Busy Little Honeybee

Not only do honeybees pollenate our crops, bringing the next round of fruits and vegetables, but they also produce a smooth golden nectar (honey) that enhances much of our cooking.  Pretty amazing accomplishment for a small insect buzzing along happily.  Here’s one of the culinary superstars now, taking nourishment not too far from the kitchen: Honey is one of the major components that coats the bird in today’s dish, a Lebanese inspiration, Bulgur-Stuffed Poussin with Preserved Lemon-Honey Glaze.  Chef Cara Chigazola-Tobin developed the recipe for her restaurant named, appropriately enough, Honey Road, and Food & Wine celebrates her efforts in its December 2018 number.

A poussin, by the way, is a young chicken, far too expensive and difficult to obtain for the home cook, making Cornish hens an obvious replacement.  The sauce lacquered on to the hens and which is served alongside for later delectation, is effectively a Lebanese barbecue preparation consisting mainly of drippings, saffron preserved lemon and, of course, honey.  This contributes a rich sweetness that amplifies beautifully similar flavors in the bird itself,  creating an exquisite depth.

Perhaps even better is the bulgur wheat mixture placed inside the hens as they cook.  The stuffing itself is very nearly vegetarian, deriving its substance largely from pistachios and toasted walnuts, and also dried apricots and cranberries:

Here’s everything mixed together, just before it’s prepared for the oven:

As mentioned, the stuffing is extraordinarily flavorful and satisfying, worthy of a meal by itself.  Quite a concession from a poultry, um, enthusiast.  The bulgur is tender and fluffy, particularly after it bakes, and the dried fruits give it a sweet-tart chewiness.  The nuts, meanwhile, soften a bit as they bake and provide a slight crunch and a delicate richness.  Superb!

Still, the hen is maybe a notch higher, and that is due largely to the highly complimentary honey glaze.  Once again, many thanks to the honeybee, whose pollen expeditions made most of the stuffing ingredients possible, and, of course, created the honey for the magnificent glaze.  Here’s to insect overachievement!

*****

Bulgur-Stuffed Poussin with Preserved Lemon-Honey Glaze

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (*1)
• 3 and 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
• 4 poussins, or 2 Cornish hens
• 1/2 cup uncooked bulgur, rinsed in cold water and drained
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries (*2)
• 1 and 1/4 cups chicken broth, divided
• 1/4 cup roasted pistachios (*3)
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (*4)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons thinly sliced preserved lemon peel (*5)
• 2 tablespoons each fresh mint leaves and basil leaves, for garnish

In a medium bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, coriander, cumin, ginger and pepper.  Sprinkle the birds with some more salt, then place them in a large zip-top bag.  Pour the marinade you just created over the poultry.  Force as much air as possible from the bag, seal the top, then massage the marinade into the birds.  Let stand at room temperature for two hours, or refrigerate overnight.

About an hour before the hens have finished marinating, make the stuffing.  In a medium bowl stir together the bulgur, apricots, cranberries and the remaining half-teaspoon of salt.

Set a small saucepan over a medium-high flame and pour in 3/4 cup of the broth.  Bring to simmer, then pour into the bowl holding the stuffing mixture.  Let stand until the broth has been absorbed, about an hour.  Fluff with a fork, then stir in the walnuts, pistachios and parsley.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500°.  Remove the poultry from the marinade and pat it dry.  Discard the marinade.  Stuff the hens evenly with the bulgur mixture, then loosely tie the legs with kitchen twine and tuck back the wings.  Place birds on a wire rack set over a shallow, rimmed baking tray.

Roast in the oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.  Without opening the oven door, decrease the temperature to 350° and cook poultry for another 25 minutes.

Transfer birds to a platter and cover them loosely with foil to stay warm.  Meanwhile, remove the baking tray from the oven.  Remove the rack and pour the remaining half-cup of broth into the tray.  Using a wooden spoon, scrape the tray bottom to dislodge any baked-on drippings, and let sit for five minutes.  Pour the broth-drippings mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a small saucepan. (*6)

Add the honey and the saffron to the saucepan and place over a medium-low flame.  Add the lemon peel and continue cooking, stirring often, until sauce is a bit syrupy, about five minutes.

To serve, distribute the stuffing evenly among the plates.  Place one bird on each plate, if using poussins, or split each hen in half lengthwise, if working with Cornish hens.  Spoon some of the glaze over each bird, then set out the rest for guests to add as desired.  Garnish with mint and basil leaves.

NOTES:

1 –  This works out to about two lemons.

2 – Thank goodness.  I worried the recipe would call for raisins, which I…don’t care for.  That the instructions specify cranberries suggests the original Lebanese preparation uses barberries.  While the latter are available from specialty markets (and this journal has used barberries before), cranberries are cheaper and are much, much easier to acquire.

3 – The recipe suggests chopping the pistachios too, though I think they’re more appealing texturally when they’re left intact.  Besides, the cooking process softens them noticeably.

4 – Maybe, use cilantro instead.  My normal suggestion is these cases, but why not?  Cilantro isn’t nearly as bitter.

5 – If you can’t obtain preserved lemons, a workable improvisation is to use a similar quantity of fresh lemon peel, which is then moderately salted.

6 – The original recipe doesn’t mention straining the drippings, but doing so makes a much smoother and more visually appealing sauce.  That’s why you let the broth sit for five minutes, instead of pouring it into the saucepan immediately.  The extra time gives the drippings more opportunity to disintegrate in the broth, adding goodness.  Plus, filtering makes the sauce a touch healthier too, as it removes the solid fats.

 

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