Sous vide pigeon breast by Darryl Quested

Method

For the jus: cook out the mirepoix until softened, add pigeon carcasses and roast together at 180 degrees for 15 minutes, deglaze with red wine and port then add the veal stock. Simmer for at least 2 hours, constantly skimming to make sure you have a nice shiny jus strain through a chinoix and muslin.

For the wild garlic oil: blanch wild garlic in boiling water for 5 seconds then refresh in iced water,dry off wild garlic as best you can, add together with the oil in a blender and blitz together. It should be a nice vibrant green, don’t let the blender get hot or you’ll end up with brown oil. Strain through muslin slowly over a container.

For the lentils: Add carrots, lemon juice, ras el hanout, butter and a splash of water to a sauce pan, bring to a boil and cook out until carrots are soft and the ras el is cooked out, blitz to a smooth puree in a blender.

Blanch lentils until al dente (15-20mins) refresh in cold water.

For the Pigeon: Season the breast and put into a vac pac bag with garlic and thyme and a touch of rapeseed oil. Sous vide at 58°C for 15 minutes, blast chill.

Do the same with the legs, but cook these at 65°C for an hour before blast chilling. Once chilled, double pané in flour, egg and panko bread crumbs.

For the onions: Cut off the top of the onion and cook whole cut side down on a hot pan until the individual rings are charred, add a dash of veal stock to the pan and cook in the oven at 180°c for 30 minutes. Once cooled separate each layer of onion.

To serve: Heat carrot pureé and add your lentils, season to taste.
Drop the pigeon leg lollipop in a deep fryer until panko us crisp.
Add the pigeon breast to a searing hot pan (or plancha like I used) get a lovely colour all over, but leaving it beautifully pink inside.
Warm a few petals of your charred roscoff in the oven.

Build the dish with your lentils on the bottom, followed by the roscoff, sliced pigeon breast and topped with the legs.

Dress the plate with both your jus and wild garlic oil.