Roasted Capon With Chestnut Confit

Turn on the oven to 240°C. Season the inside of the capon with salt and pepper. Tie the capon and coat it with 25 g of butter. Place on a rack on the drip pan with 10 cl of water and put in the oven. After 15 minutes, set the oven to 150°C. Continue cooking for 2 hours, basting often.

Brown the chestnuts with 60 g of butter in a stewpot for 15 minutes over low heat. Moisten with the chicken broth, let cook until there are two spoonfuls of liquid left.

Scald the onions. Peel and cook them in a frying pan with 15 g of butter, 5cl of water and the spoonful of sugar for 10 minutes. Peel and slice the fennel and shallots. Add them to the onions. Continue cooking for 10 minutes without covering, mix with the chestnuts, chopped nuts, salt and pepper.

Leave the cooked capon to rest for 15 minutes in a warm place and remove the fat from the cooking juices. Mix two spoonfuls with the chestnut mixture. Present the capon with the chestnut confit and the remaining juice in a sauceboat. Our advice : Make this recipe with peeled, vacuum-packed or frozen chestnuts. If they are fresh, cut off the bark and plunge them in small quantities into boiling water with a tablespoon of oil for 2 minutes. Drain and peel while hot.