Roasted Dove with Butter Beans and Brandy-Vermouth Cream Sauce
This South American inspired roasted dove recipe will bring your dinner to the next level.
Recently, I almost had an opportunity to dove hunt in Argentina. The dream was short-lived, but ahead of this 2023 state-side season, I researched popular dishes from the country to reassure myself. I found a simple dish featuring butter beans and a cream sauce involving a wine I could not find locally in Kansas. I made some alterations and am happy to share the recipe; this one is both simple and very tasty.
If you detest lima beans, simply substitute them with something else. The real highlight here is the cream sauce, which is made from two different types of spirits. This cream sauce can indeed be applied to any meat—bird, big game, fish, or even just vegetables. There’s no need to wait until you have doves in the freezer to give this recipe a try.
Please note the amounts listed here are for six doves. If you plan on putting a larger chunk of wild game over the fire, I recommend doubling or tripling the cream sauce ingredients.
Roasted Dove with Butter Beans and Brandy-Vermouth Cream Sauce
Ingredients
Roasted Dove
- 4-6 whole doves plucked and roasted
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 lbs butter beans (large lima beans)
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 oz preferred mushrooms fried
- freshly chopped parsley optional garnish
Cream Sauce
- 2 medium shallots sliced julienne
- 2 tbsp garlic finely minced
- 1-2 tbsp salted butter
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup red vermouth
- ½ cup brandy
- 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Lightly salt and pepper your doves and place them in the fridge overnight to dry. Remember: dry skin results in crispy skin.
- To prep the butter beans (lima beans), soak them in water overnight.
- When you are ready to cook, first pull the doves out of the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature. They should be at room temperature by the time the cream sauce is done.
- While the doves are warming, put the beans in a large pot and cover them with water. They need to cook with a 2:1 water-to-bean ratio, so make sure the water is double the depth of the beans themselves. Add the bay leaves. Cook the beans on a low boil for 1 to 1.5 hours until they are fully cooked with a very slight al dente texture. Drain them in a colander once they are cooked.
- To make the cream sauce, melt salted butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add thinly sliced shallots and lightly salt and pepper them. Sauté the shallots until they’re soft and slightly brown. Add garlic, and stir for a couple of minutes.
- Add in the red vermouth and brandy along with two sprigs of fresh thyme. Allow the sauce to reduce to one-third of its volume on a low simmer for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the sprigs of thyme. Add in the heavy whipping cream and stir it in, continuing to let the sauce reduce until 1/3 of the original amount remains, and the sauce is thick. Turn off the heat.
- To roast your doves, heat either a convection oven or air fryer to 400 F. Roast doves for 3-4 minutes. Crispier skin will come at 4 minutes but with medium-well breast meat. A 3-minute roast will result in less crispy skin but more medium to medium-rare breast meat. Allow the birds to rest for 2-3 minutes before carving and serving.
- While the birds roast, sauté the mushrooms in either butter or olive oil until they are fully cooked and slightly crispy. Lightly salt them.
- To plate the dish, add an ample helping of beans to the bowl or plate followed by sautéed mushrooms and cream sauce, topped with two roasted doves and freshly chopped parsley for garnish.
Notes
