Chartreuse of Squab with Confit Cabbage, Baby Turnips, Anna Potatoes, and Juniper Berry Juice
Taped when Jean Banchet was operating his restaurant La Riviera in Atlanta, this dish is a treat for the eye. The perfectly trimmed, brightly colored vegetables demonstrate a bit of this French chef’s art and draw the eye. The chartreuses are filled with cabbage confit and served with slices of squab breast and the squab legs. The plates are garnished with baby turnips and sauced with Juniper Berry Juice. Crisp Potatoes Anna accompany each dish.
Ingredients
- Squabs - Four, 16-ounce, boned (reserve bones)
- Cabbage Confit
- Savoy Cabbage - 1, large, cored and diced
- Duck Fat - 1 cup
- Salt Pork - 4 ounces, diced
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
- Juniper Berry Juice
- Squab carcass and bones
- Garlic Cloves - 1
- Onion - 2 tablespoons, minced
- Celery - 2 tablespoons, minced
- Garlic Cloves - 2, minced
- Dry White Wine - 1 cup
- Juniper Berries - 2 tablespoons
- Chicken Stock - 4 cups (see basics)
- Chartreuse
- Zucchini - 1 medium, cut in 1/4-inch julienne
- Turnip - 1 large, cut in 1/4-inch julienne
- Carrots - 2, cut in 1/4-inch julienne
- Yellow Squash - 1, cut in 1/4-inch julienne
- Leek - 1 long leaf
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
- Potatoes
- Baking Potatoes - 2, large, thinly sliced
- Clarified Butter - 4 ounces (see Basics)
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
- Garnish
- Baby Turnips - 1 pound (at least 24 turnips), tops on and trimmed to 2 inches; peeled
- Watercress - 1 bunch
Instructions
To make the cabbage confit: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the cabbage. Let the water return to a boil, boil 1 minute, and strain through a colander. Plunge the cabbage into cold water to stop the cooking, and drain again. In a large heavy saucepan, heat the duck fat over medium-high heat and add the salt pork. Saute for 3 minutes, add the cabbage, and turn to coat. Simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the fat, reserving it. Set the cabbage aside and keep warm.
For the juice: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Chop the carcasses and bones and place in a baking pan with the onions, celery, and garlic. Drizzle with some of the reserved duck fat. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, until browned. Transfer the bones to a large saucepan and add the wine and juniper berries. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by three-fourths. Add the chicken stock and cook again until reduced by one half. Strain and set aside; keep warm (an insulated jug works well).
To make the chartreuse: Butter four 3-1/2-inch ring molds. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and add the zucchini. Return to a boil, cook 15 seconds, then lift out the zucchini with a slotted spoon and plunge into cold water. Lift out of the water, drain, and set aside. Repeat with each of the vegetables individually, cooking the carrots for 45 seconds before lifting them out. This process softens the vegetables and sets their colors. Cut the leek leaf lengthwise into 4 even strips and set aside. Place the buttered molds on a baking sheet. Stand the julienned vegetables inside the rings, alternating the vegetables and colors. Fill the rings with the cabbage confit, pressing it down gently. Keep the molds warm.
To make the potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter four 6-inch steel rings and place on a baking sheet. Press the sliced potatoes into the rings, overlapping the slices. Drizzle each with clarified butter and bake until crisp, about 20 minutes.
To prepare the squabs: In a large heavy skillet, heat some of the reserved duck fat over medium-high heat. Season the trimmed squab breasts and legs with salt and pepper. Saute until golden on each side, about 8 minutes total cooking time. Transfer to a platter and keep warm.
To prepare the turnip garnish: Simmer the turnips in some of the reserved duck fat in a saucepan over medium heat until tender. Drain.
To serve: Remove the ring from a chartreuse and tie one of the leek strips around the waist. Place in the center of a large warmed serving plate. Lift the rings from the Potatoes Anna and use a spatula to lift and place a Potatoes Anna disk to one side of the plate. Slice one complete squab breast and place several slices on top of the chartreuse, and fan the remaining slices radially around the plate. Put a squab leg on each side of the chartreuse. Repeat with remaining chartreuses, potatoes, and squabs. Divide the baby turnips among the plates and stand in a ring around the chartreuses. Spoon juniper berry juice on each plate. Garnish with watercress.
