CookEat Recipe
Squabs American
Whole squabs with American stuffing and pork fatback, roasted and served on fried hominy squares with crisp bacon over the birds and hot demi-glace around them.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Use six whole tender raw farmed squabs. Remove the heads and feet if present, singe off any remaining down, remove the viscera and wipe the birds clean. Keep them refrigerated at 4°C or colder until filling, and keep raw-poultry tools separate from cooked food. Preheat a conventional oven to 200°C.
Step 2
Have the finished American stuffing cold and ready. Immediately before roasting, fill the six prepared squabs loosely, using only the amount needed without packing it in, and truss each bird. Keep any unused stuffing refrigerated. Do not taste the raw stuffing or store uncooked stuffed birds for later cooking.
Step 3
Lay one thin slice of raw rindless pork fatback over the breast of each bird. Season the six birds evenly all around with one teaspoon salt and half a teaspoon white pepper in total. Place them on a roasting tin and baste each bird with a very little melted butter.
Step 4
Roast without a lid for about forty minutes as a guide. Check with a clean food thermometer in several thick parts of each bird, away from bone, and in the centre of its stuffing. Continue cooking until all these areas reach at least 74°C and the thin breast fatback is fully cooked.
Step 5
Have six finished fried hominy squares hot and ready. Remove the cooked squabs from the oven and remove the trussing string. Arrange the six hot squares on a hot serving dish and place one squab on each square. Keep them hot while finishing the bacon and sauce.
Step 6
Broil the six thin raw bacon slices for about two minutes on each side as a guide, watching carefully and continuing until fully cooked and crisp on both sides. Follow the broiler instructions for positioning the pan and prevent the bacon from burning.
Step 7
Measure one gill of finished demi-glace, then loosen this portion with a little additional hot plain unsalted veal broth until somewhat fluid. If the demi-glace was refrigerated or thawed, bring the diluted portion to a full rolling boil while stirring and check that it reaches at least 165°F. Keep unused demi-glace cold. Lay one broiled bacon slice over each squab, pour all the hot loosened sauce around the birds and serve promptly.
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