Tiny Chickens!

After work on Saturday night, I immediately took my fresh, tiny, Thomas Reid-raised hens to task. I was up all night butchering a dozen birds and roasting their bones for stock... I put the caramelized carcasses under water with mirepoix just after 5am, and left the heat on low while I napped.
Up at the crack of noon, I immediately put on a cup of coffee, drained the stock, and spent the day cooking with Destiny.
We chopped potatoes and mushrooms for hash, celery and leeks for soup, and she julienned and caramelized a bag of organic onions. We made a light chicken stock with the remaining little bones, for use as a soup base. I crashed the large pot of dark stock down to a half litre of chicken demi, and made creme anglaise with free range eggs and Surrey honey, to be cooled and churned for dessert. As the clock wound down, I trayed the chicken quarters, seasoned and seared.
When Tristan and Kaitlin arrived, I put bread in the oven and Tristan harvested chives and arugula sprouts from the garden. Robin and Mia arrived with Rob and Alex just as I sliced bread, finished the soup and ladeled out creamy bowls. Vichyssoise!

(avec ciboulettes des jardin)

After soup, Robin rendered a tray of Dawson Creek double-smoked bacon, with Delta cherry tomatoes and thyme. We tossed pans of mushroom and pea hash in foaming butter while the chicken quarters finished in the oven. The chicken demi was added to reduced red wine and mounted with butter... Robin cut makeshift ring-molds for us to plate the pedestal for our
perfect poultry, crowned with caramelized onion and micro-arugula. Wines: Garnacha del Fuego (old vines Granache from Spain - plummy, peppery purple velvet, $17). La Buxynoise Reserve Bourgogne (classic French Pinot - light, brisk and woody, but driven by fresh red cherry), Cedar Creek Merlot/Cabernet 2006 (amazing $19 Kelowna bottle - so very currant, plum and chocolate, decadent and well balanced). The stage is set for: Local, Organic, Cornish Hen!

(I can't believe how horrible the best of my photos of this chicken turned out. I'm sorry, tiny chickens.)

Finally, with the help of Tristan's amazing white chocolate anise biscotti and clean, crisp Columbian from Moja Roasters, I was ready to finish this locally-driven meal with 100% locally produced honey ice cream (forgive me the organic Hawaiian ginger and Indian baking spices). As a delightful treat, Tristan produced a chilled bottle of Prospect Winery's "The Lost Bars" Vidal Icewine! Such a likely partner to fresh, homemade honey and spice ice cream! Echoes of wildflower honey and dried apricot sweetness, followed by pleasantly prominent acidity (a foil!), to balance and fill the palate. Bliss.

Such auspicious eating can only be followed by similarly momentous merrymaking, and more wine was drank as the clock's embrace widened. As those with other engagements made their way, I remembered tray of cornish chicken wings that I had earlier floured and par-baked!! And the sunflower oil I'd brought in specifically to fry them in!! I put 2L of oil on medium heat and tested it with small pieces of chicken until they bubbled just a little too fast, and then put in 2 dozen tiny chicken wings to crispy. Quick sauce: honey, Destiny's raspberry vinegar, salt, pepper, cayenne... and micro-arugula! Cornish munchies!