by Ryan Sparks
A special anniversary deserves a special dish. This one is inspired by Alsace, a cultural region situated at the intersection of France, Germany and Switzerland. From a culinary perspective, Alsace combines the finesse of French cuisine with the regimen and rustic sensibility of German and Swiss cuisine. Think bright white wine, cordon bleu, pork sausage, dumplings, coq au vin, sauerkraut, foie gras and hearty beer. Alsace is also home to Eurasian woodcock, a cousin of our American woodcock. While this isn’t a classical Alsatian recipe, it combines a number of Alsatian staples – spätzle, a classic French hunter’s sauce and an Alsatian bird any woodcock hunter would recognize.
This dish benefits from some forethought. After your hunt, pluck and draw your birds, singeing any remaining feathers with a torch or candle. Place the plucked birds on a wire rack over a baking sheet and let them age in your fridge uncovered for three days. While not absolutely necessary, this step deepens the flavor of the birds and gives them a crispy skin when cooked. You should also consider purchasing a spätzle maker. You can get a good one online for less than $20. If you have never tried spätzle before, I guarantee you’ll want to make it again. If you staunchly don’t want to buy one, a colander with large holes can get you by.
- Servings: 2 (with extra spätzle left over)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cooking Time: 20 minutes
- Ingredients:
- Woodcock
- 2 plucked woodcock
- Canola oil for brushing
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup finely chopped button mushrooms
- ½ small shallot, finely diced
- ½ cup dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer
- ¼ cup upland bird stock (chicken stock also works)
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- Tarragon to taste
- Spätzle
- 2 cups flour
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- Fat fingered pinch of salt
- Preheat your oven to 500° F. While you wait for the oven to preheat, remove your plucked birds from the fridge and pat any remaining moisture with a paper towel. Optionally, truss your birds with butcher’s twine to help them cook more evenly. It’s not a deal breaker though.
- Place the birds breast side up in a lightly oiled cast iron pan and brush them with canola oil (or another high smoke point oil) and sprinkle with salt. If the birds want to fall on their side use a carrot, celery stick or potato wedge to prop them upright. Tent the birds with a small piece of aluminum foil to initially shield their skin from the heat.
- Meanwhile, make your spätzle batter. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then whisk in the milk and cream. Add salt and nutmeg to the bowl and stir. Last, add your flour and mix until smooth. The mixture should resemble melted ice cream or a thin pancake batter.
- When the oven is ready, cook the tented birds for 7 minutes, then remove them from the oven, baste with any pan juices, and return them to the oven without the aluminum foil for another 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the birds from the oven and let them rest in the pan while you make the sauce and spätzle. Now is the time to get your spätzle water boiling.
- Melt one tablespoon of butter in a pan over medium heat and add the mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes before adding the shallot and cook until translucent. Deglaze the pan with white wine and cook until half the wine has evaporated. Add the bird stock and tomato paste and stir until the tomato paste is incorporated. Bring to a low simmer and then whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of cold butter and the tarragon. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
- By now the spätzle water should be boiling. Place the spätzle maker on top of a pot. Place some spätzle mixture in the hopper and slide it back and forth to make the dumplings. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. When the dumplings float, give them another minute or so and then move them to a large bowl. Toss them with butter or a neutral oil like vegetable or canola oil to prevent them from sticking together.
- To serve, place a good amount of spätzle in a bowl and spoon sauce over the top. Place a roasted woodcock onto each plate and garnish with more tarragon if desired. Serve with a small salad, a nice glass of wine and toast the American woodcock and the American Woodcock Society!
