Honey Mustard Coquelet or Chicken Little

I found this "coquelet" in the market yesterday.    It looks like a Cornish game hen, so I'm going to cook it like one.  I love honey mustard glaze; it's simple to prepare and tastes good on poultry, pork and fish.

HONEY MUSTARD COQUELET

1 Cornish game hen
2 Tbsp of good melted butter(Swiss if you can)
2 Tbsp of Dijon mustard (not Grey Poupon)
1 1/2 Tbsp of honey ( I don't care what kind)


Cut the backbone out of the hen with kitchen shears.

Carefully loosen the skin of the breast with your fingers, separating it from the meat but not completely detaching it.

Flip the hen over and loosen the skin over the thighs and drumsticks.

Turn the hen breast side up,  admire, then  season with salt and pepper.

Whisk together the melted butter, mustard and honey.   Spread this mixture under the skin of the breast, thighs and drumsticks.  Brush both the cavity and the front of the hen with the glaze.  Set aside the remaining glaze.  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.   Place the hen, breast side down on a rack.  Pour 1/2 glass of wine.

 

Place the hen in the oven for 25 minutes.   Remove and turn breast side up, brushing with the remaining glaze.   Roast for an additional 25 minutes.

Cut in half and serve.  

I was going to have a Sancerre with this but, "shudder", it was a bad bottle.   Drink what you want, especially because I was so pushy about the butter and mustard.

  

Palets D'Alsace Campagnard

These "palets" are small parcels of ground pork belly with cheese wrapped in bacon.  They cook up quickly in a 350 oven in 30 minutes.   I cheated and bought them ready to cook from the butcher but they are simple to assemble.


Just buy and season some ground pork, form into an oval, place a piece of cheese on top and wrap in bacon.  Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes and serve with oven fried potatoes and a salad.   Yum!


I just ate mine with mushrooms.

Jade had roasted broccoli and cauliflower with potato cakes.

The holidays are over and I will be posting more recipes once I reassemble the house and prepare my bedroom to be renovated.   Happy New Year everyone!


Wine suggestion:   A dry Riesling        


   


    

Verrines and Spoons

A wonderful meal!  


MENU


Salmon and avocado verrine
Salmon rillettes verrine
Quail eggs and caviar
Prosciutto wraps


Ris de veau (veal sweetbreads)
Coquilles St. Jacques (scallops in the shell)


Chevreuil in sauce (cute little deer)
Seasonal vegetables


Cheeses of Burgundy
Buche de Noel (Christmas log cake)

Echine du Porc with Broccoli and Cauliflower

Tossed with garlic and olive oil, then roasted  

Cottage Pies

We had these for lunch on Boxing Day.   Recycled from Christmas dinner, I tossed the capon and it's gravy with the vegetables and topped this with the garlic mashed potatoes.  More!

Christmas Capon

A capon or chapon is a castrated young rooster.  I thought is was a lot fattier than goose.  Tasted like chicken.  I made a stuffing using dry, packaged toast, celery, onions and mushrooms.  Earlier I had made a large pot of broth with chicken gizzards and used the broth to make the gravy and to moisten the stuffing.  Garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and an apple tart completed the menu.   

Abou Fahad

Magdalin

Brodetto

The seafood is irresistible at this time of year.  The French like to celebrate the season with fresh seafood platters, so there is quite a variety available in the market.  This seafood soup is Italian and boy howdy was it good!  I used sea bass, langoustine, mussels, clams, squid and enormous gambas   I'm pretty busy now getting ready for Christmas but I will supply the recipe on request.