CONFIT OF GUINEA FOWL ON ROASTED CREAMED MAIZE WITH PEPPADEW JELLY & RED ONION MARMALADE

ROBERTSON

Serves 8

2 whole guinea fowls

Marinade

2 cups Chardonnay

1 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons wholegrain mustard

2 tablespoons fresh mixed herbs

3 cloves crushed garlic

1 teaspoon black pepper

Portion bird into thighs and breasts, marinate overnight, then drain off marinade.

Salt cure mix

1 500g bag coarse sea salt

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon peppercorns

2 tablespoons roughly chopped rosemary

1 tablespoon mustard seed

Place guinea fowl pieces in a stainless steel dish, cover with salt mix, allow to cure for about three hours, remove pieces and rinse off salt mix.

Confit

1 litre rendered duck lard

4 garlic cloves

5 sprigs of garlic

Heat lard to 100°C, then add fowl pieces, garlic and rosemary, leave in oven at 100°C for six hours until meat falls off the bone.

Red onion marmalade

8 onions

2 cloves garlic

500ml red wine

100ml grenadine

100ml water

Salt and pepper

100ml red wine vinegar

250g brown sugar

Slice onions and fry lightly in a little oil. Add other ingredients and reduce until the liquid is thick and syrupy. Correct seasoning.

Peppadew jelly

750g *peppadews, with juice (*a sweet piquanté pepper)

15ml gelatine

Blend peppadews in liquid until smooth. Heat until boiling, add gelatine and stir until dissolved. Set in oiled moulds.

To assemble

Remove meat from the bone and crumble. Add finely chopped spring onion, coriander and dried apricot, season with black pepper (no salt). Mix well, compress meat into spoon-size quenelles and serve on roasted creamed polenta disks, topped with peppadew jelly and red onion marmalade.

- David Grier, Formerly De Oude Welgemoed

Chardonnay

While traditionally considered white wine territory and known mainly for its Chardonnay, more recently Robertson has become the source of some of the Cape's finest red wines too. Chardonnay is made in a wide variety of styles. These fruit-driven wooded examples, some with a pronounced minerality, are the perfect accompaniment to this game bird dish.

De Wetshof Chardonnay D'Honneur

Rietvallei Chardonnay

Robertson Winery Kings River Chardonnay

Van Loveren Limited Release Reserve Chardonnay

Weltevrede Rusted Soil Chardonnay