Poussins in vermouth

serves 4
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

• 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.