Recipe: Roasted Squab with Bordeaux Cepes

1 Heat your oven to 390°F (200 °C) (400 °F).

2 Prepare your squab: cut off the neck and head, cut the legs at mid-thigh, then clean it while keeping the liver and heart, then tie with a string to hold the thighs in place.

3 In a casserole, melt your bacon. Once melted, place your squab seasoned inside with thyme, bay leaf and a few grains of salt. First on one side, let it brown, do the same on the other side, then place it upright.

4 Add around it your neck and the crushed wing tips, the liver, your shallots, some thyme and bay leaf, 0.4 cup (10 cl) of water, then place in the middle of the oven uncovered for 12 minutes, basting from time to time.

5 Meanwhile, cut your cepe feet into small squares of about 2 cm and the heads into triangles. In a pan, pour a little grapeseed oil. When it's really hot, sear the cepes over high heat, salt and pepper them. As soon as they're colored, add a generous knob of semi-salted butter, turn off the heat and cover.

6 There you go, your squab is cooked. Remove your casserole, place it on a plate and cover it with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes (resting time).

7 Put your casserole back on the heat, decrease the fat slightly, then add 1.7 fl oz (5 cl) of water, bring to a boil, taste, then strain it.

8 Turn the heat back on under your cepes, then add the parsley mixture all at once, toss and turn off the heat.

9 On a cutting board, remove the squab legs, cut them in half, arrange the cepes at the bottom of the plates, place the cut legs on either side and the fillet sliced in the center. Then heat the juice with any liquid released by the squab and pour it over the squab pieces, the rest in a sauce boat.

10 A simple dish but one that demands care for perfect results.