To boil a Capon or Hen with Oysters is a traditional Stuart recipe for a classic dish of a chicken stuffed with oysters that's boiled in wine and water and served with a sauce made of the cooking liquid, butter, anchovies, egg yolks and the oysters. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Stuart version of: To boil a Capon or Hen with Oysters.
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Original Recipe
To boil a Capon or Hen with Oysters (from Hannah Woolley's Queen-like Closet 1670)
23. To boil a Capon or Hen with Oyſters.
Take either of them, and fill the Belly of it with Oyſters, and truſs it, then boil it in white Wine, Water, the Liquor of the Oysters, a Blade or two of Mace, a little Pepper whole, and a little Salt; when it is boiled enough, take the Oyſters out of the belly, and put them into a Dish, then take some Butter, and ſome of the Liquor it was boiled in, and two Anchoves with the yolks of Eggs well beaten, heat these together over the fire, and then put your Oysters into it, then garniſh your Diſh with Limon ſliced thin, and ſome of the Oysters, also ſome pickled Barberries and raw Parſley, then lay your Capon or Hen in the middle of it, and pour the ſauce upon the Breaſt of it, then lay on ſliced Limon and ſerve it in.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 oven-ready chicken
20 oysters
750ml white wine
2l water
2 blades of mace
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
100g butter
2 anchovy fillets, mashed
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds
pickled barberries or redcurrants, to garnish
parsley, to garnish
Method:
Shuck the oysters and reserve the liquor. Use the oysters to stuff the body cavity of the chicken then sew closed. Combine the wine, water and oyster liquor in a pan. Add the mace and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, add the chicken, reduce to a simmer then cover the pan and cook for about 80 minutes, or until tender.
Remove the chicken and take out the oysters then set aside. Take 500ml of the chicken cooking liquid and whisk in the butter until melted. Now beat in the anchovies and the egg yolks and place over gently heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened then add the cooked oysters to it.
Arrange the chicken in the centre of a serving dish and garnish with parsley, sliced lemon and pickled barberries (or redcurrants). Pour over the oyster sauce, lay more sliced lemon over the top of the chicken and serve.
