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THE HEARTS and taste-buds of all game- lovers will be tingling with anticipation this week, for it is glorious grouse time again. I do hope that some terrible disease has not felled too many of these most delicious birds — they seem to go through some vile plight every year, heather rot or sinister mites affecting the poor young chicks. The ridiculous ritual of getting the young grouse to the tables of the grander restau- rants on the first day they have been shot is a lot of show-offing nonsense. Do not fall for it even if you can afford to. Even the youngest bird should be hung for two or three days. Grouse are expensive whichever way you look at them, but the price usually settles down after a month.
The supermarket birds are not worth buying as they are completely eviscerated even unto the livers, thus removing a lot of the essential dark taste of the splendid creature. I like the livers mashed and spread on the toast beneath the birds. If you have a reliable poulterer you will be well served. If you are looking for young birds in the market place or country butch- er, look for the third primary feather of the wing, which should be shorter than the oth- ers and lancet-pointed, and the stem will bleed when pulled out. Good hunting, or shooting I should say. From expense to thrift: Sainsbury's, keeping in fashion as always, are offering dinosaur-size turkey legs at about £1.15 for two with enough meat on them for a dish to feed four to six people, but their directions are quite wrong (as they usually are). I don't know who writes them, but they always advise the over-cooking of little birds like quail and even chickens, and this time the cooking time is not enough for these muscular drumsticks. I have tried them at Gas 5 for 70 minutes and they were still very tough, so I did the second lot at Gas 3 for 90 minutes, then devilled them. This was a great success and gave a much needed flavour to the flesh.
Devilled Turkey Drumsticks
2 large turkey drumsticks butter — softened poultry stock For the sauce: 1 tablespoon curry paste 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 dessertspoon anchovy essence 1 tablespoon mango chutney 1 mustardspoon cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons oil 3 oz butter 6 oz double cream lemon juice, salt, pepper and parsley Pre-heat the oven to Gas 3, 335F, 168C. Place the drumsticks in a baking tin, anoint with the softened butter and pour enough stock into the bottom of the pan to cover it, about '/4 inch depth. Season the joints with salt and pepper and cook for about 90 min- utes. They should be a little pink inside. Remove from the oven, and when cool enough remove the meat from the bones in quite large chunks. Discard any sinews and hard gristle round the ankle. Slash the chunks to receive the sauce and arrange in a suitable dish to go under the grill — a gratin dish is perfect. Mix the curry paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, anchovy essence, chutney and cayenne pepper with the oil, and pour over the turkey pieces. See that each piece is well coated and lying evenly in one layer. Grill under a high heat until brown and crisp on top. Keep warm. Melt the 3 oz of butter in a frying pan, then add the cream. Bring to the boil and sim- mer for 2 minutes, stirring the while until you have a thick sauce, season with salt, fresh ground pepper and lemon juice. Pour it piping hot over the devilled turkey and serve with plain boiled basmati rice. This is a very rich concoction and needs nothing but a simple green salad with a rather tart dressing. If possible you can prepare the meat in the devil sauce beforehand so that the flesh can imbibe the flavours before grilling.
A gooseberry pudding is an excellent dish to serve after any game. Try Goose- berry Cream from Hannah Glass:
Put 172 lbs of gooseberries, topped and tailed, into a saucepan with 1/4 pint of water. Cook gently until soft. Sieve or liquidise, then measure out a pint of the purée back into the pan. Sweeten to taste. Then reheat over a very low flame and stir in 2 oz unsalted butter and 3 well-beaten egg yolks. Stir until the cream is thick but not boiling or it will curdle. Leave to cool and flavour with orange flower water, Malaga or Frontignan. Chill.
Jennifer Paterson
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