Guinea fowl capon

Christmas Day, the 25th of December meets the Guinea fowl capon

It is a day for cooking poultry in many German households. The bigger the family, the bigger the bird.
Many eat turkey today, because the meat is less fat than goose and seams to be healthier.
But talking about eating healthy on the holidays is a bit absurd.

In a small household  eating a big bird is out of the question.

 Quail = too small, Chicken = too ordinary

In France I found a Chapon de Pintade or Guinea fowl capon.
1,75 kg bird, a good meal for Christmas Day with some extras for the coming days.

Guinea fowl capon

3 years ago I prepared this dish for the first time. I found the basic recipe in the Gourmand Magazine issue, a french twice monthly cooking issue. Basically lots of veggies, even more garlic and a good dose of Pastis, the anise seed liqueur. The whole apartment is smelling of the anise seed and baked garlic chicken - amazing.

served with roasted veggies and purple Vitelotte potatoes

recipe:
1,75 kg guinea fowl capon

3 tbsp softend butter
1 tsp Cafe de Paris Seasoning
1 roasted clove of garlic
1 pinch of pepper and salt

1 dried roll
200 ml milk
2 tbsp treacle or any kind of dark syrup

4 carrots
1 white of a leak
2 parsnips
2 onions
1 1/2 bulbs of garlic
6 thyme stems
6 oregano stems
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
200 ml Pastis
200 ml chicken stock

500 g Vitolette purple potatoes

Preheat the oven 200 C.

you can´t have to much garlic

Wash and dry the bird. Soak the bread roll in milk, then press the excess out. Chop up 3 cloves of garlic and mix with the syrup, seasoning and the bread. Stuff into the bird and close the cavity with a toothpick.
Mix the butter with the Cafe de Paris Seasoning, salt, pepper and the mashed roasted clove of garlic and smear it all over the bird.
Clean the veggies and all the garlic and form a trivet in a large baking dish, so that the bird doesn`t sit directly on the heat. Place in the oven. If you have, use a Thermometer and stick it in the bird. When the core temp is 85C the bird is done and you are on the safe side. During baking time, baste it with the juice twice.

Cook the potatoes and cut up the meat and serve with the veggies and the juice from the pan.