Discovering the joys of Poussin/Game Hens

[BabyLitigator]

Made my first Poussin today, with a bed of carrots, onions, and potatoes (tarragon, sage, pepper, sald, a bit of orange juice, and olive oil on top of a butterflied hen, on top of the veggies, at 450 for 40 minutes).

Anyway, came out really well, with nice crispy skin, and the vegetables turned really sweet.

Anyway, my gf is a vegetarian, which limits my options on whole roast birds. So having had a great experience with the poussin, I'm throwing it out to the chowhounders for more good recipes for these birds, preferably ones that enable the creation of a vegetarian dish while the bird is cooking.

Thanks!

[Simon Majumdar]

I love cooking these.

recently ( see link ) I marinaded in chilli, cumin, ginger etc with a little honey and griddled on a cast iron pan.

As someone pointed out, I split them down the front rather than the backbone for no other reason than I had too many glasses of the NZ Pinot I mention:-)

The other way is to tandoor them. Here is my recipe which works for many things.

TANDOOR ( this works for chicken, lamb chops, quail )
you can also use it for seafood and Salmon, but add
the marinade only 30 mins before cooking

MARINADE
SPICES ( can change with availability and taste )
1tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground fenugreek
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tblesp Ginger/garlic paste made by blending garlic
cloves, peeled ginger salt and a little water
Juice of two limes
Saffron infused water ( about 1/4 cup )
1 cup whole milk yoghurt

METHOD
Place the item to be tandoored in a large bowl
Blend the dry spices , salt and sugar and rub well
into the meat
Add the ginger garlic and do the same
Add the lime juice and saffron water and do the same
Cover with cling film ( plastic wrap) and place in the fridge for at least two hours
About 1 hour before serving add the yoghurt and mix well. Do not add too soon as I find it makes the meat mushy.

This can be cooked on a BBQ, but works very well under the grill/broiler.

Line a roasting dish with a wire rack and, after
removing excess marinade from the meat, place it under a hot grill for 5-10 ( for lamb chops, more for
chicken on the bone ) a side until it begins to form a slightly charred crust

Turn once and repeat

Serve piping hot with quartered limes to squeeze over before eating.

I serve this with a salad of red onions ( soaked in water with lemon juice for an hour then drained ) sliced tomatoes and a tarka ( heat a little oil in a ladle over a flame and add a few chopped chillies and some onion seed. When it begins to sizzle, tip over the salad, mix and serve )

Hope this helps

S

Link: http://majbros.blogspot.com/2006/02/p...

[Simon Majumdar]

I meant to say I did this with quail but it works just as well with Poussin.

it appears it is not the pinot, I am just naturally forgetful. Ho hum

S

[jdherbert]

Ah Poussin!
Perfect petite poultry- Perhaps Pomegranate?

I like to keep my small game birds pretty simple- roast with some aromatics, maybe glaze them with a fruit-based glaze, Pomegranate, orange lacquer, raspberry, port...etc...

Simon is not wrong, though- game birds, especially the stronger flavored ones like quail and squab- hold up really well to highly flavored braises.

Is your GF totally against the consumption of any animal products? As everyone else on this board agrees, potatoes roasted in duck fat are divine...

If you follow Simon's recipe (yummy!) the other items in the pot will be flavored with the cooking juices of the birds, but can easilly be served with fruit/veg/nut filled rices, pastas, and grain salads.

For a lower carb option, sharing a salad tossed with fruits, nuts, cheese, and (on you portion) shredded poussin or quail. It makes a great meal.

I stuck this link onto 2 different game meat discussions- this site had many suggestions for both ingredients and sides from all over the world.

Link: http://fooddownunder.com/

[Millicent]

This recipe is on my list to try, and it looks easy to make in a smaller quantity. You could either make the full salsa recipe and use it on other things (assume gf doesn't eat fish either?), or make two hens and have one for later.

Link: http://www.leitesculinaria.com/recipe...