Description
This Christmas Capon is tender, juicy and flavorful. Served with a luxurious mushroom, white wine and cream sauce, perfect for a holiday meal.
Ingredients
- 1 Capon (about 8 lbs) I got mine from D'Artagan delivered to my house. You can order the D'Artagnan Capon here.
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
- 2 tbsp Herbes de Provence
- 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
Ingredients for the White wine, mushroom and shallot cream sauce
- 1 cup finely diced carrots
- 4 shallots, sliced and diced into small pieces
- 13 oz of Shitake Mushrooms, trimmed and sliced into thin slices
- 1 pint (473 ml) of heavy cream, the kind that is used for whipping cream
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 tbsps olive oil
- I cup of chicken drippings (from the Capon Roasting Pan - this will add so much flavor to the sauce!)
Instructions
How to Roast a Capon
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
- Make a pomade with the butter and Herbes de Provence, blending well in a little bowl.
- Chop up half of the garlic into small pieces and add it to the pomade. Mix again.
- Remove Capon from the bag and make sure to extract the giblets and the neck from inside the cavity. You can use the neck for soup if you wish or simply discard.
- Sprinkle olive oil into the bottom of an oven safe baking dish before setting the bird inside.
- Using your fingers, gently lift the skin up off the bird from the tail end and scoop the butter pomade under the skin, over the top of the meat.
- Spread all over the breast of the Capon, under the skin.
- Disperse the remaining garlic cloves under the skin and in the cavity of the Capon.
- Spread the remaining butter pomade over the top of the breast and thighs
- Using butchers twine, tie the drumsticks together.
- Set in the oven on the middle rack.
- Baste every 30 minutes, turning the baking dish around in the oven each time so that all sides are evenly baked (this is especially helpful if your oven doesn't heat evenly)
- (to baste, if you don't have a turkey baster, simply take a soup spoon and spoon the juices from the bottom of the pan onto the top of the bird several times)
- 2.5 hours cooking time and your 8 lb Capon should be done!
- Remove the Capon from the oven and let it rest (in the baking dish) on the countertop while you make the sauce.
*Letting the Capon rest on for 20 minutes before serving allows the juices to settle back into the meat. A key for a juicy roast Capon (or Chicken!)
Instructions for the White Wine, Mushroom, Shallot and Cream Sauce
- In a sauce pan over medium high heat, drizzle a little olive oil.
- Add in the shallots and add in the 3 tbsps of olive oil.
- Allow the shallots to reduce for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the carrots.
- Allow to simmer for 2 minutes more then add the white wine.
- Simmer for 3 minutes more for the wine to reduce.
- Add in the mushrooms, stir frequently for 5 minutes for the mushrooms to soften.
- Pour in the cream and stir briskly. Reduce heat to medium.
- Using a ladle, scoop out the drippings from the bottom of the Capon to make one cup of drippings. It is ok if you have a little less - this is more for flavor in the sauce.
- Slowly pour into the cream sauce stirring frequently so that the cream does not curdle.
Voilà! A delicious cream sauce for your Capon.
Notes
What to serve with Capon
A buttery mashed potato, à la Francaise, is my favorite accompaniment to the Christmas Capon. The mashed potatoes soak up the white wine, mushroom and shallot cream sauce beautifully.
The recipe for French Mashed Potatoes can be found here.
How do you know when the Capon is done?
The most reliable way is to check the temperature. Place the needle into the crook between the capon's breast and thigh. The temperature should read 165 F. Don't have a meat thermometer? Check to see if the skin has begun to pull away from the the drumstick - that is a good indication that it is done. I also like to pierce the thigh with a fork - if the juice that runs out is clear and not pink it is a good indicator that it is done.