Pigeon Breasts with Gingerbread Sauce

Name: Pigeon Breasts with Gingerbread Sauce
Ingredients: To decorate: fine julienne of blanched orange peel; To decorate: fine julienne of blanched orange peel; salt and freshly ground black pepper; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon butter; quâtre épices (optional); 3 slices of pain d’épices or failing this 1-1½ slices of gingerbread; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 150 ml (¼ pint) red wine; 3 slices of pain d’épices or failing this 1-1½ slices of gingerbread; 2 tablespoons armagnac or cognac; 2 tablespoons armagnac or cognac; 4 tablespoons groundnut oil; 1 tablespoon tomato purée; ½ bay leaf; 2 sprigs of parsley; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1 sprig of thyme; 1 carrot, chopped; 1 onion, chopped; 6 pigeons

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Game Cookery

By Patricia Lousada

Published 1989

About

As in most of these recipes only the breasts of the wood pigeon are eaten. If you have squab the legs and thighs should also be used and the remaining carcases can go in the stockpot. Pain d’épices has quite a suble spicy flavour quite different from English gingerbreads. It can be found in continental grocers but if you have to settle for gingerbread adjust the amount according to how strong a ginger flavour it has.

Ingredients

Starter
Main course

Ingredients

Method