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Roasted Young Chickens (Poussins)

4 servings

Ingredients

• young chickens (poussins) (a little)
• salt (a little)
• butter (plenty)
• sweet cream (a little)

Instructions

1. Young chickens taste best when roasted in an earthenware dish with a tightly fitting lid of appropriate size; a pot that is too wide is not suitable.
2. Larding is recommended, but they can also be juicy unlarded.
3. After preparing and rinsing, sprinkle with a little fine salt, place a piece of butter into the cavity, arrange the chickens close together in the pot with plenty of good butter, and roast in the oven, initially over low heat, basting and turning frequently until soft and yellow – about 1¼, at most 1½ hours.
4. Once they are soft, remove the lid to allow them to brown.
5. About ¼ hour before they are fully tender, gradually add thick sweet cream, baste diligently, and before serving, stir the sauce with a little cold water to thicken it.

Modernized from a treasured 19th-century German cookbook.