Ingredients

• 2 poussins
• 4 garlic cloves
• finely grated
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 40g/1½oz butter
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• ½ tbsp chopped tarragon
• ½ tbsp chopped basil
• ½ tbsp chopped parsley
• ½ tbsp chopped dill
• sea salt flakes
• 350g/12oz plums or greengages
• stoned and roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• grated or crushed
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tbsp black treacle
• 2 sprigs dill
• chopped
• sea salt flakes
• sourdough bread

Directions

• Start by spatchcocking the poussins. Cut them along the backbone with a knife or scissors. Flatten them with the palm of your hand
• then rub with the grated garlic and season generously all over with the cayenne pepper and sea salt flakes.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large heavy based skillet or frying pan. Cook the poussins
• cut-side down
• over a medium heat for 3 minutes
• then flip them over and cook the skin-side down for 5 minutes.
• Lower the heat and put a circle of baking parchment or greaseproof paper over the poussins
• followed by a smaller frying pan on top. Weight it all down with something heavy.
• Cook for 20-25 minutes over the lowest possible heat. To test the poussins are cooked
• pull away at the legs – they should come away easily and the juices should run clear.
• Meanwhile
• make the plum chutney
• put the plums or greengages in a lidded saucepan. Add a splash of water
• cover with a lid and boil over a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until the fruits start to soften.
• Mash the plums with a fork
• then add the garlic
• paprika and treacle. Season with sea salt. Cook with the lid off for another 10 minutes. Add the dill. You can keep the sauce for a few days in a sterilized jar in the refrigerator.
• When the poussins are done
• leave them to rest on a chopping board for 5 minutes. Add the herbs to the buttery juices in the pan and cook for a further minute or two.
• Serve the Georgian poussins drizzled with the herby juices with the plum chutney on the side and some sourdough bread to mop it all up.