Bécasse Rôtie

Woodcock is usually regarded as the finest game bird. I think of it as the Roquefort of game, with its magnificently strong flavour. Charles Forot calls it royal game and adds that a roast woodcock, ‘dans toute la cuisine, se répandra une odeur à réveiller un mort’. This is because the intestines melt when cooked, heightening the flavour of the meat; they are then scraped out of the carcass and mixed into a purée which is spread on croûtons to be served with the bird. This dish needs