Woodcock Pate

[Russ Jackson]

In my home ,I seem to be the only one who has aquired a taste for these little birds ,so to try to find a way to prepare them for all to enjoy ,I tried a spread for on crackers ,and it is delicious !
Clean 8 Woodcock Breasts ,
1Lb of Butter
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Tsp. of Black Pepper
1 Shallot

Melt butter in sauce pan ,add garlic ( Crushed ) add Shallot and Black Pepper , Next Cook Woodcock ,until breasts are just pink inside ,slice into small chunks ,stir into the other ingredients ,remove from pan and put into your kitchen blender, Whip until smooth ,pour into Ramikins ,put in fridge, , till chilled , serve with your favorite crackers ! Absolutly Delicious ! Russ

[Dean Romig]

Russ, is this pate prepared "trails in"?

[Russ Jackson]

Dean , NO , Birds fully cleaned ,if I am following you ? This really is very good ,has a nice rich flavor ,One of my favorite hunts is for Woodcock ,years ago when the limit was five birds a day ,I would do this with 10 Birds ,a two days hunt if the flights were good ,now our limit is three birds a day ,so you have to clean a bird or two and chill them until you get enough for a batch or you can cut the recipe a bit to match the amount of birds you have available ! Generally speaking a pound to a pound and a half of Woodcock breasts !

[Dean Romig]

Sounds tasty Russ. My favorite way of preparing woodcock is to sautee the breasts only in clarified butter for a minute to a minute and a half on one side, flip them and remove from heat in just less than a minute. They will be brown on the outsite and nicely rare on the inside. Cooked in this manner they are fit for royalty. They go nicely with sauteed and salted asparagus spears and your favorite wine or other beverage.

[Russ Jackson]

Dean ,Your recipe sounds delicious, if the Birds cooperate ,I will be giving it a try,I will also add the asparagus spears ,one of my favorite vegetables ! A nice tossed salad and some home made bread would go well also ! Dean let me know what you think of the Pate ,if you give it a try !

[Dean Romig]

I will Russ but I'll be pretty hard-pressed to come up with a pound or more of woodcock breasts. I may need to cut the recipe to accomodate the four or five woodcock I would be lucky enough to scare up in my neck of the Vt woods.

[Jay Gardner]

Russ,

Does freezing the breast pieces effect the taste? Thinking this would be a good way to use a season's worth of woodcock.

JDG

[John Dallas]

Freezing fish filets in a milk jug filled with water doesn't hurt the fish. Why not put in the breasts as you get them, adding water each time.

[Russ Jackson]

Jay ,I would agree with John ,on freezing in water ,I find I can keep wild game in the fridge cleaned for a few days ,what ever Woodcock ,I have at that time ,I generally adjust the recipe ,I don't believe ,I have ever taken frozen breasts out and tried it ,but as John says ,fish frozen in water ,the fish taste just caught !

[Jay Gardner]

Does anyone use a vacuum packer to seal game in bags before freezing? I just liberated one from my mother-in-law and wonder how effective they really are.

[Jack Cronkhite]

Jay: I don't have one but a farmer friend does up his own meats and sausages using a vacuum sealer. I had some of the sausage months after taking it home. After thawing, it was just like fresh so I think they are useful. I use zip loc bags and try to expel most air but have not used water. Six late season roosters become my winter's ration stash for consumption. (One every 4 or 5 weeks.) They do thaw quite nicely with no freezer burn. The last one is usually consumed in the summer.

Cheers,
Jack

[Dean Romig]

I'm a big advocate of putting grouse breasts and thighs in a zip-lock bad and fill it with water squeezing the last air bubble out before sealing the bag and putting it in the freezer. I do the same with fish filets as well as woodcock breasts. The meat is just as good as fresh every time.

[Jack Cronkhite]

I'll use the water trick this December. The one's throughout the season don't last long enough to worry about.
Cheers,
Jack

[Russ Jackson]

I am now up to seven Woodcock breasts ,I am trying the " Freeze in Water Technique " If I get into a few more birds ,I am going to make up a batch ,will let you know how it turns out ! Has anyone tried this recipe yet ? Russ

[Dean Freeman]

I tried freezing some deer meat in water last season. When I thawed the meat out it seemed fine. I didn't think it would matter much anyways as I was going to make a roast in the crock pot. The meat was good but you could chew in it till your jaw got sore. I asked my buddy from back home and he scolded me for being so stupid. Can't remember the reason, but I do not freeze venison in water anymore. Also those vacuum freezer deals are the way to go. Keeps meat very fresh, very long!
I don't even think we have woodcock here in the Shenandoah valley, but if I ever find some, I'm gonna make some of that patte!

[Tony Ambrose]

Does anyone use a vacuum packer to seal game in bags before freezing? I just liberated one from my mother-in-law and wonder how effective they really are.

I bring a Foodsaver "Game Saver Deluxe" with me on every extended trip away from home. The trick is getting access to a freezer! I have access to one on my trips to Maine, but upstate NY is another story. They stay fine for a couple of days once sealed and put in a refrigerator....or just put them on ice in a cooler till you get home.

Grouse and woodcock breasts tend to get a little bit of freezer burn if kept a year in sealed bags. You can just slice the thin layer of freezer burned flesh away and the remainder if fine. Most of the time, they never last that long anyway.