Recipe - Herb Roasted Capon With Apricot-Walnut Stuffi

Stephen Ceideburg

APRICOTWALNUT STUFFING
One half pound To 1 pound loaf French bread
1 cup Walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 Shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoon Walnut oil
2 tablespoon Butter
Three fourths cup Dry white wine
Three fourths cup Dried apricots, quartered
2 teaspoon Fresh thyme, minced
1 tablespoon Fresh sage, minced
One half teaspoon Salt
One half teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
2 ounce Prosciutto, chopped
Three fourths cup Minced fresh parsley
1 Egg, beaten
Three fourths To 1 cup homemade or canned
chicken broth

CAPON
7 pound To 9 pound capon
2 tablespoon Walnut oil
2 tablespoon Buffer
1 tablespoon Fresh sage, minced
1 tablespoon Fresh thyme, minced
1 tablespoon Fresh savory, minced
One fourth teaspoon Salt

To prepare Dried ApricotWalnut Stuffing: Slice and cut bread into 1/2inch
cubes and place in shallow roasting pan. Bake about 20 minutes at 350
degrees until slightly dry, stirring twice. Toast walnuts at same time in
shallow pan for 10 minutes, stirring once.

Cook shallots in walnut oil and butter in medium saucepan until tender but
not brown, about 5 minutes. Add wine, apricots, thyme, sage, salt and
pepper. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine bread cubes, walnuts, wineshallot mixture, prosciutto, parsley and
egg in very large bowl. Add chicken broth until desired moistness is
attained.

To prepare capon: Just before roasting, stuff capon. Spoon stuffing loosely
into neck cavity, then pull neck skin back and fasten with small skewer.
Lightly spoon stuffing into body cavity. (Bake remaining stuffing in
buttered 1 1/2quart casserole at 325 degrees during last 40 to 45 minutes
of capon's roasting time.) Tie drumsticks securely to tail. Twist wing tips
under the back.

Place bird breast side up on rack in shallow roasting pan. Combine walnut
oil with butter in small pan and melt over low heat. Stir in sage, thyme,
savory and salt, and cook until herbs wilt slightly. Brush some mixture
over capon. If using meat thermometer, insert it into one of inside thigh
muscles.

Cover capon loosely with foil. Roast at 325 degrees 3 to 3 One half hours. After
2 hours, cut string between drumsticks so thighs cook evenly. Uncover last
45 minutes, basting occasionally with remaining herb butter. Continue
roasting capon until meat ther mometer registers about 180 degrees.

Remove bird from oven and cover with foil. Let bird stand 10 to 15 minutes
before carving.

From the Oregonian FOODday, 1/5/93.

Posted by Stephen Ceideburg

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini