The Partridge and the Pear

Name: The Partridge and the Pear (La Pernice con la Pera)
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 partridges, prepared for cooking, ready barded if possible, plus giblets; 55 g (2 oz) unsalted butter; 1 tbsp brandy; 100 ml (3½ fl oz) chicken broth; salt and pepper to taste; salt and pepper to taste; 2 pears, not too ripe (William); 10 cloves; 4 grates of nutmeg; 2.5 cm (1 in) cinnamon stick; 100 g (3½ oz) caster sugar; 40 ml (1½ fl oz) white wine vinegar; 4 tbsp water

La Pernice con la Pera

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Antonio Carluccio Goes Wild

By Antonio Carluccio

Published 2001

About

I have to admit that during my twenty-five years in Britain, I have taken on a little ‘Britishness’, one facet of which is the name of this recipe, in honour of the famous Christmas song, ‘A partridge in a pear tree’ The combination of partridge and pear has always been loved, and not only by my English customers...

Ingredients

4 partridges, prepared for cooking, ready barded if possible, plus giblets
55 g (2 oz) unsalted butter

Europe
Italy
United Kingdom
Main course
Gluten-free
Christmas

Method

First prepare the pears. Peel them, halve them and remove the cores. Put all the remaining pear ingredients into a saucepan, add some salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Immerse the pears in this liquid and cook for 15 minutes, depending on their initial texture. We want them to still be quite firm. Allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to