Date Walnut Cornish Game Hens Recipes

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH WALNUT-APPLE STUFFING

Steps:

• Wash Cornish hens and pat dry.
• Season with paprika, salt, and pepper.
• Rub lightly with oil.
• Combine cooked wild rice, celery, onion, walnuts, apples, salt, pepper, and parsley flakes for stuffing; toss lightly.
• Divide stuffing among hens.
• Place Cornish hens in roasting pan.
• Roast 1 hour, or until tender, in preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven.

HERB-BRINED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine the salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, sage, garlic, thyme, rosemary and 1 quart water. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from the heat. Add the cold water to cool the brine to room temperature., Place a turkey-sized oven roasting bag inside a second roasting bag; add hens. Carefully pour cooled brine into bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible; seal bags and turn to coat. Place in a roasting pan. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, turning occasionally. Drain and discard brine; pat hens dry., Meanwhile, place the peppercorns and garlic in a food processor; cover and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the butter, 3 tablespoons olive oil and herbs; cover and process until smooth. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from hens; rub half the butter mixture under skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks; tie drumsticks together. Rub remaining butter mixture over skin., In a 15x10x1-in. baking pan, toss the Brussels sprouts and onions with remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer. Place hens, breast side up, on top of the vegetables. Bake at 450° until thermometer inserted in breast reads 165°, 35-40 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if hens brown too quickly., Remove hens and vegetables to a serving platter; cover and let stand for 10 minutes before carving. If desired, garnish with additional herbs.

CORNISH HENS WITH WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Using the fingers, separate the skin from the breast meat to make a cavity for stuffing.
• Combine the walnuts, butter, mustard and Cognac in the container of a food processor or electric blender. Blend to make a paste. Fill the cavities with equal portions of the mixture. Tie up the birds or truss them neatly with string. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and rub them all over with oil.
• Arrange the birds breast side up in a shallow, heatproof roasting pan and scatter the necks, gizzards and hearts around the birds. Set the livers aside. Place the pan on the stove and heat until the oil sizzles. Put the birds into the oven and bake, basting often, about 20 minutes.
• Turn each hen on its side and continue baking, basting often, about 10 minutes. Turn each again and bake 5 minutes. Add the livers and cook 10 minutes longer. To test for doneness, lift one of the birds; the liquid from the inside should run clear.
• Untruss the hens and serve.

HERB-ROASTED GAME HENS

Steps:

• Place hens, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over hens. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or a thermometer reads 180°.

STUFFED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• In a large skillet or saucepan, saute celery and onion in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in cornbread, bread crumbs, pimientos, broth, egg, poultry seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix well. , Stuff each hen with 3/4 cup stuffing. Place extra stuffing in a greased 1-qt. baking dish; refrigerate. Place hens breast side up on a rack in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Cover loosely with foil; bake at 375° for 45 minutes. , Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the remaining butter; add garlic, lemon zest, mint and remaining salt and pepper. Brush over hens. Bake 15-30 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 180° for hens and 165° for stuffing. Bake the extra stuffing, covered, for 30 minutes.

CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place the sliced onion in the bottom of a roasting pan. Remove the giblets from the hens, and rinse them inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outsides dry. Place the hens on top of the sliced onion.
• Pack the cavities of the hens with the cornbread stuffing.
• Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the hens. Rub the hens with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast the hens for 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.
• Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Break the cornbread into pieces and place the pieces in a large bowl. Add the onion mixture to the cornbread. Add the celery, chicken stock, parsley, salt and pepper, and mix together.
• Yield: 2 servings

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Rub hens with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Lightly season hens with salt and pepper. Place 1 lemon wedge and 1 sprig rosemary in cavity of each hen. Arrange in a large, heavy roasting pan, and arrange garlic cloves around hens. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a mixing bowl, whisk together wine, chicken broth, and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil; pour over hens. Continue roasting about 25 minutes longer, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear. Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes.
• Transfer hens to a platter, pouring any cavity juices into the roasting pan. Tent hens with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices and garlic cloves to a medium saucepan and boil until liquids reduce to a sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise and arrange on plates. Spoon sauce and garlic around hens. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, and serve.

BAKED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a small bowl combine the 1/2 cup melted butter, onion, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, basil, oregano and parsley.
• Season hens inside and out with salt and pepper to taste, then stuff with equal amounts butter/vegetable mixture. Place stuffed birds in a 9x13 inch baking dish, breast side up. Drizzle with 1/4 cup melted butter.
• Cover dish and bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover and brown at 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Tie each hen's legs together with butcher's twine or a blanched scallion green.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Season the hens on both sides generously with salt. Carefully lay the hens in the pan, skin side down, and cook until the skin becomes brown and crispy, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn the hens over and brown on the flesh side. Do not crowd your pan, you may need to do this in batches. Remove the hens to a sheet tray.
• Meanwhile, combine the molasses and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the molasses to a boil and reduce by half until syrupy, about 20 minutes.
• Brush the hens on both sides with the reduced molasses. Put the hens in the oven and roast until they are cooked through, basting occasionally, about 20 minutes.
• Remove the hens from the oven and garnish with the sliced scallions.