Grilled Lemon Herb Poussins (Page 401)

RECIPE #1151

• Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010 -- 7pm
• Location: Palo Alto, CA
• Kitchen: Emilee and Brian's Apartment
• Fellow Chefs: Brian, Chris, and Emilee
• Dining Companion: Sam
• Recipe Rating: A-
  

I had a feeling that the shad roe and steamers might not be big hits at dinner last week so I made a back-up entree that was sure to be good. So we had one meal with three entrees and, as predicted, this one was the clear winner. Poussin is a term for a chicken that was less then 4 weeks old when it was slaughtered. They are a little younger, a little smaller, and a little more delicious than Cornish game hens. Unfortunately, they are also a little harder to find. Whole Foods in Los Altos had them though so I jumped at the chance to make this recipe, which was sadly the last poussin recipe I had left to make from The Book. This recipe was very simple. I made a mixture of softened butter, lemon zest, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper and I used my fingers to shove it between the skin and the flesh of the little birds. I stuffed the cavity of each bird with thyme sprigs and lemon wedges and I brushed the birds with melted butter. Then I threw them on the grill! One of them caught fire (and all of them were pretty charred), but it didn't matter -- they were still delicious! The meat was tender and tasty, the skin was crispy and buttery, and the lemon herb flavors were lovely. Yum! One note: our birds cooked much faster than the indicated time in The Book. So watch them carefully!

The recipe in The Book is almost identical to this one.

Earlier in the semester I was feeling very out of shape. I don't belong to a gym right now and I haven't been able to motivate to run much since the marathon. So I basically wasn't getting any exercise. I am used to being relatively active, and the inactivity wasn't sitting too well with me. I tried for a long while to think of something that would work with my current lifestyle of moving from place to place. Anything that required large equipment was out. Anything requiring a gym: also out. In the end it seemed like walking or running were my best options. And running just didn't seem too appealing. So walking it was! I bought myself a pedometer and set a goal of 10,000 steps per day (which is about 5 miles). Three weeks or so into this new regime, I have to say, it's awesome! I wear my pedometer all the time. Every evening after dinner my husband and I go out for our evening constitutional. It is extremely hilly where we live in Berkeley, so walking is a little more exercise than it would usually be. We explore the neighborhood, or run errands, or walk on a nearby trail. It's really lovely. On occasion I end up finishing my last few steps by dancing around the house at 10pm (like tonight for instance!), and that is also entertaining. I am hoping to work up to 15,000 steps a day (about 7.5 miles). It seems that 10,000 steps a day is definitely a sustainable level for me. We'll see if 15,000 is too! When we get back to Michigan I will be walking to and from work, so that will definitely help me get some of my steps in!