Spruce Grouse With Blueberry Sauce Recipes

WILD ALASKAN GROUSE WITH BLUEBERRIES

Steps:

• Catch your grouse and gather your blueberries. Pluck and clean the grouse, rinsing inside and out. Pick over the blueberries and wash and drain them well.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Season the grouse both inside and out with salt and pepper. In a small saucepan combine the oil, lemon juice, and rosemary and heat to warm, whisking together. Coat the inside and outside of the grouse well with the oil mixture, keeping any of it that is left over, for later.
• In a bowl combine the sugar, blueberries, and melted butter, stir to coat. Stuff each grouse with a quarter of the blueberry mixture (don't forget the juice, too). You can put an additional pat of cold butter at the end of the bird, if you like.
• Sew or skewer each grouse shut, the loosely wrap each bird in aluminum foil; although loosely wrapped you need to make sure that the packages are tightly sealed. Place packages, breast side down, on a cookie sheet with sides or roasting pan and roast at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes.
• Carefully open the packages and pour the juices from the cooking into a small saucepan, then turn the birds breast side up on the foil (leaving the packages open) and return them to the hot oven to brown, about 10 minutes, basting with the oil mixture.
• While birds are browning, mix a small amount of cornstarch together with a little cold water and whisk into the saucepan containing the juice from the birds. Heat over medium to thicken. If there's not enough juice for your taste you can add a little unsalted chicken stock, but you don't want to overpower the blueberry and grouse flavor. Season sauce to taste with a bit of salt and freshly ground pepper.
• When birds are browned, place on serving platter and pour over the thickened juices. Serve with pilaf and greens.
• Makes 4-6 servings.
• Note: there's a big difference between the taste of dried and fresh rosemary, because of the strength of the rosemary oils, so I hesitate to give an amount for the fresh. I'd always prefer to use fresh over dried.

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the blueberries and vanilla sugar in a large heavy saucepan. Add 1 cup water and the lemon juice and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken.
• Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate.

PAN-SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl mix together the salt, ground black pepper, thyme, and rosemary; set aside. This will be your spice blend for seasoning the roasted potatoes and the duck breasts.
• Place cubed potatoes into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of your spice blend over the top of the potatoes. Toss the potatoes in the pan until they are evenly coated with oil and seasonings. Spread into a single layer across the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.
• While the potatoes are roasting, stir together the blueberries, water, apple juice, sugar, and jalapeno in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until the mixture has reduced to the consistency of syrup, about 10 minutes.
• Cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove the pancetta to drain on a paper towel, leaving the drippings in the skillet. Add the shallots and the mushrooms to the hot skillet; stir and cook them until soft and just beginning to brown. Remove the shallots and mushrooms and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high and place the bok choy in the hot skillet. Stir and cook the bok choy until the leaves are wilted and the white stalk pieces are tender, about 5 minutes. Return the shallots, mushrooms, and pancetta to the skillet, turn off the heat and set aside.
• Rinse the duck breast halves and pat dry. Rub the remaining spice blend onto both sides of the duck breasts. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat, when the pan is hot put in the vegetable oil and butter. Immediately place the duck breasts in the pan, skin and fat side down. Do not move the duck breasts until the skin is deep brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the breasts and cook until the internal temperature of the thickest part is 160 degrees F (71 degrees C) for well done. Remove the duck from the pan and place on a plate, covered with foil to rest for 5 minutes. While the duck is resting, place the skillet with the bok choy mixture onto a burner over medium heat to warm through.
• Slice each duck breast diagonally into 1/2 inch strips. Divide the bok choy mixture among four plates and drizzle each serving with 1/2 tablespoon of aged balsamic vinegar. Arrange the sliced duck breasts on top of the bok choy mixture; ladle on blueberry sauce. Serve with oven-roasted potatoes on the side.

SPRUCE GROUSE WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and saute onion for about 2 minutes. Cover, lower heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until onion is soft.
• In a separate heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt sugar until it caramelizes. Add vinegar, stirring well. Add to blueberry-onion mixture and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and a glaze remains. Keep warm.
• Season grouse breasts with salt and pepper. Saute on both sides in vegetable oil over medium heat until cooked through. Do not overcook, as they will become dry.

EASY BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually whisk in water until smooth. Add blueberries, lemon zest and juice; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes (some berries will remain whole). Serve warm or chilled over ice cream.

EASY BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine blueberries, sugar, water, and cornstarch in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.