Maple & bourbon glazed poussins with cornbread stuffing

It’s worth making the cornbread (right) for this as it goes so well with the taste of maple. Position your birds close together in the roasting tin. If there is too much space around them, the maple runs off and can burn.

SERVES 6 PREP 20 mins COOK 1 hr EASY For the poussins

15g butter

200g spring onions, chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 250g cornbread (see recipe, right), crumbled

1 lemon, zested

4 thyme sprigs, leaves picked and chopped

2 medium eggs, lightly beaten 6 poussins

For the maple glaze

300ml maple syrup (the darkest grade)

3 tbsp bourbon Tabasco, to taste (you can make it quite hot if you like) 1 Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. To make the maple glaze, put the maple syrup in a large pan (it bubbles up a lot when heated), bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and let it reduce by a third. Add the bourbon and Tabasco and leave to cool.

2 To make the stuffing, melt the butter in a frying pan and gently fry the spring onions, just until they are softening a little. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Scrape into a bowl and add the cornbread, lemon zest, thyme and eggs. Mix together. Season the birds inside and stuff each one. Put them in a roasting tin and brush each poussin, using half the glaze. Roast for 35 mins, then spoon the rest of the glaze over the birds. Return to the oven and roast for a further 15 mins. The birds should be cooked through with dark, glossy skin. PER SERVING 839 kcals • fat 44g • saturates 13g • carbs 50g • sugars 33g • fibre 1g • protein 56g • salt 1.0g