Iceland: Christmas Grouse with Berry Sauce and Spiced Cabbage with Blueberries

Name: Iceland: Christmas Grouse with Berry Sauce and Spiced Cabbage with Blueberries
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Iceland
Ingredients: Cornish game hens: 4; olive oil: 2 Tbsp; Carrot: 1; chicken stock: 6 cups; dried blueberries: 1 1/2 cup; fresh blueberries: 1 1/2 cup; dried thyme: 1 1/2 tsp; heavy cream: 2 cups; butter: 2 Tbsp; salt and pepper: to taste; butter: 2 Tbsp; red onion: 1 medium; fresh blueberries: 2 cups; red currant jam: 1/2 cup; red wine vinegar: 1/4 cup; cinnamon: 2 tsp; ginger: 1 tsp; red cabbage: 1 large head; green apple: 1; salt and pepper: to taste

An Icelandic Christmas Feast!

Cuisine:

Iceland

Ingredients

For the bird & sauce
4 Cornish game hens
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Carrot
roughly chopped
6 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cup dried blueberries
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter
to taste salt and pepper
For the cabbage
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium red onion
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup red currant jam
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 large head red cabbage
1 green apple
to taste salt and pepper

Directions

I had two options in mind when I volunteered to make Christmas dinner this year. The safe, easy option was to make my tried and true salmon pot pie. The other was to venture into unknown territory and visit a couple more countries before the year is up. While the salmon pot pie is delicious, I think you all know the safe, easy option is rarely my preferred route. Instead, inspired by Saveur’s “How the World Eats Christmas,” we set out to end this year’s culinary journey in Iceland and Finland.

We actually enjoyed two dishes from Iceland, which I’ll tell you about first. The recipe for our main course – Christmas grouse in berry sauce (Jólarjúpa með Berjasósu) – originally appeared in a 2014 issue of Saveur, along with the story “Northern Lights.” The article gives a wonderful glimpse at Icelandic Christmas traditions, from dark Christmas fables (including a cat named Jólakötturinn who lurks in the darkness, devouring naughty children on Christmas Eve), to leaf bread – the making of which was traditionally the only time in the year that men were allowed in the kitchen, to the sweet dark rye bread that is baked at a very low temperature overnight to mimic the traditional lava-pit method of baking the bread in holes in the ground, heated naturally by Iceland’s copious geothermal steam.

In addition to a huge Christmas Eve feast, Iceland celebrates Þorláksmessa on December 23rd, honoring Saint Thorlak, Iceland’s patron saint. On this day, big festive luncheons are centered around skata – fermented skate, so stinky it can permeate ones clothing. I decided against the fermented skate – figuring it’s not the smell my in-laws prefer in their home – and went with the grouse instead. A sauce is made by boiling the carcass with thyme and bilberries, which then accompanies the meat. Grouse is not commonly sold in the United States, so I went with cornish game hen instead. The recipe substitutes blueberries for bilberries, which are likely slightly sweeter. We would not have had enough meat simply eating the breast, so I removed the legs to be served as well. I also found that the recipe called for so much liquid that the sauce was nearly impossible to cook down – I had to separate out a smaller portion. Below, I’ve reduced the amount of broth and cream called for in hopes of remedying that problem. The creamy blueberry sauce is both sweet and savory, and is a wonderful accompaniment to a slightly gamey meat.

The spiced cabbage with berries (Kryddað Rauðkál með Bláberjum) is braised with warm winter spices (think cinnamon and ginger), fruit, and jam- a festive side dish that is both sweet and tart, and really rounds out the menu well. I served it with a Finnish carrot casserole (recipe coming tomorrow!), and my very favorite sticky toffee pudding for dessert!

The article had me reminiscing about the wintery weeks spent in Sweden that were dark, yet incredibly festive. That and the feast made me want to visit Iceland in the wintertime!

Here’s a cozy picture from our Christmas!

Recipe Source: Saveur (hen, cabbage)

Steps

1 Done	for the berry sauce Remove breasts and drumsticks from game hens, leaving bones attached to carcasses. Discard skin; chill breasts. Chop carcasses. Heat oil in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high. Cook carcasses until browned, 6–8 minutes. Add carrot; cook until soft, 5–7 minutes. Add stock, dried and fresh blueberries, thyme, and bay leaves; boil. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook, skimming fat as needed, until reduced by half, about 1 hour. Strain stock and return to pan; simmer until reduced to 1 cup, 20–22 minutes. Simmer cream in a 1-qt. saucepan until reduced by half, 8–10 minutes; whisk into stock and continue to cook down to thicken as needed. Remove from heat; whisk salt, and pepper. Keep sauce warm.
2 Done	for the game hen Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Season reserved breast and drumsticks with salt and pepper. Cook, flipping as needed, until browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 130°, 5-7 minutes. Slice breasts. Plate and spoon sauce over the top.
3 Done	for cabbage Melt butter in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high. Cook onion until soft, 5–7 minutes. Add blueberries, jam, vinegar, cinnamon, ginger, cabbage, apple, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, covered, until cabbage is tender, about 1 hour.