by: Paul Curran

Christmas recipe Serves: 6

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Calories per serving: 580

Not suitable for freezing

Christmas recipe ingredients:

poussins, 3, about 700 g (1.5 lb) each

salt and pepper

kumquats, 225 g (8 oz)

garlic cloves, 16

olive oil, 30 ml (2 tbsp)

unsalted butter, 25 g (1 oz)

bay leaves, 2

dry cider, 450 ml (15 fl oz)

apple juice, 200 ml (7 fl oz)

double cream, 200 ml (7 fl oz)

garnish, thyme sprigs

Christmas recipe instructions:

1. Cook the unpeeled garlic cloves in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes. Then cool and peel. Cut the kumquats in half. Split the poussins in half along the breast bone, having removed the backbone. Use about 10 ml (2 tsp) of salt to cover the skin side.

2. Cook the poussin pieces skin side down in hot butter until golden brown. Take out of the pan and replace with the garlic and kumquats, cooking in the hot pan until a golden color.

Put the poussins back, add bay leaves and cover.

3. Now cook the poussins fully at gas mark 6 (200 degrees centigrade, 400 F) for about 35 minutes. Take everything out of the dish except 6 cloves, cover and keep warm.

4. Make a paste by crushing the remaining garlic and add apple juice and cider. Heat to boiling and continue till syrup like.

5. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Heat to boiling again and simmer for about a minute. Put the food back that you removed in step 3 and cook for about two ot three minutes.

6. Garnish with thyme sprigs and serve.