Roast Boar With Juniper Berries Food

ROAST BOAR WITH JUNIPER BERRIES

Steps:

• Bring all the marinade ingredients to the boil, and simmer for 3 minutes. Leave to cool. Score the fat on the loin lightly across the top, and place the meat in a deep dish, covering with the marinade. Leave for 2 or 3 days, turning the meat twice a day. Remove the meat and wipe it dry. Place it in an oven-proof braising pan or heavy casserole dish over heat, and add the oil or lard. Brown the meat well and remove it from the pan. Bring the marinade to the boil in a second pan. Mix the fat and the flour into a roux in the pan, and strain over the hot marinade, stirring until smooth. Add enough warm stock to thin the mixture. Put back the meat, cover the pan and cook in a low oven (330 deg. F, 170 deg. C, gas 3) for 2 1/2 hours. Place meat in a serving dish. Transfer the sauce into a pan, skim off the fat and bring to the boil.

ROAST DUCK WITH PRUNES AND JUNIPER BERRIES

Steps:

• Bring 3 cups water, 20 juniper berries, and pinch of salt to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Set juniper broth aside.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut wing tips from duck; reserve. Sprinkle cavity of duck with salt and pepper. Place heart, liver, and gizzard in cavity, then 10 juniper berries, 4 thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Tie legs together to hold shape. Place duck, breast side up, in roasting pan. Add wing tips and neck to pan. Pour 1 cup juniper broth over duck. Roast duck in center of oven until beginning to brown, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring remaining juniper broth to boil. Add prunes; cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until prunes are soft, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer prunes to small bowl.
• Tilt roasting pan; spoon off 1/2 cup fat from top of liquid. Pour 1/2 cup prune poaching liquid over duck. Turn duck, breast side down. Pour 1/2 cup prune poaching liquid over duck. Return to oven; roast 15 minutes. Turn duck, breast side up. Arrange prunes around duck; spoon pan juices over prunes. Drizzle vinegar over duck. Return to oven and roast duck until skin is crisp and juices run clear when thigh is pierced, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer to cutting board, breast side down; let stand 20 minutes.
• Discard wing tips and neck. Using slotted spoon, transfer prunes to bowl. Pour pan juices into medium saucepan; spoon off fat. Add thyme sprig. Boil until juices are reduced to 1 1/4 cups and thickened slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Return prunes to juices to rewarm; season with salt and pepper. Turn duck, breast side up. Cut legs from duck. Cut off wings with some breast attached. Cut breasts from duck; thinly slice crosswise. Arrange duck on platter. Spoon juices with prunes over and serve.

ROAST PORK WITH CRUSHED GRAPES, MARSALA & JUNIPER

Steps:

• Unroll the pork and lay it on a board, flesh-side up. Make incisions all over the meat with a sharp knife, then push the slivers of garlic into the incisions. Crush the salt, peppercorns, rosemary and juniper berries roughly using a pestle and mortar, then stir in the olive oil. Rub the seasoning mix into the pork, again on the flesh-side, pushing bits inside the incisions. Put in a dish, cover and chill overnight.
• The next day, remove the pork from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Roll the loin firmly, keeping as much of the seasoning inside as you can, then tie it at intervals with kitchen string. Put it skin-side up in a heavy roasting tin and season all over. Roast for 25 mins, then reduce the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Pull half the grapes from their stems, cut the rest of the bunch into sprigs, and add them all to the roasting tin with 250ml of the marsala. Continue roasting for 1 hr. Test the meat: the juices should run clear when the flesh is pierced to the centre with a metal skewer (or see tip, below). Remove the pork from the tin, along with the grapes that are on sprigs, and put them on a warmed serving platter. Cover and leave to rest for 15 mins.
• Set the roasting tin over a medium heat, add the remaining marsala and crush the loose grapes into the juices. Boil until you have a slightly syrupy mixture. Serve the pork with the marsala sauce and the sprigs of roasted grapes.

JUNIPER BRINE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, stir together the salt, sugar, cloves, juniper berries, peppercorns, and allspice. Add the sage leaves, thyme, and bay leaves along with the hot water. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Boil for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Add the ice water and stir to cool the mixture. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
• Proceed with brining the turkey .
• Cook’s Note
• The easiest way to crush whole spices is to use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. If you do not have either of these kitchen tools, place the whole spices in a heavy lock-top plastic bag, seal the bag while pressing out all the air, and pound them with the bottom of a small, heavy saucepan until coarsely crushed.