Colonial-style potted guinea hen ($10)

Over the course of the last few years as I've studied antiquarian cookbooks, mostly those from the South, I became keenly interested in the old preservation technique called "potting," which seems to be an English-language and Anglo-traditional version of the French confit. I've been aching to do some different things with our charcuterie program for some time, so when Slagel Family Farm started offering guinea fowl, one of my favorite birds and an important food bird in the South before industrial chicken, I started to play with this preparation. Usually the birds are salted and hung for a period to dry and concentrate the flavor in addition to adding some of that gamey funk old timers are so fond of, then place in a vessel and cooked slowly while being basted in their own juices and fat, and eventually pressed and topped with a layer of lard or butter for storage. These preparations could often keep for up to 60 days in the cellar, an important extension of the seasons into winter before the days of canning, freezers, and refrigeration. This is effectively a primitive form of canning. The guineas are deboned and filled with fresh thyme, bay, garlic, and black pepper to cure on a little salt while the aspic is prepared. We roast the main part of the carcass for browning flavors but maintain the wing tips, feet, and necks in a raw state to maximize gelatin content. The bones are then slowly infused to maintain a clear stock before being reduced into a thich syrupy liquid that has enough gelatin to set - an aspic. This is cut with Madeira, a favorite wine of the colonial period, and the guinea hens are removed from their cure and layered into terrines with their livers running through the center. They begin a long, slow bake at 200 degrees, continually being basted with the madeira jelly, which penetrates the meat, increasing its moisture retention and helping it bind. After 6 hours, the temperature is raised just a bit to help with browning, and at the perfect chestnut color the birds are removed from the heat and pressed. Once their shape is set they are capped with duck fat and stored in the refrigerator. We've never had a chance to see how long these will keep because they sell out so quickly. We serve them with a house-made boubon and brown sugar mustard, sweet pickled quince, and home baked rye toast.

Pairing: German or alsatian riesling, or a draft hard cider

quince, small plate, farm-raised, farmer (local/regional), handmade, historical dish, humanely raised, whole animal, housemade charcuterie, house canning/preserving, and house pickling