Pigeon Breasts

Ingredients

• 4 pigeons (ready‑to‑cook)
• Salt
• ground pepper
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 150 g frozen soup vegetables
• 2 tsp Tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 peppercorns
• 4 juniper berries
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 100 ml red wine
• 400 ml poultry stock (from the can)
• 2 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 40 g Butter
• basil for garnish (optional)
• 500 g savoy cabbage
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp crème fraîche
• Pepper

Instructions

1. 1.

   Rinse and pat dry the pigeons. Season inside and out with salt and pepper, then brush with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Place pigeons on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated oven at 200°C (Gas: level 3, convection: 180°C) for 15–20 minutes.

2. 2.

   Separate pigeon breasts from the carcasses; cut the carcasses into pieces with poultry scissors. Keep the pigeon breasts warm in the turned‑off oven. Heat the remaining olive oil. Sauté the soup vegetables and carcass pieces until browned. Stir in tomato paste, bay leaf, peppercorns, juniper berries, and mustard. Deglaze with red wine and add the poultry stock. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve.

3. 3.

   Blanch mustard seeds in boiling water, then strain them onto a fine sieve. In a pot caramelize sugar until golden brown. Add vinegar and sauce stock; bring to a boil over high heat. Return mustard seeds and let the sauce simmer uncovered for 2–3 minutes. Whisk in butter pieces with a whisk until the sauce thickens. Do not allow it to boil again. Season with salt and pepper, then add the pigeon breasts back into the sauce.

4. 4.

   Clean, wash, and finely chop the savoy cabbage. Blanch in salted water for 2–3 minutes, drain, shock in cold water, and let dry well. Heat butter; sauté the cabbage for 5 minutes. Stir in crème fraîche and bring to a gentle boil. Season with pepper.

5. 5.

   Slice the pigeon breasts and plate them with the sauce and savoy cabbage. Garnish with basil if desired. Serve alongside potato mash.