Baked Woodcock Canapé

Pluck and singe the woodcocks. Do not empty them—simply remove each one’s gizzard by puncturing the lower part of the abdomen with a trussing needle.

Remove the eyes and the tongues. Fold the beak between the leg and the fatty part of the thigh.

Roast in butter and olive oil on a sheet pan with a clove of crushed garlic.

Slide the tray into the oven and bake at 300°F (150°C). Baste the woodcocks well while they are baking. Once cooked, remove the insides of the birds and chop the giblets with a knife.

Fold the foie gras, the anchovies, and some cognac into the chopped giblets and season with salt and pepper.

Reserve the woodcocks in a warm place. Bone the thighs, shred the meat, and add to the chopped giblets.

Grill the country bread over a wooden fire. Coat the birds with the cooking fat, and set aside.

Crush the woodcock bones. Brown in the cooked butter with 1 clove of crushed garlic, and deglaze with the light stock. Strain through a fine-meshed chinois, and add 1 teaspoon of the chopped woodcock giblets. Let this mixture infuse and add some cognac.