Fried Woodcock
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Dress the woodcock.
Clean the woodcock.
Tie the legs of the woodcock.
Skin the head and neck of the woodcock.
Turn the beak under the wing of the woodcock.
Tie the beak of the woodcock.
Place a piece of bacon over the woodcock.
Fry and serve
Immerse the woodcock in hot fat for 2–3 minutes.
Serve the woodcock on toast.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Woodcock
- The main ingredient, a small lean game bird that is cooked whole and briefly.
- Bacon
- Adds fat and savoury flavour as it lies over the bird and renders during frying.
- Hot fat
- Carries heat quickly to the bird, browning and crisping its outside.
- Toast
- Serves as a base that soaks up the juices and fat from the bird.
The step that matters
Immerse the woodcock in hot fat for 2–3 minutes. A short time in very hot fat browns the outside quickly while the lean meat stays moist. Leaving it in longer dries out the lean flesh and can overcook the bird.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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