Wildfowl Stock
Submitted by journey18462
Slow-simmered wildfowl stock from game bird pieces with wild celery, onions, carrots, and watercress. A patient, traditional method for a deeply flavored base.
Making proper wildfowl stock is an exercise in patience. This old-fashioned method starts with a cold-water soak, warms the pot slowly to draw maximum flavor from the bones and vegetables, and simmers uncovered for at least three hours. No shortcuts, no rushing. The result is a clean, deeply flavored stock that forms the foundation for game bird soups, sauces, and gravies.
The technique here is deliberate. Game bird pieces soak in cold water for an hour before the aromatics (wild celery, wild onions, wild carrots, and a bunch of watercress) join them for another hour-long cold soak. Starting cold and heating slowly extracts proteins and gelatin gradually, which is what gives the finished stock its body and clarity.
Skimming the scum that rises during the first 30 minutes of simmering is critical. That foam contains impurities that cloud the stock and muddy the flavor. After skimming, wipe the inside of the pot at the waterline with clean cheesecloth for a crystal-clear result.
Chef Tips
- Never boil the stock. A gentle simmer produces clear stock; a rolling boil emulsifies the fat and creates a cloudy, greasy liquid.
- Ladle the finished stock through cheesecloth rather than pouring. Pouring disturbs the sediment at the bottom and clouds everything you worked to keep clear.
- Don’t remove the fat until you’re ready to use the stock. The fat layer on top actually seals and preserves it in the refrigerator.
- Cool the stock uncovered before sealing. Covering hot stock traps heat and can promote bacterial growth.
Variations
- Use duck, pheasant, or quail carcasses in place of Cornish game hens for a more authentic wild game flavor.
- Add a few juniper berries or thyme sprigs for a more aromatic stock.
- Reduce the finished stock by half for a concentrated demi-glace to use in pan sauces.
Ingredients
Directions
Place cold water in a soup pot.
Place game bird pieces in cold water.
Soak for 1 hour. Add other ingredients. Do not stir.
Soak for 1 hour.
Place pot, uncovered, at the back of a cook stove far from the fire.
On a conventional stove, place the pot on an asbestos pad over very low heat.
Allow pot and it’s contents to warm very slowly.
You need to draw as much as possible out of the ingredients and into the stock.
Skim off scum as it rises.
When the pot is uniformly warm, move it closer to the fire (or increase the heat) and very slowly and carefully bring the liquid to a simmer.
Do not boil. Do not rush. Skim off all the scum immediately, as it rises within the first 30 minutes of simmering.
After 30 minutes and after skimming, use a clean piece of cheesecloth to wipe the pot at the level of the liquid.
Simmer very gently, uncovered, for at least 3 hours.
Taking great care not to disturb the ingredients, carefully ladle the liquid through clean, moistened cheesecloth into a large screw-lid jar.
Do not pour the stock. Leave the unstrained stock uncovered until cool.
Cover cooled stock tightly and store in refrigerator.
Do not remove grease at this time.
Skim grease from stock.
Reheat for use, or freeze.
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