I just love Christmas in the kitchen, it’s truly one of my favourite times of the year to cook. I don’t always go for the obvious, although I do love traditional turkey with cranberry sauce and Brussel sprouts. When I want to cook something a bit different, a firm favourite is my ‘Partridge in a Pear Tree’, a dish of partridge, pear, parsnip and chocolate, which surprisingly work very well together as flavours. It’s a real showstopper and great fun to prepare; a festive treat!
Serves 4
Ingredients
- Four partridges, plucked, drawn and singed
- One pear
- Two parsnips, peeled and chopped
- One shallot
- 20g dark chocolate (at least 70 per cent cocoa solids)
- 200ml full-bodied red wine
- 50ml port
- One tsp sherryvi negar
- 100ml whole milk
- Two tbsp butter
- Four leaves kale or cabbage, sliced
- Salt and pepper
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 7. Using a very sharp knife, remove the legs and the breasts from the partridges.
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