Guinea Fowl with Agen Prunes & Cointreau (Serves 3-4)
This is a classic French recipe from Pierre Koffmann’s cookbook, ‘Memories of Gascony’. The guinea fowl is basted regularly during cooking with duck (or goose) fat creating a succulent, golden-coloured roast. The Cointreau and orange sauce, sweetened by the addition of the prunes, is absolutely delicious. Autumn was made for this type of recipe, however, I would happily eat it at any other time of the year! This is an easy recipe, however, it is important to baste the guinea fowl every 5 minutes to ensure it is both moist and beautifully golden.
*depending on the size of the guinea fowl this recipe will serve 3-4 people, the recipe can easily be doubled for a larger crowd.
1 x guinea fowl, roughly 1.2kg (*see note above)
12 Agen prunes
75g duck or goose fat
20g shallots, finely chopped
50ml Cointreau
Juice of 4 medium oranges
25g butter
- Season the guinea fowl, smear with the duck or goose fat and roast in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 45-55 minutes, basting every 5 minutes, until the juices run clear.
- Remove the guinea fowl to one side, keep warm. Tip the fat out of the pan, add the shallots and sweat for 3 minutes. Add the Cointreau and very carefully light it using a long kitchen match. When the flames have died down add the orange juice and scrape up all the congealed juices. Pass the sauce through a sieve into a saucepan. Add the prunes to the juice and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Cut the guinea fowl into 8 pieces and place on a serving dish. Beat the butter into the sauce, check the seasoning and pour it over guinea fowl.
Menu Mistress 