Over the holiday season, if there’s only you, or even two of you, this is a perfect way to celebrate and you won’t have to live on leftover turkey for a month.
Chef Tien Ho has come a long way since starting out in the mid-90s, in the cult-favorite vegan cafe and juice joint Whiz Bang in Austin, Texas. A tall, good-looking, slender, quiet Vietnamese guy with a ponytail and precise at cutting veggies.
Since working globally for Morgan’s Hotel Group and a long tenure in New York as chef and partner within the Momofuku Group helping put Ssam on the S. Pellegrino Top 50 Restaurants in the World in 2009 at #31, his star has risen. Considerably.
Tien has received numerous industry awards and magazine spreads – his bio too long to list. Alan Richman from GQ enigmatically named him The Best Chef of Next Year in 2009. And in 2010, Food & Wine Magazine nominated Tien as one of The People’s Best New Chefs of New York. Featured many times in New York Magazine, he was named Best New Chef by them in 2011, for his Asian cuisine at Má Pêche. That’s NY, NY.
After years in the Big Apple, Tien returned to Austin and became global VP of Whole Foods Market, leading the culinary team, until the Amazon takeover, whereupon he moved to VP of Culinary at The Standard Hotel International group, overseeing and developing properties in the US, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
Now he works with The Central Texas Food Bank as director of culinary services and runs his own thriving hotel kitchen design business on the side. He does not rest on his laurels.
Tien kindly shared his favorite Thanksgiving dish with WONDERLUST.
“The great thing about this roasted poussin is that it’s great with any traditional Thanksgiving sides…. wild rice salad or any grain salad, roasted Brussels sprouts, stuffing…” he says, his voice trailing off into a wistful vision of delicious accompaniments.
Tien’s Roasted Poussin with Garlic & Thyme
Serves one (or two)
“This is my absolute favorite bird and cooking method. The skin stays crispy and the bird is juicy and infused with brown butter, garlic, and thyme. I’ll walk you through how to prepare the bird, but you can also ask your butcher to spatchcock the poussin for you.”
1 poussin, neck and giblets removed
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 ounces of canola oil
2 ounces butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
1 sprig of fresh thyme
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas Mark 6.
Spatchcock poussin by removing the backbone with a pair of scissors or a sharp knife. Discard the bone and turn the poussin over, breast side up and gently press down between the breasts to flatten the bird.
Pat poussin dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and carefully arrange poussin in the pan, skin-side down. Gently press with a spatula and let cook until the skin is lightly golden brown (gently lift it to peek).
Transfer the pan to the oven to cook for about 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of the poussin, or until golden brown and cooked through. The best way to tell when it’s done is to poke the legs with a knife or skewer and the juices run clear.
Remove from the oven and place back on the stove over medium heat.
Add butter, garlic, and thyme to the pan. Once butter is melted and begins to foam, begin spooning the butter mixture over the poussin, basting continuously for about 1 minute.
Flip the bird over and continue to baste for another minute.
Remove poussin from the pan and let rest for 3 – 5 minutes on a plate or cutting board. Serve hot.