Ingredients

4 poussin

8 garlic cloves, crushed with their skins on

16 thyme sprigs

4 large pieces of lemon peel

50g butter

200ml white wine

25g dried morels or dried porcini mushrooms

2 banana shallots, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

8 thyme sprigs, tied together with string

300ml double cream

50ml dry sherry

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Baby Gem lettuce, blowtorched, to serve

Instructions

Step 1: Make the sauce by bringing the white wine to a boil. Pour it over the dried mushrooms in a bowl, cover with cling film, and leave to soak and rehydrate for 1 hour.

Step 2: After soaking, strain the wine through a fine sieve into a saucepan, discarding solids and setting the mushrooms aside. Add the sliced shallots and grated garlic to the wine and cook over medium-high heat until reduced by two-thirds, and the shallots are soft and translucent.

Step 3: Add the tied thyme sprigs, rehydrated mushrooms, and double cream to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently until the sauce reduces by a third. Remove from heat, season with cayenne pepper and salt to taste, stir in the dry sherry, and set aside until serving. The sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead.

Step 4: Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/gas mark 7. Stuff each poussin cavity with 2 crushed garlic cloves, 4 thyme sprigs, and a piece of lemon peel. Optionally, tie the legs together for a neat presentation.

Step 5: Rub butter all over the poussins. Place them in a shallow roasting tin and roast for 30-35 minutes until the legs pull away easily or a meat thermometer inserted into the breast reads 75°C.

Step 6: Remove from the oven, baste with the buttery cooking juices, and let the poussins rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Step 7: For the Baby Gem lettuce, halve and wash if needed. Drizzle with a little rapeseed oil and blowtorch the cut sides until charred. Season with sea salt and serve alongside the poussin with the mushroom sauce.

Tips & Variations

Dried mushrooms: Dried morels provide a rich, luxurious flavor but can be expensive and hard to find. Dried porcini are a good substitute but watch for grit when draining the soaking liquid.

Blowtorching: Using a blowtorch to char Baby Gem lettuce adds pleasant color and a subtle smoky flavor without wilting the leaves.

FAQs

Can I use fresh mushrooms instead of dried for the sauce?

Fresh mushrooms can be used but won’t deliver the same concentrated, earthy flavor as dried morels or porcini. If using fresh, sauté them before adding cream to build flavor.

How do I know when the poussin is fully cooked?

The poussin is done when the legs pull away easily from the body, or when a digital meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 75°C (165°F).