CookEat Recipe
Woodcock Crostini with Sage-Roasted Woodcock
Lightly toasted bread with finely chopped woodcock heart and gizzard, anchovy and meat jus, served alongside sage-roasted woodcock.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 3 small whole food-grade woodcock, professionally cleaned, with only their food-approved hearts and emptied, cleaned gizzards reserved; 2 whole salt-cured anchovies, cleaned and boned, or about 4 prepared fillets; 1 tablespoon chopped parsley; 20 g butter; About 100 ml ready-to-use meat jus; Black pepper to taste; 150 g fine white bread, cut into small thin slices; 6 sage leaves; 3 thin slices food-grade cured pork fatback, about 60 g total.
Step 2
Obtain legally supplied, professionally prepared birds and edible hearts and fully emptied, cleaned gizzards from a regulated food supplier. Discarding or removing intestinal contents is not a home preparation step here: no intestines, intestinal contents or wild-bird livers belong in this adaptation. Do not use birds or organs with uncertain food eligibility.
Step 3
Heat the oven to 190°C. Put two sage leaves against each cleaned bird and wrap each with a thin slice of fatback, securing with food-safe kitchen string if needed. Put in a small roasting pan and roast until the thickest part of each bird reaches 82°C, avoiding bone when measuring. Begin checking after about 25–30 minutes and continue as needed for the actual bird size. Remove any string before serving.
Step 4
While the birds roast, finely chop the eligible hearts and cleaned, emptied gizzards with the anchovy flesh and parsley. Melt the butter in a small pan, add this mixture and a little pepper, then add the meat jus. Do not add salt automatically because the anchovies and jus are salty.
Step 5
Simmer gently, adding a little water if needed to prevent drying, until the finely chopped gizzards are tender and the mixture reaches at least 74°C throughout; allow about 30–45 minutes, extending if still firm. Adjust the pepper after cooking and keep the topping moist.
Step 6
Lightly toast the small bread slices, spread with the hot topping and serve alongside the fully cooked sage-roasted birds. The crostini remain the featured preparation; the birds are their accompanying roast.
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