No. 2085

Partridges, Broiled English Style

Perdreaux Grilles a l'Anglaise

Cut two tender partriges in two after they have been drawn and singed; cut off the legs to the height of the knee to slip them under the skin; beat lightly, suppress the surplus of bone, season and bread-crumb them English style, rolling them in oil or melted butter, then in fresh bread-crumbs. Range these half partridges on a broiler, and broil for eighteen minutes over a moderate fire, turning them from one side to the other; serve with a sauce-boat of half-glaze sauce (No. 413) and sliced lemon around.

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For the Modern Kitchen

A straightforward gridiron dish from Ranhofer's Delmonico kitchen: split birds, buttered, crumbed and grilled. The only real difficulty is that crumbs and open flame are natural enemies, so heat management is everything.

The hinge: a moderate fireCrumbs scorch long before a bird cooks through. Grill over medium coals, or a moderate gas grill, or on a stovetop grill pan at medium, turning every 3-4 minutes. If the crust is browning faster than the meat is cooking, move the halves to indirect heat and finish there.
"Broiler" means a gridironIn 1894 this is a hinged wire grill set over coals, cooked from below and turned. A modern overhead oven broiler radiates from one side only and will blacken the crumbs; use a grill or a heavy ridged pan instead.
Sourcing the birdsFarmed grey or red-legged partridge usually run about 8-14 oz oven-ready; chukar is a good substitute. "Drawn and singed" means gutted and the pinfeathers burned off, which your supplier will most likely have done. Two birds split in half give four pieces, enough for two.
Cut in two, then flattenSplit each bird down the backbone and through the breast to make two halves. "Beat lightly" means flatten with the side of a cleaver or a mallet so the halves sit evenly on the bars; "suppress the surplus of bone" means trim out backbone shards and the wing tips.
The leg trickCutting the drumstick off at the knee and tucking the stub under the breast skin gives a compact half that sits evenly on the bars, and presumably keeps the thin end from drying. Skewering the halves flat will do much the same.
"Bread-crumb English style"Oil or melted butter, then fresh soft crumbs, pressed on firmly. No egg, no flour, and no dried crumbs, which will taste sandy here. Season the birds before the butter goes on.
Timing and donenessEighteen minutes suits a full-sized partridge on live coals. Go by temperature rather than the clock: 160-165F at the thickest part of the breast, with the leg joint hot through. Overcooked partridge turns dry and livery.
Half-glaze sauceRanhofer's No. 413 is his half-glaze, essentially a demi-glace: a reduced brown sauce. Check No. 413 itself for his own formula; a good bought demi-glace, loosened with stock, serves. Serve it in a sauce boat alongside, not poured over the crumbs, with lemon slices around the dish.

A Little History

Ranhofer's a l'Anglaise here signals an English-style treatment: game split, crumbed and grilled over coals, sauce served separately so the crust stays crisp, plain next to the truffled and farci partridge preparations that surround it in The Epicurean (1894). Grilled and "devilled" game birds were a fixture of English breakfast and supper tables, and a New York restaurant serving a clientele that dined in London clubs would plausibly have wanted them on the card. The partridges themselves would mostly have been wild in Ranhofer's day, and American markets sold native grouse and quail under the name. The demi-glace and lemon are the French kitchen's small signature on an otherwise English dish.