because I made the stuffing a little on the sloppy side and it in turn made the meat juicy and flavorful.
I confess I only did it once, when I got caught in Nixon's massive recession and was collecting unemployment and had the time. Julia Child made me do it, too, but the stuffing was my own, simpler and lighter, fruit and nuts instead of heavy meat and made up on the fly. What, you think I use recipes?
Later on, I've butchered them down, which also requires deboning, but one can be a lot messier if the end product is going to be things like dark meat carne adovada or carnitas. I've subbed the white meat for pork in Chinese recipes and no one was ever the wiser.
Julia was great, teaching me good knife technique and how to do things like debone fowl. I can also do a whole range of French sauces in my sleep, they're just second nature to me now.
One quibble: basting. It doesn't do anything but cool off the oven. I wrap fowl in cooking muslin after I butter it up and season the skin. The muslin tends to hold some of the fat as it melts and the skin turns out crunchy, seasoned, and fantastic. The muslin does not stick, it comes right off.
= new reply since forum marked as read
