Recipes

4 wafer-thin slices of Black Forest ham, approx. 20 g each

4 whole pigeons with giblets

4 slices of toasted brown bread

4 shallots

2 small carrots

2 mushrooms

¼ stalk of celery

½ teaspoon tomato puree

100 ml Madeira

100 ml red port wine

1 l strong poultry stock

gelatine leaf

parsley

rosemary

thyme

bay leaf

allspice

Juniper

Clove

sea salt

pepper

sugar

¼ l neutral oil

Trim the pigeons, i.e. separate the breasts, legs and wings from the carcass. Keep the giblets (liver and heart) separate. Make a strong sauce from the carcasses and wings together with the shallots, carrots, mushrooms and celery. Fry the poultry bones well, add the finely chopped vegetables and fry as well, then add the tomato purée. Deglaze the sauce several times with port and Madeira and top up with the chicken stock. Add a bay leaf, thyme, coriander seeds, salt, pepper and sugar, allspice, juniper and cloves to the pigeon jus and slowly reduce to about 1/3.

Confit the pigeon legs in fat at approx. 80 degrees with sea salt and a bunch of herbs.
Season the removed breasts with salt and pepper, sear on both sides and cook in a fan oven at 165 degrees for approx. 6 to 8 minutes until pink.

Strain the finished sauce through a fine sieve, season to taste and cool to 80 degrees. Fry the reserved hearts and liver until hot and still bloody and blend into the sauce until slightly thickened. Then weigh out the blended sauce and thicken with 8 sheets of gelatine per liter.
Skin the confit legs and carefully remove the meat from the bone. Also skin the pink cooked breasts and cut in half if necessary.

Add all the meat to the mixture of offal and sauce. Season well again with sea salt, pepper and sugar (over-season slightly!). Finally, add the chopped parsley and press the press head into a suitable dish overnight and leave to cool thoroughly.
Serve a slice of pigeon press head with a Black Forest ham crouton and garnish.

Photo: Schutzverband der Schwarzwälder Schinkenhersteller
Recipe by Volker Drkosch, Brick Fine Dining, Frankfurt/Main