Roasted Capons with Herb Butter and Mushroom-Madeira Sauce

🍴 20 ingredients 👁️ 5 views 📚 Recipes1M

Ingredients

  • Two 7-to-8 pound capons
  • necks and gizzards reserved for the sauce
  • 1 pound shiitake mushrooms
  • stems reserved
  • caps thickly sliced
  • 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (1/2 cup)
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 1/2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (7 ounces) unsalted butter
  • softened
  • 1/4 cup snipped chives
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large shallots
  • minced (1/2 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup dry Madeira
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the reserved capon necks and gizzards with the shiitake stems, dried porcini and chicken stock and bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  3. Strain the stock into a heatproof bowl, pressing hard on the solids.
  4. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
  5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350.
  6. In a food processor, puree 1 1/2 sticks of the butter with the chives, parsley, garlic, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
  7. Using your fingers and starting at the neck, gently loosen the capon skin from the breast and legs.
  8. Rub all but 2 tablespoons of the herb butter under the skin of the birds; press gently on the skin to evenly distribute the butter.
  9. Set the capons on 2 racks in 1 large or 2 medium roasting pans.
  10. Rub with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
  11. Roast the capons for about 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh of each capon registers 170.
  12. The juices in the cavity will still be slightly pink.
  13. Transfer the birds to a carving board, cover loosely with foil and let stand for at least 10 minutes or for up to 30 minutes.
  14. Meanwhile, in a large, deep nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
  15. Add the shiitakes, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until browned, 8 minutes.
  16. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and cook, stirring, until melted.
  17. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes.
  18. Add the flour to the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
  19. Add the Madeira and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute longer.
  20. Add the strained stock and bring to a boil, stirring.
  21. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer for 30 minutes.
  22. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of herb butter and season with salt and pepper; keep warm.
  23. Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a heatproof bowl and skim off the fat.
  24. Set the roasting pan over 2 burners on high heat, add the water and scrape to release any browned bits from the bottom; add to the pan juices in the bowl.
  25. Strain the pan juices into the Madeira sauce, along with any accumulated drippings from the capons; stir and season with salt and pepper.
  26. Carve the birds and serve them with the Madeira sauce on the side.
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