Lamb Stones

§

Recipe by Deana Sidney

Based on Robert May’s A Rare Fricase

1 Scottish wood pigeon
1 poussin  
½ c white wine
3 T cognac
1 c water
2 T salt
6T butter
1/3 pound sweetbreads, parboiled peeled and cubed
1 lamb stone (testicle) peeled (there are 2 layers to peel, btw), parboiled and cubed
6 oysters
½ c flour
6 asparagus, sliced in half and parboiled
Marrow from 1 marrowbone, uncooked
2 T pistachios
1 c stock (lamb, beef or chicken)
1/3 c white wine
¼ t nutmeg
Salt & pepper
¼ t mace
1 clove garlic
2 egg yolks, raw
¼ c verjus or wine vinegar
juice of 1orange
1 small orange, sliced or carved
1 carrot sliced decoratively for garnish
2 T sliced almonds
4 rounds of toast

Slice the birds in half.  Remove most of the bones from the pigeon and poussin leaving the leg and wing. Marinate the pigeon and the poussin in wine, water, cognac and salt for a few hours or overnight.  Remove from the brine and pat dry.  Sauté the birds in 3 T butter (a cast iron skillet works well for this) to brown over medium high heat, turn.  Cook the pigeon another 2-3 minutes over a medium flame and remove, let the chicken cook 4 more minutes then run them under a broiler, skin side up to brown for a few moments, then remove and tent (the poussin may require a little more time than the pigeon).

Flour the sweetbreads (reserve 1/3 for the sauce) oysters and lamb stones and season with salt and pepper.

Sauté the marrow, remove what remains, then add 3 T butter and the sweetbreads and oysters and lamb stone, fry till crisp and remove Set aside and keep warm.   

Sauté reserved sweetbread and pistachios.

Add stock to the pan you cooked the birds in with nutmeg, pepper, garlic, white wine, mace and let the flavors mingle.

Add egg yolks to verjus, blend, add to stock and heat gently.

When thickened, add orange juice and toss in the asparagus to warm.

Place rounds of toast on plates then place the birds on the toasts and add the oysters and sweetbreads.

Arrange the orange (sliced or carved), asparagus, pistachios and almonds about the birds.

Pour the sauce over the birds.