Winter fare: plaice fillet, red-legged partridge with Sauerkraut and Vacherin Mont d’Or

STARTER

Delicately done plaice fillet with herb crust on a bed of cauliflower couscous

Wine tip: Grüner Veltliner from Austria

MAIN COURSE

Red-legged partridge with sauerkraut and La Ratte potatoes

Wine tip: Riesling from Alsace

DESSERT

Vacherin Mont d’Or cheese with crudités platter

Wine tip: Vin Jaune from the Jura

Plaice fillet

Lay the plaice fillets on a cutting board, cut off the ends and fold them back under the fillets evenly. Finely grate the lemon zest.

Bring a layer of water to the boil in a pan, pluck and wash half the parsley and tarragon, and blanch the herbs. Drain, chill in ice water and squeeze out well.

Toss the blanched herbs, half the finely grated lemon zest, panko, parmesan cheese and 150 grams of the butter into a food processor, then mix until smooth and season with salt & pepper. Cover a cutting board with a piece of greaseproof paper, spread the herb mixture out on it and cover with another piece of greaseproof paper. Roll until reaching a thickness of approx. 3 mm. Set aside in the fridge to harden.

Cut the cauliflower into chunks, mix them in a food processor until they have the same consistency as couscous and mix in the remainder of the finely grated lemon zest. Finely chop the remainder of the parsley and wash the lettuce leaves.

In the meantime, cut the set herb crust into squares of the same size as the plaice fillets and place them on top of them. Smear olive oil onto the smooth side of the Half Moon Cast Iron Plancha Griddle and place the fillets on top. Put the ground cauliflower into a saucepan, pour a splash of water over it and add the rest of the butter.

Red-legged partridge

Wrap each partridge into two rashers of bacon and bind them tightly with butcher’s twine. Cut the casselerrib into two thick slices. Wash the La Ratte potatoes, halve the bigger ones and boil them in lightly salted water until cooked, along with a peeled clove of garlic, the thyme and rosemary. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent from over-cooking. Set aside in a colander to drain properly. In the meantime, rinse the sauerkraut and allow it to drain. Wash the leaf celery and cut it into strips.

Vacherin mont d'or cheese

Place the Vacherin tubs in the lids, and cover the bases with silver paper leaving the top open. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Criss-cross the cheeses with a knife, fill the grooves with the chopped garlic and splash the white wine over them.

Wash the radishes. Peel the carrots, celery stick and rettich and chop finely. Brush off the chestnut mushrooms and jab two pieces at a time on a skewer. Cut off the base of the chicory and remove the leaves.

Plaice fillet

Heat the Big Green Egg with the Cast Iron Grid to a temperature of 180°C. Place the Half Moon Cast Iron Plancha Griddle with the plaice fillets on top of the grid, put the saucepan with the cauliflower next to them and close the lid. Check if the plaice fillets and cauliflower are done after around seven minutes and, if so, remove them from the EGG. Stir the finely chopped parsley into the cauliflower and season with salt & pepper. Toss into a sieve and allow any excess liquid to drain.

Place a 10-cm spring form on each plate and fill with cauliflower couscous. Squash gently and then remove the form. Position each plaice fillet with herb crust on top, garnish with lettuce, Purple Shiso and Affilla Cress, and sprinkle with olive oil. Give the EGG a little more air to bring the temperature up to 190°C to prepare the main dish.

Red-legged partridge

Grill the red-legged partridges on all sides and the casselerrib on both sides and remove them from the Big Green Egg. Place the Cast Iron Dutch Oven on top of the grid, melt the goose fat in the ‘oven’ and add the sauerkraut, white wine and bay leaves. Put the lid onto the Cast Iron Dutch Oven, close the lid of the EGG and cook for 20 minutes. Stir half way through preparation.

After around 20 minutes, place the partridges, casselerrib and cooked potatoes on top of the sauerkraut, put the lid back onto the Cast Iron Dutch Oven and close the lid of the EGG again. Allow the dish to cook again for seven minutes.

Remove the Cast Iron Dutch Oven from the EGG, remove the bacon from the partridges and filet them. Cut each slice of casselerrib into four pieces. Dish up equal portions of potato, cover with a helping of sauerkraut and then top off with the casselerrib and partridge. Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the sliced leaf celery. Sprinkle the melted butter over the dish and serve to your guests. Place the Cast Iron Griddle Half Moon on the grid with the ridged side facing upwards and lower the temperature of the Big Green Egg to 180°C.

Vacherin mont d'or cheese

Place the tubs of Vacherin wrapped in silver paper on top of the grid, close the lid of the EGG and allow to melt for around 20 minutes. If necessary, finish baking the bread in the oven in the meantime.

Around ten minutes before ready, grill the mushroom skewers on the grid, and then – a few minutes before they are done – the radishes and finely chopped carrots, celery stick and rettich. Don’t grill the veggies for too long; they must stay crunchy. Take the vegetables and melted, golden-brown cheese out of the Big Green Egg. Carefully remove the hot silver paper from the tubs of cheese and serve the veggies, along with the chicory leaves, on decorative plates. Cut the bread and serve it with the Vacherin Mont d’Or cheese and vegetables.