Instructions: Harbour House on Vancouver Island. Sinclair believes in local ingredients, freshness and learning about and using wild ingredients from the native peoples. His restaurant has vegetable and herb gardens full of plants transplanted from the bush for use in the kitchen. At Sooke, chefs prepare this dish with a salad of foraged wild greens and flowers: amaranth, chicory, chickweed, lambs quarters, orache, shepherds purse, and sorrel.

Alder: a deciduous tree, member of the birch family with woody cone like fruits. Common in swamps and mountainous areas. [ I am going to try black spruce cones- our commonest local tree. (Update: this was a terrible idea- bitter tarry smoked taste) If that doesnt work I can fall back on store bought fruit wood chips or do a Chinese Tea Smoke.- JW]

Licorice Fern: I have no idea what its geographic range is or what flavor its root would impart. Based on its name I am going to try diced Fennel bulb, Fennel seed or a _wee_ bit of Star Anise stewed in Port instead.-JW

Salal Berries: Salal is a low [up to 2 meter] evergreen shrub of the Heath family native to California, B.C. and Alaska with white to pink urn shaped flowers and round purple berries which turn black. [There are none locally so I will be experimenting with cranberries or black currants.- JW]

Directions:
In a small covered sauce pan, gently simmer fern root in icewine and water for 20 min. Pour into a glass jar, seal and let stand at room temp for 12 hours. Strain into a small saucepan and boil, uncovered, on high until reduced to a thick syrup. Set aside.

Heat alder cones in a large aluminum foil lined sauce pan over high heat until they smoulder. Reduce heat to low; place grouse breasts directly on top of the smouldering cones. Lightly brush the breasts with the fern root glaze; cover pan tightly. Smoke breasts for 3 hours or until cooked but not dry. Remove the meat from the bone and serve with Juniper-Salal Berry Sauce.

For the sauce: Pour 1 cup water and the wine into the bottom of a per- forated double boiler. Place the salal berries in the top section.

Cover; simmer gently for two hours. Gently press berries with a rubber spatula to extract remaining juice. Discard berries; reserving syrup in the bottom of the double boiler.

To the salal syrup, add the maple syrup, peppercorns, juniper berries, remaining water and balsamic vinegar. Bring to the boil and immediately remove from the heat; let stand an hour before returning to the heat. Cook, uncovered, until slightly thickened. Refrigerate until needed.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.