Name: Whole roast pigeon with peaches, turnips and sage
Yield: Makes:

This is an extremely easy recipe to follow at home. Bursting with bold flavours and original combinations. The subtle sweetness of ripe peaches combined with the delicate earthiness of the turnips brings this roast to another dimension.

Whole roast pigeon with peaches, turnips and sage

2 whole wood pigeon
2 tbsp butter
1 sprig of thyme
2 juicy peaches (or nectarines)
4 medium sized turnips
2 baby gem lettuce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove
4 finely chopped sage leaves
250ml of chicken stock (or water)
Salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat your oven to 175 degrees C
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat. Place the pigeons, breast-side down into the pan, and turn every 3 minutes to evenly sear and achieve a golden colour all over. Then transfer the birds, breast-side up into a roasting tray. Season the pigeons with salt and pepper and fill its cavity with a sprig of thyme, crush garlic clove and tablespoon of butter. Depending on the size of the birds, roast for 10 to 12 minutes.
When cooked; remove from the oven and let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes before carving.
In the meantime; peel the peaches and thoroughly rinse the turnips. Segment the fruit into bitesize morsels and halve the turnips (keeping the tops when possible).
Sauté the peaches together with the halved gems in a heated pan with olive oil. Only remove the fruit segments once lightly caramelised on each side and the gem lettuce have charred.
Place the stock and butter in a medium sized saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the turnips to the pan and cook for 6 to 8 minutes with a lid. Then remove the lid and cook for a further 4 minutes until the liquid has evaporated and the turnips are beautifully glazed. Finally season the vegetables to taste and sprinkle in the sage leafs.

Wines to match with roast pigeon

Roast wood pigeon needs a mature but flavorful red wine. I think a Bordeaux wine would do wonders for this delicious game dish. The 2012 Château Liversan Haut-Medoc delivers ripe blackberry aromas with a delicate smoky finish which truly complements the roasted pigeon. Excellent value for money.

Slightly younger, the Crozes-Hermitage, Domaine des Lises, Domaine Maxime Graillot 2013 delivers generous fruity aromas. This 100% Syrah from the Rhône region also provides hints of tapenade and red fruit; which elegantly supplements the original garnish in this recipe.

Finally, one of the UK’s best loved red wines and a superb match for pigeon: Rioja. More specifically the Muga Selección Especial, Gran Reserve 2010. The Tempranillo grapes that are aged in barrels deliver just the right balance between smokiness and dark fruit flavours. A perfect match for game birds in general.

More recipes from Michel Roux Jr with wines to match

Matching Wines

Château Liversan, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux 2012 – An incredibly stylish red, unctuous with dark, plum fruit flavours with a seductive smoky aroma and dry tannins that complement the sweet peach perfectly.

Buy for £13.49 from Waitrose Cellar

Domaine des Lises, Domaine Maxime Graillot, Crozes-Hermitage 2013 – Hints of tobacco and red fruits give this red tremendous body and an incredibly deep, full flavour. With rich game such as pigeon, this Syrah is a wonderful partner.

Buy for £21.95 from Berry Bros & Rudd

Muga Selección Especial, Gran Reserve, Rioja 2010 – A really fabulous Rioja – spicy, aromatic and with wonderful floral aromas that hit the nose expectedly. Layer upon layer of fruit and spice, it is a true joy to drink, especially alongside such a deliciously powerful dish.

Buy for £22.50 from Majestic Wines

More food and wine matching:

Crispy sweetbreads, asparagus and almond purée – recipe by Michel Roux Jr

This dish will definitely get your taste buds going....

Roasted rabbit, with cherry tomatoes, baby artichokes and roast pepper puree – recipe by Michel Roux Jr

Marinated lamb chops with garlic and herb sauce – recipe by Michel Roux Jr

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Michel Roux Jr was born in 1960 in Pembury, Kent, where his father Albert Roux worked as a private chef for the Cazalet family. His earliest food memories are the smells of the Fairlawne kitchen – pastry, sugar caramelizing and stews – where he played under the table while his father and mother Monique prepared the meals. After deciding to follow in his father’s footsteps, he left school at 16 for the first of several challenging apprenticeships at Maître Patissier, Hellegouarche in Paris from 1976 to 1979. He was then Commis de Cuisine at Alain Chapel’s signature restaurant at Mionay near Lyon, Michel’s biggest influence. His military service was spent in the kitchens at the Elysée Palace at the time of Presidents Giscard d’Estaing and François Mitterrand. He also spent time at Boucherie Lamartine and Charcuterie Mothu in Paris, and the Gavers Restaurant in London. After a stint at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong he returned to London and worked at La Tante Claire before joining the family business. He took over running Le Gavroche in 1991, gradually changing the style of cooking to his own – classic French with a lighter, modern twist. Michel opened Roux at Parliament Square in May 2010 with Restaurant Associates, part of the Compass Group UK and Ireland. And in November 2010, he opened Roux at The Landau at London’s prestigious luxury hotel, The Langham. Michel was a judge and presenter on the BBC’s popular prime time show, MasterChef: The Professionals, and presented all series of ‘Great British Food Revival.’ Michel fronted BBC2’s ‘Food and Drink,’ in 2014 and presented a documentary on Escoffier, whose revolutionary approach to fine cuisine has inspired Michel and many others. In the same year, Michel went on a journey to create the perfect chocolate for the Le Gavroche Kitchen. Filmed by the BBC, in Paris he discovered chocolatiers, Cacao Barry and their Or Noir Lab. In 2013, Michel launched his most recent cookbook, ‘The French Kitchen’. Focusing on traditional French home cooking, this is the fifth solo cookery book from Michel. He is involved with the Roux Experience courses at the ‘Cactus Kitchens’ cookery school, with the Executive producer of Saturday Kitchen, Amanda Ross. Cactus Kitchens offers people the opportunity to learn to cook within small intimate groups from some of the UK’s finest chefs, on site above the Saturday Kitchen studios. Michel has fronted a brand new four-part Channel 4 series, ‘The Diner’, exploring the hurdles faced by people with disabilities and mental health issues when finding employment. Michel also recently presented a new program on his first ever project with the Disney Channel. ‘First Class Chefs’ which launched in June 2015, is a show where kids aged 9-11 compete to showcase their restaurant skills.