RECIPES > Meat Dishes - Pan roasted squab with beaujolais-cassis and roasted shallots Serves 6 Charlie Palmer is one of the most highly regarded chefs in America today. He is best known as the chef and owner of Auréole in New York City, which he opened in 1988. Over the years, Auréole has established itself as a New York institution and enjoys a reputation as being one of the finest restaurants in the United States. Charlie's Progressive American Cuisine garners attention worldwide. Charlie recently opened the spectacular Auréole in Las Vegas. The restaurant's wine " cellar " is actually a 42-foot high wine tower! Order a bottle of Beaujolais and a sommelier/stuntman will get if for you! Charlie is also the owner of Alva and Astra and a co-owner in the Lenox Room, all three located in New York City. Charlie is married and the father of four and the author of Great American Food, a cookbook published in 1996. Preparation time: 1 h 30 Cooking time: 15 mn for the meat Cassis is a European black currant generally used to make syrup or liqueur. Slightly tart with rich color, it combines well with the fruity gamay wine. Veal stock rather than chicken is called for in this recipe to highlight the delicately flavored dark meat of the squab Ingredients 6 1-1/4 pound squab 1/2 cup dried black currants 6 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups Mirepoix 3 cloves garlic, peeled 3 cups beaujolais wine 6 large sprigs fresh thyme 44-1/2 cups Veal Stock 12 large shallots Coarse salt to taste Pepper to taste 2 tablespoons chopped italian parsley Vegetable couscous Recipe Wash and dry squab. Cut into 6 full breasts with wing handles and 12 legs with boneless thighs. Trim off any fat, cartilage, and membrane from the breasts and leg/thigh pieces. Pat dry and set aside. Using a cleaver or heavy French knife, chop squab carcasses into 2" and 3" pieces and set aside. Place currants in a small, heat-proof bowl. Cover with boiling water and allow to rest for about 30 minutes or until currants are well plumped. Drain well and cover to keep softened until ready to use. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Heat a roasting pan in preheated oven. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the carcass pieces. Roast, turning from time to time, for 15 minutes. Add the Mirepoix and garlic and roast for an additional 25 minutes of until bones are well browned. Remove from oven and place over medium heat. Add beaujolais wine, stirring constantly to deglaze the pan. Scrape into a large saucepan. Add thyme and place over medium-high heat. Cook for about 20 minutes or until pan is almost dry. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and simmer for about 40 minutes or until reduced by half. Remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve into a medium saucepan. Discard solids. Set saucepan aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss shallots and 2 tablespoons olive oil on a small baking pan. When shallots are well coated, place in preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes or until very soft. Remove from oven and allow to set until just cool enough to handle. Using kitchen shears or a very sharp knife, snip off the top end of each shallot and peel back the skin, leaving the tender, whole shallot. Place in a small pan and cover lightly. Keep warm until ready to use. Lower oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper towel. Set aside. Heat remaining olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Season squab pieces with salt and pepper. Place legs, skin-side down, into the hot pan. Sear for 4 minutes or until golden. Turn and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Transfer to an oven-proof pan and place in preheated oven. Place breast pieces, skin-side down, into the saute pan. Sear for 5 minutes or until golden. Turn and cook for 2 minutes or until still blush red in the center and slightly tight to the fingertip touch. Remove and drain on prepared baking sheet. Remove leg pieces from the oven and place on baking sheet. Remove leg pieces from the oven and place on baking sheet to drain. Place sauce over medium heat. Add currants and parsley and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Place equal portions of Vegetable Couscous into the center of each of 6 warm plates. Place a whole squab breast and 2 legs against the couscous. Spoon sauce over the top and nestle two shallots between the squab pieces. Serve immediately. VEGETABLE COUSCOUS This is s simple method of preparing couscous. However, if you have a couscoussiere, the steamer pot designed specifically for making traditional couscous dishes, by all means use it. The stock used in the vegetables will add ample flavor to this dish 1 medium carrot 1 stalk celery 3 cups Chicken Stock 1-1/2 cups couscous 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup finely diced onion 1/4 cup finely diced, peeled and seeded very ripe tomato 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste 1 tablespoon coarse salt or to taste Peel carrot and cut into a 1/4" dice. Set aside. Peel and trim celery. Cut into a 1/4" dice and set aside. Place 2 cups stock in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Sift couscous into the stock and stir to combine. Remove from heat. Cover and allow to " bloom " for about 7 minutes. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, tomato and reserved carrot and celery. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the vegetables have begun to sweat their moisture. Add remaining stock and season with cayenne and salt to taste. Cook for 4 minutes. Combine vegetable mixture with couscous and gently stir to combine. Serve immediately.