Guinea fowl with apple and Calvados sauce

Serves 4 Starters and mains

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Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C F/Gas 4. Melt half the butter in a casserole large enough to fit the 2 guinea fowl snugly together for cooking in the oven. Season their insides with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. One at a time, brown the birds on all sides and set aside on a plate. Wipe out the pan with kitchen paper as the butter will have overbrowned.

Core, peel and halve the apples lengthways and slice into 5mm wedges. Melt the rest of the butter in the casserole and toss in the apple wedges to coat them and fry for a few minutes. Pour in half the cream and stir. Make a nest in the apples and place the birds breast-side down on top. Tuck the bay leaves in among the apples, season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and cook in the oven for around 30 minutes.

Turn the birds breast-side up and pour the rest of the cream around them, along with the Calvados. Cover and cook again for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and give it a further 10 minutes uncovered, until the legs are cooked through at their thickest point. Serve on a platter surrounded by the apples.

This recipe was taken from the August/September 2020 issue of Food and Travel.

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