World Gourmet Summit 2004
Culinary Masterclass


The Cuisine of
Laurent Gras
Fifth Floor, San Francisco, USA

Squab Breast with California Raisins and Green Lentil Emulsion

  Serves 4
  INGREDIENTS
  Squab Breast
1




15g
30g
15g
15g
squab
Duck fat
'Fleur de sel' salt

Mixed Cracked Peppercorns
Sichuan peppercorns
Indonesian peppercorns
Jamaican peppercorns
Black peppercorns
  Squab Legs
2


3


6

1

squab legs
duck fat
Sage
white pearl onions, peeled
White grapes; peeled
Butter
Sugar
Chicken stock
California Raisins, halved
Duck fat
bacon slice; cut into small pieces
Salt; to taste
Ground pepper; to taste
Sherry Vinegar
  Squab Jus
750g

3
95g
10
1.9 ltr

squab bones; cut into pieces
Duck fat
garlic cloves
shallots; peeled, thickly sliced
California Raisins
chicken stock, divided
Sage
A bunch of thyme
Chopped squab liver
Rock salt and ground pepper, to taste
Sherry vinegar
  Green Lentil Emulsion:
95g lentils; soaked overnight in cold water, rinsed
Chicken stock
Squab jus
Finely diced sage
Sherry vinegar
Method:
1.
For the Squab Breast: Trim the legs (and reserve), wings and wishbone from the squab until the breast is left. Lift the skin and place a sage leaf under the skin of the squab breast. Season with salt.

Heat duck fat in a frying pan and brown the squab breast, then finish it off in a pre-heated oven. Remove the bone from the roasted squab breast and season with sea salt and mixed cracked peppercorns to taste. Keep warm.
2.
For the Squab Legs: Confit the squab legs in some duck fat with salt and sage and then remove the meat from the bone.
Braise the white pearl onions and white grapes with butter, sugar and chicken stock until tender and then cut into halves. Set aside.
Sauté the bacon pieces until crisp and then drain on paper towels.
Sauté the onions, grapes and the bacon crisps in a pan with some duck fat and a drop of sherry vinegar. Then add the squab leg and season with salt and ground pepper to taste.
3.
For the Squab Jus: Roast the squab bones with the duck fat in a stockpot until the bones are caramelised. Pour away the fat and then sweat the garlic, shallots and California Raisinstogether until fragrant. Pour in 470ml chicken stock and simmer until the liquid is reduced, then pour in the remaining stock and continue to simmer until the stock has thickened. Infuse the sauce with sage and thyme, then strain through a fine sieve.
Reserve half the squab jus for the green lentil emulsion. Pour the rest into another saucepot and add the chopped liver to it. Bring to a boil, then season to taste with salt, ground pepper and sherry vinegar. Strain again.
4.
For the Green Lentil Emulsion:Pour chicken stock in a saucepot and add the soaked lentils. Simmer slowly, skimming the surface occasionally until the lentils are soft and cooked through. Then pour the lentils together with its cooking liquid into a food processor and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve and then simmer the lentil puree with the reserved squab jus, sage and sherry vinegar.

To Serve:
Spoon the green lentil emulsion on one side of the plate, then spoon some squab jus and chopped liver on the other side. Dress the center of the plate with some fricassee and top it with the roasted squab breast and squab legs confit.