Cornish Hen In Port Wine And Fig Preserves Recipes

FIG-RUBY PORT PRESERVES

Steps:

• Bring 1 pound chopped fresh figs, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean and a pinch of salt to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar melts. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until a drop of the mixture sets on a chilled plate, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon each lemon juice and ruby port, and a pinch of pepper. Fill sterilized jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace, then seal and process (see Cook's Note) for 15 minutes. Serve this with goat cheese, prosciutto and crackers.

FIGGY PIGGY CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in upper third.
• Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-low heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Add garlic to skillet and cook, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute. Transfer to paper towels with bacon.
• Pat hens dry and season with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat fat in skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. Brown 4 hen halves, skin side down, about 6 minutes. Transfer, skin side up, to a large 4-sided sheet pan. Brown remaining hens, transferring to sheet pan. Reserve skillet.
• Scatter thyme and figs over hens, then roast until hens are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, deglaze skillet with lemon juice by simmering, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 30 seconds. Pour over roast hens. Scatter bacon and garlic over hens.

STUFFED CORNISH HENS WITH PORT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make stuffing:
• In a fine sieve rinse rice well. In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan bring 2 cups water to a boil with rice and salt and simmer, covered, 45 to 50 minutes, or until rice is tender. Drain rice in sieve.
• While rice is simmering, separately chop fine onion, tomatoes, shallot, and parsley. Remove and discard casings from sausages and in a 12-inch non-stick skillet cook sausages in oil over moderate heat, stirring and breaking up lumps, until no longer pink. Add onion, tomatoes, and shallot and cook, stirring, until onion is softened. Stir in rice and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Cool stuffing completely. (Stuffing may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.)
• Preheat oven to 350° F and butter a 1-quart baking dish.
• Rinse Cornish hens inside and out and pat dry. Season hens inside and out with salt and pepper and fill cavities with some of stuffing. Tie ends of drumsticks of each hen together with kitchen string and transfer remaining stuffing to baking dish.
• In cleaned non-stick skillet heat butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and brown hens on all sides. Arrange hens on a rack set in a flameproof roasting pan and add 3/4 cup each of Port and broth. Roast hens in upper third of oven, basting every 15 minutes, 50 to 55 minutes total, or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh (be careful not to touch bone) registers 170° F.
• During last 30 minutes of roasting hens, add 1/4 cup broth to stuffing in dish and bake, covered, in lower third of oven 30 minutes.
• Transfer hens to a cutting board and let stand 15 minutes. Remove rack from pan and add remaining 1/4 cup Port. On top of stove deglaze pan over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits, and transfer liquid to a 1-quart saucepan. Boil liquid until reduced to a glaze and add remaining cup broth. Bring broth to a simmer.
• In a small bowl stir together arrowroot and 2 tablespoons water and whisk into broth. Reduce heat to low and cook, whisking, until slightly thickened (do not let boil). Season with salt and pepper. Discard string from hens and with a sharp knife halve hens lengthwise.
• Arrange 1 hen half and some baked stuffing from dish on each of 4 plates and drizzle with sauce.

APRICOT-GLAZED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a cookie sheet generously with cooking spray.
• Combine apricot preserves, Sriracha, Worcestershire, and butter in a small pot and melt over medium heat. Stir constantly to prevent from sticking.
• Clean hens and pat dry with paper towels. Coat outsides and insides with oil. Season with mango-habanero seasoning; insert sprigs of basil inside of the hens.
• Place hens on the prepared cookie sheet and cover with foil.
• Cook in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and baste with apricot glaze. Put back in the oven and cook until no longer pink in the centers, about 15 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).