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Ingredients
- 4 oven-ready poussins, about
- 450g/1lb each
- 50g/2oz butter, softened
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 225g/8oz white grapes, halved and seeded
- 150ml/5fl oz dry white vermouth
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
- 60ml/21⁄2fl oz double cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
- Rinse the poussins and pat dry with kitchen paper. Spread the butter all
over the birds, and put a hazelnut-sized piece in the cavity of each bird. - Mix together the shallots and parsley. Put a quarter of the shallot mixture
inside each bird. - Put the birds in a roasting tin, and roast in the oven for 40–50 minutes
until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a skewer.
Transfer to a serving platter and keep warm. - Skim off most of the fat from the tin, then add the grapes and vermouth.
Put the tin over a low heat for a few minutes to warm the grapes. Lift the
grapes out of the tin with a slotted spoon, and scatter them around the
birds. Keep covered. - Stir the cornflour into the cream, then add to the pan juices. Cook gently
for a few minutes, stirring, until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust
the seasoning. Pour the sauce around the poussins, and serve hot
