St John’s College, Cambridge

 

Looking for a substitute for Turkey as your Christmas bird this year? Too small? How about Swan? Here’s a recipe from the Weird and Different Recipes Page, source of many a tasty treat. http://www.bertc.com/recipes.htm

 

Roast Swan

 

“Carefully pluck the swan, preserving its feathers (cut the wings and neck off whole before plucking).Cut round the vent and remove the guts. Reserve the liver, make stock from the heart and gizzard, and discard the rest. Bone/skin it from the neck end, without breaking the skin. Stuff the skin with a good forcemeat, well truffled, and with any of the meat you have cut off the carcass minced finely, and moistened with some brandy. Add the carcass to the stock. Some add pistachio nut kernels and quails eggs, or stuff the swan with a boned duck, (stuffed with a boned pheasant, stuffed with a boned quail, stuffed with an egg, stuffed with an olive - stuffed of course with anchovy... If you are making this, the trick is to put in lots of eggs stuffed with olives so that everyone thinks they have a slice thru the centre..). Tie the swan up carefully in muslin and seek to preserve its shape. Poach gently until done (say 3 hours), or roast carefully in a low oven on a spit. Uncover to brown for the last hour, or you can gild it in the ancient fashion by painting with a glaze of flour, egg yolk and saffron, before browning. Re-assemble the swan in its glory (you will have to use some wire) and serve with due ceremony, with the reduced stock as gravy.

Easier to have your swan stuffed by a taxidermist, and serve a good duck ballotine produced from underneath it - few will know the difference.”

 

Contrary to common belief not all British swans are the prerogative of the Crown. From the Royal Website http://www.royal.gov.uk

 

“Today, the Crown retains the right to ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water, but The Queen only exercises her ownership on certain stretches of the River Thames and its surrounding tributaries.

 

This ownership is shared with the Vintners' and Dyers' Companies, who were granted rights of ownership by the Crown in the 15th century.”

 

“Swan Upping is the annual census of the swan population on stretches of the River Thames in the counties of Middlesex, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. It takes place during the third week of July each year.

This historic ceremony dates from the 12th century, when the Crown claimed ownership of all mute swans. At that time swans were regarded as a delicious dish at banquets and feasts.

In the Swan Upping ceremony, The Queen's Swan Marker and the Swan Uppers of the Vinters' and Dyers' livery companies use six traditional Thames rowing skiffs in their five-day journey up-river. The officials wear traditional scarlet uniforms and each boat flies appropriate flags and pennants.”

 

Swans were also eaten under Royal licence at several university colleges including St John’s College, Cambridge.

 

There was a young man of St John's

Who wanted to bugger the swans,

But the loyal hall-porter

Said, "Pray take my daughter!

Them birds are reserved for the dons"

Gershon Legman, The Limerick.

 

Swan too big? How about Quail? They go nicely 1 per serve as entrees, or 2 each as mains. Very suitable for a more fancy or formal sit down meal.

 

 

Quail with Cumberland Sauce

 

Serves 6 (entree)

 

6 quail

3 rashers of bacon

2 oranges

1 tbsp orange marmalade

1 ½ tsp French mustard

2 tbsp port

125g redcurrants

 

Quail

Season quail lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Truss birds and lay a piece of bacon over each breast.

Roast in a baking tray at 200C/400F for 15-20 minutes until juices produced when testing with a skewer are clear.

Remove from pan and set aside to rest in a warm oven.

 

Sauce

Peel the rind from one orange.

Remove pith and julienne rind.

Blanch in boiling water for 2 min and drain.

In a saucepan combine the juice of 2 oranges, marmalade, mustard, redcurrants, port and rind, reserving some rind for garnish.

Slowly bring to the boil stirring occasionally, add juices from the resting quail

 

To Serve

Remove the trussing string and bacon (chef’s prerogative, scarf bacon bits).

Place quail on warm serving plates, mask with sauce and garnish with orange rind.

 

 

And speaking of swans and Christmas, some of you may, or may not, remember there were seven swans a swimming, or was it six?, in that annoying numerical carol, the components of which few can remember correctly. Ironically then, this carol is supposed to originate as a Roman Catholic teaching mnemonic from the period of persecution by the Anglican authorities in Britain. The numbers are allegedly a disguised method of remembering various catechistic elements:

 

a Partridge in a Pear Tree = Christ on the Cross

2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments

3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues

4 Calling Birds = The Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch

6 Geese A-laying = The six days of creation

7 Swans A-swimming = The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments

8 Maids A-milking = The eight beatitudes

9 Ladies Dancing = The nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit

10 Lords A-leaping = The ten commandments

11 Pipers Piping = The eleven faithful apostles

12 Drummers Drumming = The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

 

Pity it’s another urban myth, enjoy your quail.

 

40 The people asked, and he brought quails,

       and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

Psalm 105

 

 

Bachtalo krecunu Thaj Bachtalo Nevo Bers!