Seafood, Cornish Hen, and Walnut Veloute

Ingredients:

Seafood, Cornish Hen, and Walnut Veloute w/ Wild Mushrooms

3 Cornish Hens
2 Lobster Tails
10 Scallops
3 stalks Celery
2 Carrots
6 cloves Garlic
1/2 Red Onion
1/2 lb Walnut Halves
3 Tbsp Dijon Mustard (real stuff, not the grey poupon stuff)
2 Tbsp Sweet Vermouth
2 Cups Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Heavy Cream (Whipped, for garnish)
1/2 oz Dried Shiitaki Mushrooms
1/2 oz Dried Porcini Mushrooms
1/2 oz Wild Lobster Mushrooms
1/2 oz Chanterelle Mushrooms
Butter
Paprika
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Salt
Pepper
Seafood Seasoning (old bay, etc)
Lobster Base
Bouquet Garni
Thyme
Chervil
Herbes de Provence
Bay Leaf
Seasoning Salt
Pepper
cloves

Cut the carrot, garlic, celery and onion into rough pieces

Step 1:

Let your Cornish Hens have one last drink before they go out in a blaze of glory.

Step 2:

Remove the breasts from the hen and peel the skin off. De-bone the breasts and set them aside. Take the remainder of the hen, including the giblets and breast bones, and tear them apart into several pieces.

Step 3:

Combine 2 tbsp of the Dijon mustard with the sweet vermouth and a few pinches of nutmeg.

Step 4:

Brush the breasts with the mixture and top with paprika, seasoning salt, and freshly ground pepper. Let refrigerate.

Step 5:

Sear the cornish hen parts in some butter over high heat.

Step 6:

There will be a bit of smoke, so make sure your smoke alarms are switched off.

Step 7:

Make your bouquet garni by putting the herbs in a cheesecloth and wrapping it up

Step 8:

Add the vegetables and bouquet garni to hen. Fill the pot with water until the contents are covered. Add some seafood seasoning and salt.

While covered, let the stock boil for 2 hours or so, stirring occasionally.

Step 9:

In the meantime, bring a small pot of water to a boil and add a bit a cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and the walnuts. Let boil for about 15 minutes.

Step 10:

Drain the water and the end result should be really soft walnuts.

Simmer the mushrooms off in some water for about 7 minutes to rehydrate them.

Sear the breasts off just to the point of being fully cooked. Do the same for the lobster and the scallops. Thinly slice the breasts.

Step 11:

Strain off the stock and reserve about a quart of it (freeze the rest).

Step 12:

Take 3/4 of the walnuts, 1/2 of the mushrooms, and about a 1/4 of the seafood and puree it up with a bit of the stock. Add the 2 to 3 Tbsp of lobster base and bring back to a boil - simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to mix.

Step 13:

Stirring constantly, add the rest of the dijon mustard, mushrooms, seafood and hen. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the stock and the heavy cream.

Step 14:

Make a flour and cornstarch slurry and slowly add it to desired thickness.

Step 15:

Garnish with Whipped Cream and the remainder of walnuts (crushed). Cream melted in this picture: