A recipe to impress: roasted guinea fowl breast with butternut purée

For the guinea fowl

1. Bone the guinea fowl, so you have two breasts (with the bone in), two legs and the carcass.
2. Peel and dice the onion, carrot and celery. Cut the garlic bulb in half.
3. In a hot pot add 20ml of olive oil, sauté the vegetables, add the thyme and peppercorns, then deglaze the pot with the madeira. Add 1l of water, then bring to the boil.
4. In an oven-proof dish, place the guinea fowl legs and the carcass, cover with the stock you just made and braise in the oven at 140°C for 1 ½ hours.
5. Remove the legs and pick the meat off. Strain the stock and place it back on the stove. Reduce until it has a thick, sauce-y consistency.
6. In a bowl add the picked meat and half the reduced stock. Mix well and season.
7. Place a piece of cling film on a bench and mold the guinea fowl meat into a log. Place the meat on the cling film and roll the meat up into a cylinder. Pinch and twist the ends in. Place in the fridge for 4-5 hours.
8. Once the log is set, cut into four pieces, then roll in the flour, followed by the eggs then the breadcrumbs.
9. Heat a pan with a little oil and on a gentle heat cook the pieces until golden brown, finish in the oven for 7 mins at 160°C.
10. For the guinea fowl breast, heat a pan with a little oil, season the breasts and place skin side down, cook for 2 mins then place in the oven at 180°C for 12 mins.
11. Place the pan back onto the stove, turn the breasts over and drop a knob of butter into the pan, as the butter melts use a spoon to pick up the melted butter and baste the breasts.

To make the butternut purée

1. Peel the butternut and remove the bulb. Cut the bulb in half and remove the seeds. Cut the other part of the butternut into 1cm cubes.
2. Roast the bulb in the oven at 160°C for about 30mins or until the butternut is soft inside. Remove from the oven and blend the butternut in a blender until completely smooth. Season.
3. With the diced cubes heat a pan and add 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil, add two smashed cloves of garlic and thyme, add the diced butternut and cook until tender. Season.

To roast the red onion & chestnuts

1. Peel the red onion and cut into wedges. Mix with 30 ml olive oil, chestnuts and balsamic vinegar and cook in the oven at 160°C for 20mins and season.

To put it all together

1. Heat the purée and place on the plate.
2. Mix together the butternut, red onion and chestnuts and place on top of the purée.
3. Place the crumbed leg on the plate, followed by the breast.
4. Sauce the plate with the remaining reduced jus from the stock and serve.