Chef brings you the delights of Woodlands
Three years after being hired as a kitchen porter, Stuart Faulds from Cumnock now works as a full- time chef at Woodlands, the restaurant on Dumfries House estate.
“Working at Woodlands is great experience for me as I get to cook great food using fresh produce for both local people and tourists,” he says.
“It’s always a privilege when I see my former teachers or people I grew up with coming in to enjoy our food. Under head chef Tom Scoble, I’m constantly improving and learning new techniques.”
Stuart and his colleagues at Woodlands will regularly share with Ayrshire Post readers a selection of seasonal, make- athome recipes. Here, Stuart shares his tips for making a pigeon starter. The Dish Stuart said: “Pigeon is in season throughout the year so this is a great dish to learn how to make. With pigeon, it’s all about pairing your dish with the right vegetables: the fresher the veg, the more flavoursome your dish will be. Pigeon is complemented by lots of different vegetables so you can chop and change your accompaniments according to what’s available at the time.
“To make this starter, you should go to a local butcher in Ayrshire where you will be able to buy fresh, skinless pigeon breasts. Buttered pigeon can be quite rich so small portions will be enough to keep you full. You will also need to get two carrots, one cauliflower, two cloves of peeled garlic, 300g of unsalted butter, some washed spinach, a sprig of thyme and a small amount of black peppercorns.
“Firstly, you need to peel and roughly chop your carrots before placing them in a pan and covering them with a small amount of water. Bring them to the boil and cook the carrots until they are soft. Next, place the carrots into a food processor and combine with some unsalted butter until a soft puree is formed, adding salt and pepper to season. Just before you are ready to serve the dish, heat the carrot puree in a small pot. You should also chop the cauliflower into bitesize florets and cook in a pan with oil and butter until they are golden but not burnt before cooking in the oven for around five minutes.
“To prepare your poaching butter, place 150g of unsalted butter into a small pot with garlic, black peppercorn and thyme and bring to a gentle heat on the stove. Carefully place the pigeon breast into the poaching butter and, after five minutes, move it into a hot frying pan and colour each side. This won’t take long so make sure and keep an eye out it.
“When you are ready to serve the dish, simply slice the pigeon and serve it with the hot vegetables.
“The pigeon dishes we serve at Woodlands are incredibly popular as pigeon is not something you can get everywhere. Personally, I really like how the contrasting flavours in this dish complement each other: the pigeon is quite rich while the pickled cauliflower and the carrots are really light and refreshing.”