Sage and ale sauce - perfect for game birds or poultry

Sometimes a meal or, in this case, a sauce is created almost by accident. I was planning on making a cider sauce to go with a roast guinea fowl, however, it turned out there was no cider in the cupboard, while there was some fresh sage that needed to be used.

The creation was a delicious sauce that I think would work well with any game bird, or poultry and served almost as a gravy. The flavours are drawn from the fats and juices of the bird in the roasting tin, so this is essential for the sauce to pay off.

Ingredients

Fats and juices from a roasted bird
1 tbsp of plain flour
150ml water
250ml pale ale
sprig of sage
half a small onion
1/2 tsp salt
level tbsp of red currant jelly

Method

1. After roasting a bird and possibly potatoes in a tin there will be nice crispy bits, fats and juices in the pan. Drain the bird of all the juices into the pan and then put it on a medium heat.
2. Add the flour and mix into the pan to make a paste and then add the finely chopped onion.
3. With the pan sizzling add the water and stir strongly for a minute.
4. Now add the beer and sage leaves.
5. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often, making sure all the crispy bits are scrapped off the bottom of the pan.
6. Add salt to taste and then before serving melt and stir in the red currant jelly.

Serve with the meat and crispy roast potatoes.

More red currant jelly may be required if you use a bitter beer in this recipe.

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Roast Guinea Fowl and Streaky Bacon Recipe

As promised here is a simple recipe for roasting the game bird Guinea Fowl. Check out what is guinea fowl if this is a new animal for you. It is important not to overcook and dry out the bird, which has a subtly gamey flavour.

Ingredients:

1 guinea fowl - which is usually the size of a very small chicken
4 rashers of streaky bacon
3 sprigs of thyme
2 cloves of garlic
a knob of butter

Method:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.
   
2. Crush the garlic and place it with the thyme in the cavity of the bird.
   
3. Smear the butter over the skin of the bird. Don't worry if this is too unhealthy for you, but it makes the skin gorgeous.
   
4. Place three of the bacon rashers from left to right over the bird and one from top to bottom over the top.
   
5. Put the bird in the oven for an hour. Please note that this may differ depending on the size of the bird.
   
6. After 30 to 40 minutes remove the now crispy bacon and continue cooking the guinea fowl.
   

Separate the legs and breasts and serve with the bacon. This is delightful with sweet potatoes, steamed vegetables and a cider gravy.

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What is Guinea Fowl?

Having enjoyed Guinea Fowl tonight I will shortly post up a short recipe for Roast Guinea Fowl , but before I do, here is a run down on one of the lesser known forms of poultry.

Guinea Fowl (pictured) is considered a fine game bird and is famed for its diet of insects, making it a friend of farmers across the country. However, it is native to West Africa, but the ones on offer is unlikely to come from anywhere so far away.

It is similar to chicken, but slightly gamey, but not to the extent of pheasant for example. It is a lovely roast option for a meal for two and tastes fantastic with a topping of crispy bacon.

The juices given out by Guinea Fowl can help create a lovely sauce or a cider gravy.

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