Escoffier’s Roast Teal

Known Ground reconstruction of Escoffier's teal formula.

Source reference: Nos. 1937 and 1981, pp. 615 and 627 · Read the public-domain source

Photograph: Reserved for a future Known Ground field photograph and testing note.

Known Ground reconstruction — not personally tested. The small bird remains whole, unbarded, and plainly garnished. Temperature, not Escoffier’s 10-to-12-minute timing, determines doneness.

Historical source vs. current safety guidance. Escoffier directs that this bird remain underdone. The Known Ground reconstruction instead follows current USDA guidance to cook duck and goose to 165°F (74°C), checked in the thickest breast and innermost thigh and wing without touching bone.

Safety note. Escoffier directs that this bird remain underdone. The Known Ground reconstruction instead follows current USDA guidance to cook duck and goose to 165°F (74°C), checked in the thickest breast and innermost thigh and wing without touching bone.

Adaptation sources: A Guide to Modern Cookery (1907) · Waterfowl Cooking Basics · Duck and Goose from Farm to Table

Mise en place

Ingredients for the Known Ground reconstruction

Servings

Known Ground reconstruction

2whole plucked teal, patted dry
1 tspkosher salt
1lemon, quartered
2 cupswatercress

Known Ground reconstruction — not personally tested

Escoffier's historical formula specifies teal directly.

The small bird remains whole, unbarded, and plainly garnished. Temperature, not Escoffier’s 10-to-12-minute timing, determines doneness.

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 500°F. Season the teal inside and out and place breast-side up in a preheated small roasting pan.

2. Roast until the breast, innermost thigh, and wing reach 165°F (74°C), checking after 12 minutes because teal vary in size.

3. Rest for 5 minutes and serve each bird with lemon and watercress.

Historical formula

Escoffier identifies teal as a small wild duck, roasts it before a fierce fire for ten to twelve minutes, and surrounds it with lemons and watercress.

Source note

Source-preserving summary from Auguste Escoffier, *A Guide to Modern Cookery* (1907), a public-domain English edition. Source location: Nos. 1937 and 1981, pp. 615 and 627.

Historical source vs. current safety guidance

Escoffier directs that this bird remain underdone. The Known Ground reconstruction instead follows current USDA guidance to cook duck and goose to 165°F (74°C), checked in the thickest breast and innermost thigh and wing without touching bone.

Editorial record

Published after editorial review

Last revised 8/21/2026. Evidence and limitations should be interpreted as described in the article.

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