It’s a Good Day When.......

[Tom Flanigan]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

Eric - we have a Vermont Castings "Resolute" wood stove, an outhouse just off the picture to the left, and the running water is disconnected the first time Tom sees frost on the field in the morning. It doesn't have many creature comforts but it's very comfortable when we come in from beating ourselves up chasing birds.

Remembering the old camp that we hunted from for forty-some years, the new camp is like the Taj Mahal... and it does look a lot nicer too.

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The Vermont Castings stoves are the prettiest ever built. Back in the day I used to visit the original factory in Randolph, Vermont. I became friendly with Duncan Symm who designed all the stoves, of which the Resolute was one. It was the smallest in the line. He showed me the mahogany templates he carved to make the original molds. They were beautiful. He designed the stoves using early American furniture as a guide. All the stoves were named after trans Atlantic sailing ships.

[Dean Romig]

Yup, The Defiant, the Vigilant, the Resolute and the smallest today, to the best of my knowledge, the Intrepid. I have a Vigilant in my home as a secondary heating source (it used to be my primary source) and a Resolute in my place on the lake in Maine, and of course the Resolute in the camp in Vermont. I bought the Vigilant at the foundry in Randolph in '79. It has been a wonderful heater - in fact, it's keeping the Fall afternoon chill off as I type this.

Tom, what's your recipe/cooking instructions for roasting a woodcock?





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[Dean Romig]

So let me know how you like the fileted breast medallions when you get around to doing it. Remember, 1 minute (max) on the first side and no more than 45 seconds on the flip side in very hot butter - then take them out of the pan! If they cook to "medium" they'll be overdone...





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[Tom Flanigan]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

So let me know how you like the fileted breast medallions when you get around to doing it. Remember, 1 minute (max) on the first side and no more than 45 seconds on the flip side in very hot butter - then take them out of the pan! If they cook to "medium" they'll be overdone...

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I'll remember Dean. I'm going to cook up some over the weekend and give you a report next week. I leave tomorrow for Pawling to do some hunting. Three hours from Mayland. I close on the Maryland house on 11/1 and then I'll live in Pawling permanently. Many of my coverts are 10 minutes from the house. I'll be able to roll out ouf bed and into my coverts like I used to do. It's going to feel like heaven being back permanently in my Pawling home.

[Dean Romig]

I only wish I could go back in time to the hunting haunts of my youth.

Someday I will, but I won't be able to share my experiences with anyone else...





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[Big D]

For anyone who wishes it, I have a French recipe for eating the WHOLE woodcock, including the entrails. UURRPP

[Double Play]

John,
The camp we have gone to the last 10 years has mostly European (French) hunters who travel to New Brunswick every year to hunt the Woodcock. I was told of their method of preparing and eating these birds and honestly didn't believe it until I googled it. Like Dean I breast all my birds and could not imagine eating the innards especially after the long trip back to France.

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by John Dallas

For anyone who wishes it, I have a French recipe for eating the WHOLE woodcock, including the entrails. UURRPP

I've watched a video of a French chef preparing the bird, removing the "trail" (entrails) and dicing them up with salt and some spices and sauteeing them in clarified butter, them stuffing them back in the bird and roasting it for another ten or fifteen minutes. The trail was then removed and spread on little cracker thingies and eaten..... yuch (I mean there's dead worms and stuff in there - .......... and then the rest of the bird was consumed with great relish.





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[chris dawe]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

I've watched a video of a French chef preparing the bird, removing the "trail" (entrails) and dicing them up with salt and some spices and sauteeing them in clarified butter, them stuffing them back in the bird and roasting it for another ten or fifteen minutes. The trail was then removed and spread on little cracker thingies and eaten..... yuch (I mean there's dead worms and stuff in there - .......... and then the rest of the bird was consumed with great relish.





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I don't care how great the relish is -and I like relish !!! I aint eating bird shit and worms !!!

[Gary Laudermilch]

Ah Chris, you have a way with words. I'm still laughing. I completely agree with your assessment of eating woodcock guts.