Roast Poussin With Prunes And Thyme Food

LEMON ROAST POUSSIN WITH SPRING VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/ gas 7. Season the inside of the poussins generously with salt and pepper, then stuff each with a garlic clove, half a bunch of thyme and a lemon half.
• Sit the birds in a shallow roasting dish. Smother generously with butter, then season the skin with sea salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for about 40 mins.
• While the birds are roasting, prepare the accompaniments. For the braised peas and lettuce, heat a frying pan and add a drizzle of oil. Sizzle the bacon for 2 mins until starting to crisp. Turn down the heat a little, toss in the onions, then continue to cook for 6-7 mins until they are golden.
• Pour the chicken stock into the pan, simmer for 2 mins, then scatter in the peas and cook for 2 mins more. Lastly, stir in the lettuce and cook for 1 min until just wilted, then set aside.
• For the spring vegetables, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and have a bowl of iced water at the ready. In batches, boil all the veg (except the radishes), then transfer to the iced water. The courgettes will take 3 mins, the carrots and leeks 2 mins. Drain the vegetables, then lay them on kitchen paper to dry.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in another frying pan, then stir-fry the vegetables until just starting to colour. Add the vinegar, lemon zest and a little seasoning. Turn off the heat, toss through the radishes, then drizzle with a little more oil.
• Check if the poussins are cooked by inserting a skewer or small knife between the leg and the breast; if the juices are pink, give the bird an extra 5-10 minutes in the oven. Once ready, remove the poussins from the dish and leave to rest, upside down, for 10 mins (this keeps the breasts from drying out). To make a simple gravy, remove the lemon halves from the poussins, squeeze into the juices in the roasting dish, then whisk together.
• Strain the lemony juices into a jug. You are now ready to carve the birds and plate up.
• Using a sharp knife, cut through the thigh joint and remove the leg. Cut each leg through the joint to separate the drumstick from the thigh. Carefully carve the breasts away from the bone, cutting through the joint to leave the wing attached. Carve each breast into 2 pieces so each portion has 2 pieces of leg and 2 pieces of breast.
• Spoon a mound of the braised peas and lettuce into the centre of 4 large, shallow, bowls. Neatly assemble a 'nest' of vegetables around the lettuce. Pile the carved poussin on top of the lettuce, giving each serving the same amount of meat. Pour over the lemony sauce and serve straight away.

THYME-ROASTED POUSSIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
• Rinse the poussins and season the cavities with salt and pepper. Rub each with 1/4 teaspoon olive oil. Fill each cavity with a lemon wedge, 2 sprigs each of thyme and marjoram, and 1 crushed garlic clove.
• Loosen the skin from the breast of each poussin. Slide a sprig each of thyme and marjoram between the skin and the breast. Spoon the Cognac (1/2 tablespoon per bird) into the breast pockets of each poussin. Truss with kitchen string.
• On a roasting rack set in a roasting pan, roast for 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a fork.

BUTTERED CARROTS

Steps:

• Trim and peel the carrots, and then cut them in half. Cut each half into long, thin matchsticks.
• Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Sprinkle in the sugar, and cook to melt. Add the carrots, and toss until they are coated. Cover carrot mixture, keeping lid slightly askew, and cook until the carrots are just tender, about 3 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat with melted butter and sugar. Serve immediately.

ROAST POUSSINS WITH WILD MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• First, make the sauce. Bring the white wine to the boil and pour it on top of the dried mushrooms. Cover with cling film and leave to soak and rehydrate for 1 hr. After this time, pass the wine through a fine sieve into a saucepan and put the mushrooms to one side. Add the shallots and garlic to the wine. Put the pan on a medium-high heat until the wine has reduced by two-thirds, and the shallots are soft and translucent. Add the tied-up sprigs of thyme, the mushrooms and double cream. Bring the cream to the boil and gently simmer until it has reduced by a third. Remove from the heat, season, pour in the Sherry and turn off the heat until serving. Can be made 2 days ahead.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Stuff the cavity of each poussin with 2 garlic cloves, 4 sprigs of thyme and a piece of lemon peel. For neat presentation, you can now tie the poussin legs together, but this isn't essential. Smear the butter over the poussins, put in a shallow roasting tin and cook for 30-35 mins until the legs easily come away from the bird, or until a digital cooking thermometer reads 75C when inserted in the breast. Take out of the oven, baste with the buttery cooking juices and leave to rest for 15 mins.

BUTTERMILK ROASTED POUSSIN WITH ROSEMARY POLENTA CHIPS

Steps:

• The day before you want to have the poussin, remove it from its packaging, cutting away the string tied round it, and place in a large freezer bag or baking dish. Combine the buttermilk, lemon zest, half the garlic (save the rest for the polenta chips), the honey, mustard, the leaves from 1 thyme sprig, a small pinch of salt and a good grinding of black pepper to make a marinade. Pour into the bag, then seal it and squish everything around so that the poussin is coated in the marinade - if using a baking dish, coat the bird in the marinade, then cover with cling film. Chill overnight.
• To make the polenta chips, line a 2lb loaf tin with cling film. Cook the polenta following pack instructions, then stir in the Parmesan, remaining garlic, the rosemary and season well. Tip into the tin, spread out and smooth the surface. Leave to cool, then cover and chill for at least 30 mins (can be left in the fridge overnight).
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove the poussin from the marinade and sit in a roasting tin. Stuff with the lemon quarters and remaining thyme sprigs. Drizzle with oil, season and tie the ends of the legs together with string. Roast for 35-40 mins, basting every so often. Meanwhile, turn the chilled polenta out onto a chopping board and cut into fat chips - you should have 10. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan, add some of the polenta chips and cook, turning every so often, until really crisp, then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining chips, adding more oil as needed. Transfer to a baking tray. Remove the poussin from the oven and leave to rest in the tin for 20 mins. Keep the polenta chips warm in the oven while the poussin is resting.
• Sieve the juices from the poussin roasting tin into a small saucepan. Remove the top layer of fat, then bring to a simmer. Add the Sherry vinegar, heat through, taste for seasoning, then transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle the polenta chips with salt. Serve the poussin on a plate with some lamb's lettuce and the chips, with the poussin juices and some mayonnaise alongside for dipping the chips.

LAVENDER AND THYME ROASTED POUSSINS

Steps:

• With a mortar and pestle coarsely crush lavender and in a small bowl stir together with butter, thyme, zest, and salt and pepper to taste until combined well. Spoon mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a 4-inch-long log. Chill compound butter, wrapped well in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes, and up to 3 days.
• Preheat oven to 475° F.
• Discard gizzards from birds and trim necks flush with bodies if necessary. Rinse birds inside and out and pat dry. Starting at neck end of each bird, slide fingers between meat and skin to loosen skin (be careful not to tear skin). Cut butter into sixteen 1/4-inch-thick slices and gently push 4 slices under skin of each bird, putting 1 slice over each breast half and thigh. Tie legs of each bird together with kitchen string and secure wings to sides with wooden picks or bamboo skewers.
• Arrange birds in a flameproof roasting pan large enough to hold them without crowding. Gently rub birds with lemon halves, squeezing juice over them, and season with salt and pepper. Roast birds in middle of oven 30 minutes (for poussins) to 45 minutes (for Cornish hens), or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh (be careful not to touch bone) registers 170° F.
• Transfer birds to a platter and loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Add Sauternes to roasting pan and deglaze over moderate heat, scraping up brown bits. Transfer jus to a small saucepan. Skim fat from jus and simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup.
• Garnish birds with herbs and serve with jus.