Confused about Capons

   I don't live on Sesame Street but I think Big Bird made an appearance here. Sometimes I order meat from a company called D'artagnan. Mostly duck but if they have something on sale or an item I can't get locally, I'll try it. This time when I ordered my duck they had Capons on sale.
   I am more than a little embarrassed. I lived on a farm for many years and raised chickens for eggs and butchering. I had heard of chickens called Capons and thought that they must be a different breed. My favorite breeds were Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks. They were good egg layers and were meaty enough to butcher. Occasionally we would buy a meat breed but we wanted chickens that were good for egg production as well as meat. So what about the Capons?
I did a little research and found out that the Capon I had ordered was a rooster that had been gelded or castrated at a young age. And according to the D'artagnan website they are fed a rich diet of milk or porridge. They grow to be larger than average chickens but smaller than turkeys. It's advertised as full breasted, tender, juicy flavorful meat. And I believe it delivered on that promise.
   It easily fed our four adults and I have enough left over that tomorrow I'll make Allrecipes "Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup" that we featured in an earlier blog. If you are having a small dinner party or Thanksgiving celebration for a smaller number of guest this might be the way to go. The Capon recipe I used was from the "Barefoot Contessa" Ina Garten of Food Network fame. The Capon's cavity was salt and peppered and stuffed with lemons and thyme sprigs. The exterior was brushed with butter and salt and peppered. Simple, give it a try!

Comments

Remembering Birch Creek Orchards

Recently, I have been reading a book by Barbara Kingsolver titled "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." This book is truly inspiring and focuses on harvesting local foods to reduce the amount of fuel used to transport foods all over the U.S. She also emphasizes eating foods only when they are in season. Over Labor Day weekend, we took a trip back home to Jeddo, MI for my cousin's wedding (shout out to the beautiful bride Sarah Lawson!!). While there, my uncle Mike invited us to his house to pick fresh peaches, apples and pears. I was thrilled! This was my chance to eat locally and harvest fruit while it was in season! No more California fruit for me! I took my husband and kids and we picked away. We filled boxes full of fruit and ate the fruit right off the tree! It was a special treat for me. Then it hit me, sadness...see friends, growing up my family helped operate Birch Creek Orchards in Jeddo, Mi. Everyone in my family helped! Even the smalle...

A Little Something in My Eye

The last time I went to Tennessee to visit my son and his family I had a secret agenda. I wanted to find something I could make that my grandson Brayden would eat. Brayden has a narrow band of foods that he chooses to eat. I know this is not unusual for children. He eats well but doesn't experiment with new foods very often. His sister Tenley will eat anything you are eating. Brayden likes hot dogs, chicken nuggets, bread sticks, pizza, macaroni and cheese and also Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal. He does use milk on the cereal but doesn't use condiments with anything else. No ketchup, no mustard, not even sauces? He really knows what he wants and wants it just the way he likes it. I made it my goal to find something I could make that he would eat. I was armed with my wife's favorite cookbook, Farm Journals Best Ever Recipes from 1977 and picked some simple items to make. I felt sure that I would make that special food he cou...

Cooking at 7200

I recently I drove to Laramie Wyoming to visit my son and daughter in law. As usual, when we get together we cook. We try new techniques and recipes that we think will compete or beat restaurant meals. I believe that we were successful with our attempts this time. Although it took me awhile to adjust to cooking at a high altitude. It takes a longer time or hotter temp to complete your dish. First up, Ty. Ty was anxious to show me a new technique. He used a Sous Vide to cook a Prime Rib Roast. A Sous Vide device brings your dish to a perfect temperature in a vacuum sealed bag in water and holds it there until you are ready. In this case it was a rib roast. After reaching the assigned temp he then seasoned the roast and seared all sides to finish. For a beef eater this was outstanding. I can see a Sous Vide device in my kitchen soon. I had a Cooks Country magazine from Feb/Mar 2020 with me to try some new recipes. I made their It...

Rex and Ty's Food Blog

Search This Blog