Orange-glazed guineafowl

This makes a nice change from a plainly roasted bird. You can of course use chicken instead. Putting a couple of petit-suisse cheeses inside before roasting is an excellent idea — they disappear during cooking, but leave the flesh very moist.


1 guineafowl or free-range chicken
1 orange
2 petit-suisse cheeses
40 g salted butter
1 tbsp runny honey
3 sugar cubes
2 tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C (gas 6). Make julienne strips of orange rind using a zester, and blanch for 2 minutes in boiling water. Drain and put in a small pan with the sugar cubes and half the Grand Marnier. Heat gently to evaporate the liquid (do not get distracted during this operation, or you will end up with a solid caramelized mass as I did). Reserve.

In a small bowl, mash the butter with most of the juice of the orange, the honey, and the rest of the Grand Marnier. Put the 2 petit-suisses inside the guineafowl, place it in a solid roasting tin, and then plaster liberally with the orange-butter mixture. If there’s any orange juice left, pour it into the tin. Season with pepper and roast for 45 minutes or until cooked, basting a couple of times. 10 minutes before it is ready, sprinkle with the reserved orange rind.

The original recipe suggested serving with Puy lentils cooked in stock with carrots, herbs, and bacon. I didn’t find this particularly appropriate — I’d serve it with green beans and potatoes roasted in olive oil, or even a potato gratin.

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