipstamatic on iPhone 4 using the new 'foodie' digital lens and film combo - sad but true!
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