STUFFED POUSSIN

Ingredients:
6 poussin, 1 to 11/2 pounds each,
rinsed and dried thoroughly
1 lemon
salt and pepper
1 stick butter, melted
3 cups cornbread stuffing

Cornbread Stuffing:

1/2 pound breakfast sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon ground sage or poultry seasoning
3 cups cornbread stuffing
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chicken stock

Cranberry Orange Relish:

4 cups cranberries
1 large navel orange
(including peel and pulp)
1 cup sugar
1 can crushed pineapple, drained

 

 

 

 

 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub the outside of each poussin with the lemon and season inside and out with salt and pepper. Fill each bird loosely with 3/4 cup of the stuffing and secure the legs with twine. Baste with the melted butter and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and tent with foil for the next 20 minutes. Remove the foil, brush again with butter and allow to cook until the skin is crispy and the internal temperature is 170 degrees.

Cornbread Stuffing:

Brown the sausage in a large skillet, breaking the meat into small pieces. Remove from the pan and drain the excess fat. Add the butter to the pan and cook the onion until soft. Add the apples and cook until they begin to soften. Return the sausage to the pan along with the chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to scrape the flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cornbread and pecans and toss until well mixed and moistened. Poussin are young chickens that weigh between 1 and 11/2 pounds. Order them through your butcher or substitute small Cornish game hens, which are the next size up.

Cranberry Orange Relish:

Place cranberries and orange in a meat grinder or food processor and mix until finely chopped but not pureed. Stir in the sugar and crushed pineapple. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.