- 4
Ingredients
- 4 SERVINGS
- 4 whole poussin
- Coarse sea salt
- 8 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 1/2 bunch fresh rosemary
- 1/2 lb egg noodles
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 oz bacon or ventrèche
- 8 oz onions, cut into rings
- 3 oz Hungarian Paprika, sweet
- 1 oz Hungarian Paprika, hot water
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 12 oz chicken stock
- 6 oz crème fraiche or sour cream
- 2 oz parsley, chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 325°F.
In advance (allow at least 2 hours), salt the exterior and the cavity of the poussins lightly. The more time the better. Divide the garlic, thyme, and rosemary into four portions and stuff into the cavity of each poussin.
Place uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. If your refrigerator has a noticeable fan, place in the flow of the fan to thoroughly dry the skin. This produces a crisper skin. The same results apply for other poultry as well.
Bring a large stockpot filled with water to a boil and season the water with salt. Once at a boil, cook the egg noodles until done and remove from the water. Reserve on the side.
Pat poussins dry and place in a roasting pan. Lightly oil them and put into a 500 F oven. Roast for 4 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 300 F for approximately 5 minutes. The poussins should be done when the cartilage on the drumette releases from the bone. Remove from the oven and place in warm area to rest.
In a sauté pan on medium heat add the ventreche or bacon and oil. Render the meat crispy then remove it from the pan. Add the onions and caramelize them over high heat until they are golden brown.
In a mixing bowl combine the two paprikas together with a little water to form a slurry. Add the slurry to the caramelized onions and cook until the slurry resembles a paste.
Using string, tie the rosemary, thyme, and bay together. Add the chicken stock and the herb bundle to the onion mixture and reduce by half.
Add the egg noodles and crème fraiche to the pan. Once the crème faiche is added do not cook for an extended amount of time or it will break or curdle. Finish the sauce with chopped parsley and salt and pepper.
Plating
Put half of the sauce with noodles on four warm plates.
Cut the poussins in half along the breast bone and cut out and discard the backbone. Separate the legs from the breasts. Place the poussin parts on top of the sauce.
Put the remaining sauce on top of the poussins and serve.