Ingredients

  • Stuffing
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 celery stalks finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
  • 75 milliliters chicken stock very rich
  • 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon chopped
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon fig molasses
  • 55 grams pecans chopped
  • 110 grams dried figs finely chopped
  • 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • Figs and sauce
  • 55 grams butter, unsalted
  • 200 grams dried figs
  • ¼ cup onion finely chop
  • ¼ cup celery finely chop
  • 225 milliliters red wine
  • 315 milliliters chicken stock rich stock
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot
  • 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons fig molasses
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • Cornish Game Hens
  • 3 cornish hens deboned
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Stuffing: Sauté onion, celery, garlic in butter in heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until pale golden. Add demi-glace and reduce until most of liquid is evaporated. Stir in tarragon, vinegar, syrup, pecans, dried figs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper, then spread stuffing on a plate to cool.
2. Figs and Sauce: Preferable to use fresh figs (halved), 1 1/2 lb for 8 servings. Heat half of the butter in a heavy skillet until foam subsides, then brown figs, cut sides down, without stirring, about 3 minutes. Transfer figs to a bowl with a slotted spatula.
3. Add shallot and celery (and dried figs, if using) to skillet and sauté until golden. Add wine and half of the fresh figs and boil, stirring and mashing figs, until wine is reduced to a syrup. Stir in demi-glace and bring to a boil. Stir in cornstarch or arrowroot into vinegar until dissolved, then add to skillet along with molasses, whisking, to incorporate. Boil sauce 2 minutes, then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a heavy saucepan, pressing on and then discarding solids. Stir in tarragon, salt and pepper.
4. Poussins: Rinse and pat dry. Debone. Stuff hen with stuffing, then sew up. Repeat with remaining hen.
5. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350*F/175*C/GM 4.
6. Sprinkle hen all over with salt and pepper. Roast breast side up, until just cooked through, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add reserved browned figs to pan for last 2-3 minutes of roasting. Hen is done when meat thermometer reads 160*F or skewer comes out hot to touch.
7. While hens roast, return sauce to a simmer, then add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, whisking until incorporated.
8. Transfer hens and figs to a serving dish and pour any juices from baking pan into sauce. Serve hens with sauce.
9. Stuffing can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.
10. Figs and sauce, without remaining 2 tablespoons butter, can be prepared 1 day ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled separately, covered. Bring sauce to a simmer before adding butter.

Notes
Serving Ideas:Original serves 6, 12 quail or 3 cornish hens.


Categories
Chicken, main course
Keywords
Chicken, main course
MacGourmet downloadRoast Poussins with Figs. To import, drag image to your MacGourmet recipe box.