Game on for Glorious Twelfth at The Star Inn

Offering such a seasonal menu as we do at The Star Inn, the "twelfth" is certainly a major milestone in our year as no sooner do the grouse seem to start to arrive, than we know we will have partridges following shortly behind, then pheasants, and so it goes.

My first recipe this month is a classic respecting the main ingredient, grouse, which doesn’t need to be messed about with, and letting the natural flavours come through. It is simply roasted and garnished traditionally. (Note please do not be put off by the robust smell of the bird, the actual meat is not as strong as you would think) It is so individual and totally delicious, and, of course, very healthy - apart from the wines you have to drink with it. And on the subject of wines, I asked Stelian, our restaurant manager to recommend a wine for you. His selection from our own wine list would be Ca’ Marcanda Promis 2012, which is a full-bodied wine from Tuscany, a 55 per cent Merlot, 35 per cent Syrah, 10 per cent Sangiovese blend, but he would also recommend a fuller red blend of Merlot/Cabinet Sauvignon.

My second recipe is aimed at those of you still clinging desperately on to summer and would make a great, light lunchtime dish. The delicate taste of guinea fowl gently cooked with the "umph" of lemon balm, which grows prolifically in our gardens, a little shake of fairy ring mushrooms in a splodge of garlic butter, tastes magic. To accompany this, Stelian’s suggestion is a vibrant red with a "bit more to it" to compliment the different flavours, such as a Chianti Classico.

Happy cooking and cheers.

North Yorkshire Moor’s Grouse…Traditionally Garnished (serves two)

Ingredients

2 young grouse

4 slices of streaky bacon

2 sprigs of thyme

Seasoning 4 crushed juniper berries

A little fat for roasting

For the "gravy"

Ingredients

100ml veal/game stock

A splash of sloe gin

Handful of root vegetables

50ml red wine

For the Game Chips

A large Maris Piper Potato

Oil for frying

Seasoning

Bread sauce ingredients

2 slices of bread, white and crushed

A pinch of mixed ground spice

½ a white onion studded with approx cloves

200ml milk

Seasoning

To garnish

Local watercress

Homemade or good quality redcurrant jelly

Method

To make the bread sauce, bring the milk to the boil with the onion in it. Let this infuse for approximately 20 minutes, then remove the onion, and add the breadcrumbs, spice and seasoning. The sauce needs to be of a loose, dropping consistency. Set aside and keep warm.

For the game chips, take one large frying potato such as Maris Piper, peel and slice very thinly. Note: this should be done before the roasting of the grouse. Take the finely sliced potato and thoroughly rinse in cold water to remove as much starch as possible – this makes the potato crisps crispier. When this has been done two or three times, pat dry, and deep fry for two to three minutes, until golden brown. Season with a little table salt and set aside.

To cook the grouse, preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Season inside and out adding a couple of juniper berries to the cavity, tuck a sprig of thyme inside each leg and place two rashers of streaky bacon over the breasts of each bird. Colour in a roasting tray with a little clarified butter or duck fat. When sealed on all sides, depending on size, roast for between 16 and 20 minutes. Remove from tray and keep warm. Add the handful of root vegetables into the roasting tray. Scraping any sediment from the tray, tip any juices from the birds into the tray as well as any offal from the bird – this will add to the flavour. Add a splash of sloe gin, the game stock and a glass of light, red wine. Simmer gently for five to six minutes, pass through a fine sieve into a saucepan, and check seasoning.

Carve the breasts and legs. Arrange the streaky bacon next to the "bird" on a warm dinner plate. Put a pile of game chips next to the bird with a sprig or two of watercress. Pour any excess juices into the sauce, pour the sauce over and serve with warmed bread sauce and a pot of redcurrant jelly. Note: Keep all the carcasses for making a good game stock; you can always stock pile bones in the freezer and make a decent batch when you have a good quantity.

Breast of Corn-fed Guinea Fowl with Garden Lemon Balm Risotto, Morel Mushrooms, Crispy Yoadwath Mill Kiln-smoked Ham (serves two)

Ingredients

2 corn-fed guinea fowl breasts

A little rapeseed oil

For the Risotto

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

200g risotto rice

500ml chicken stock

50ml white wine

20ml double cream

1 bunch lemon balm

25g hard cheese, such as Parmesan and Doddington’s, grated

100g Morel mushrooms, dried, if fresh are unavailable (or any other like chestnut button or oyster mushroom will do the trick too)

150ml chicken stock, already reduced

A pinch of tarragon, chopped

20g unsalted butter, chilled

2 slices of smoked or Parma ham

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ Gas Mark 4.

Place the guinea fowl breasts onto a roasting tray, season and brush with a little oil. Roast for 12 minutes, then allow to rest, while keeping warm.

To make the risotto, fry off the chopped shallot and crushed garlic in a saucepan, add the risotto rice and white wine stirring continuously whilst the stock is added bit by bit, until cooked "al dente". Finish with chopped lemon balm, the grated cheese and the cream.

Crisp the ham under a grill. Heat the chicken stock, then add a knob of chilled butter, a pinch of chopped tarragon and the Morel mushrooms.

Place the risotto in the centre of the plate, slice the guinea fowl breast in two and place on top of the risotto, then finish with the crispy ham and the Morel mushroom "gravy".