Ingredients

Grouse

Other Names:Blackcock, capercaillie, Moorhuhn (German), partridge (New England), ptarmigan, red grouse, ruffed grouse, ruffy, starna di montagna (Italian), tétras (French), urogallo or lag—podo (Spanish), willow grouse, white-tailed grouse.

General Description:Grouse are medium-sized wild birds that are highly sought after for their distinctly flavored meat. The ruffed grouse, the main woodland game bird in America, is known in New England as partridge, though this is also the name for a different bird. The smallest member of the grouse family is the ptarmigan, any of three or four partridge-like birds including the willow ptarmigan (lagopus lagopus) and rock ptarmigan (lagopus mutus). The sage grouse (centrocercus urophasianus) is indigenous to the American Northwest. The spruce grouse (falcipennis canadensis), which feeds heavily on spruce trees, is found in evergreen woods and may have an overly resinous flavor in winter.
Another member of this family, the capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), an ancient bird as large as a turkey, is legendary among hunters in northern Europe. The capercaillie lives in northern Europe and Asia in coniferous forests, especially in hills and mountains, and in the mountains of central eastern Europe, in the Pyrenees, and in the Scottish Highlands.
The red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus) is a subspecies of the willow grouse that lives only in the British Isles and is widely hunted in Scotland. It is one of the most desirable of game birds, with meat that is resin-accented from their diet of young heather. A limited number of wild Scottish grouse are exported from mid-September to February by specialty purveyors. Young grouse can be roasted; older birds should be braised.

Characteristics:Grouse is quite lean with distinctive full flavor. Their resinous flavor is something of an acquired taste.

How to Choose:Grouse is only found wild. Ruffed grouse weigh 1 to 1 3/4 pounds; blue grouse weigh 2 to 2 1/2 pounds, and sharp-tailed grouse weigh 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 pounds. Male sage grouse weigh 5 1/2 to 6 pounds, almost twice as much as females. Young wild grouse from Scotland weigh 10 to 12 ounces each. Look for plump birds with unblemished skin.

Amount to Buy:Allow 1 to 1 1/2 pounds whole grouse, usually 1, per person.

Storage:Store game birds 1 to 2 days refrigerated.

Preparation:

If necessary, pluck carefully to avoid tearing the skin, draw out the innards, and wipe the bird, but do not wash so as not to dilute the flavor. Cut off the head.
Tie the bird with butcher’s string. To increase moistness, bard or put butter inside the cavity.
Roast at 350°F, basting every 5 minutes, 30 to 35 minutes per pound, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 170°F measured at the thickest portion of the thigh and the juices run clear.
Remove the grouse from the oven, drape with foil, and allow to rest about 10 minutes.
Parboil the liver and pound to a paste with butter, cayenne pepper, and salt. # Toast thin slices of bread and spread with this paste. Serve the grouse with the toast and gravy made from the pan drippings.

Flavor Affinities:Bacon, brandy, butter, cayenne, chestnuts, mushrooms, oranges, sour cream, thyme, white pepper.

from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com