Thyme Roasted Poussin Recipes

ROAST POUSSIN WITH PRUNES AND THYME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove neck from inside of poussin cavity, and set aside. Rinse inside and outside of poussin, and pat dry.
• Season each of the poussin cavities with salt and pepper. Fill each of the cavities with 2 onion quarters, 3 prunes, and 1/3 bunch thyme. Tie the poussin's legs together with kitchen twine, and set aside. Strew the bottom of a large roasting pan with the remaining onion quarters and celery.
• Rub poussin with 2 tablespoons soft butter; season with salt and pepper. Arrange poussin in roasting pan; place in oven. Roast poussin until golden brown and thigh juices run clear when pierced with a fork, about 55 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.
• Add brandy and chicken stock to pan; stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up brown bits from bottom of pan. Strain gravy, and discard solids. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in remaining tablespoon butter. Use gravy to glaze poussin, or serve on the side.

LAVENDER AND THYME ROASTED POUSSINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475°F/250°C.
• Using a fork, smash the lavender, thyme, zest, salt and pepper into the butter until well mixed to create a compound butter.
• Pat the birds dry. Take a bird and very gently slide fingers between meat and skin to loosen the skin from the body (be careful not to tear the skin), both over the breast meat and the thigh.
• Take the compound butter and slide it up into the pockets of skin you have created over the breast but also making sure to also smear some butter over the thigh. You can tie the legs of each bird together or nestle them together snugly in the baking dish, preferably a flameproof one that is safe for your stovetop.
• Cut one lemon in half and divide each half into quarters for a total of eight pieces. Stuff each bird with four pieces of lemon. (Using smaller pieces allows you to more effectively stuff the small cavity of the poussin). Take the second lemon, cut in half, and squeeze one half over both birds.
• 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. Check after 25 minutes.
• Put the roasted birds on a platter and loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
• Add Sauternes to roasting pan and put over moderate heat, deglazing the pan by scraping up the brown bits. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to a sauce. (If your roasting pan is not safe for the burner, transfer the chicken juices to a saucepan, then add the wine and simmer). Spoon over your poussins and serve.
• Accompany your birds with roasted fingerling potatoes and crusty artisinal bread that can sop of the flavorful sauce.

TIE ME UP POUSSIN WITH MADEIRA SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Wash and pat dry each poussin. Tuck 1 sage leaf under the skin of each breast. Season the inside of each cavity liberally with salt. Stuff each cavity with 1 lemon wedge and a generous amount of fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage. Truss each poussin (see Cook's Note**). Evenly coat each poussin with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Place the poussins breast side up on a baking tray and refrigerate for 20 minutes to let the butter harden.
• Heat large saute pan over high heat and place poussin in pan breast side up. Sear for 2 minutes and then place in oven. Roast for 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear from the hip joint (about 160 degrees F). Remove from the oven. Set the poussins aside in a warm place to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Skim most of the fat from the saute pan and set aside drippings to finish Madeira Sauce. Remove the butcher's string from poussins. Serve each person 1/2 poussin drizzled with 1 to 2 ounces of the Madeira Sauce. Garnish on a bed of greens with pomegranate seeds.
• After skimming most of the fat drippings from the pan, return the pan to medium heat. Add the Madeira and simmer until the liquid is reduced by two thirds. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat, swirl in butter. Season with salt and serve with poussin.

LE POUSSIN EN SURPRISE

Steps:

• Combine marjoram, rosemary, 1 teaspoon thyme and basil with salad oil in small pot. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Strain through fine sieve and discard herbs. Drown bird in oil and add wine. Marinate for 3 hours, refrigerated
• Meanwhile, fry pork fat in heavy saucepan until mostly rendered. Remove and discard crisp fatty pieces. Add onion and shallot. Lower heat and add remaining thyme and bay leaf. Add chicken livers and cook until browned. Remove bay leaf and pass liver mixture through a meat grinder or sieve.
• After bird has marinated, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Dry bird thoroughly inside and out with paper towels and place sieved 'pate' into rear cavity. Remold bird to its natural shape and secure both ends with poultry pins, then truss. Season bird with salt and white pepper, coat with clarified butter, and roast at 350 degrees F. for 45 to 60 minutes, until nicely browned and tender. Remove from the oven.
• Turn up oven to 450 degrees F. Cut 1 (20 by 18-inch) sheet of parchment paper in a heart shape. Grease well with clarified butter or oil. Place cooked chicken on one side of the heart, remove string and pins and enclose it in paper, pleating edges together to secure (use staples, if you have to!). Heat a little oil in large skillet and add parchment package. The air inside will expand, forcing the package to 'blow up'. When fully expanded, grease the outer surface and place in oven until lightly browned and remove immediately. To serve, open bag and cut bird in two.

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.

ROASTED POUSSINS WITH ANISEED, THYME AND ORANGE ZEST

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place the poussins in a roasting pan, and bring to room temperature.
• In a small bowl, stir together the thyme leaves, orange zest, aniseed, mustard and olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Spread a little of the mixture inside the birds. Place two onion quarters inside each bird. Spread remaining mustard paste on skin.
• Roast until birds' thigh juices run clear, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove birds to cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.
• To prepare gravy, place roasting pan over medium-high heat, and add the vermouth. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up pan drippings. Bring vermouth to a boil. Add 1/2 cup water; bring to boil. Stir in the cream. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Carve birds. Serve, passing gravy on side.

MAPLE SUGAR GLAZED ROASTED POUSSIN

Steps:

• To make glaze, mix together all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Continue boiling 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit at room temperature until ready to use.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Loosen skin on each chicken by gently working index finger from a small separation in the front toward the back. Spread a small pat of butter about the size of your fingertip on each side of each chicken breast.
• Mix remaining butter with chopped apple, onion, thyme and parsley and loosely stuff an equal portion of the mixture into cavity of each bird.
• Trim off wing tips and any other extraneous parts, like the neck. Truss chickens and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat two 10-inch frying pans to medium-high heat. Add enough vegetable oil to just cover the bottoms. Sear birds on all sides until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Place chickens on rack in a roasting pan. Brush each with maple sugar glaze and roast 8 minutes. Remove and brush with glaze once again. Put chickens back in oven 7 minutes longer.
• Remove from oven and let birds rest at least 5 minutes before serving.

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.

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.

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.