Guinea Hen Crostone Recipes

ROASTED GUINEA HEN WITH LEMON-THYME PAN SAUCE AND BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH SERRANO HAM

Steps:

• Combine lemon juice, rind, shallot, 1/2 cup olive oil, and thyme in a large baking dish. Add hens and rub with the marinade, inside and out. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 4. Remove from marinade, wipe any excess marinade off, and season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in 2 separate saute pans over medium-high heat. Sear the hens in separate pans until golden brown on all sides. Transfer the hens to a large roasting pan and roast in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the hens to a platter and let rest. Place the roasting pan over 2 burners on top of the stove set at medium-high heat. Degrease the pan leaving only 2 tablespoons of the drippings. Add the minced shallots to the roasting pan and cook until lightly golden brown. Add the wine and cook until reduced. Add the stock, lemon segments, and finely grated zest and cook until reduced by half. Add the 1 tablespoon thyme and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Serrano Ham.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the ham and cook until golden brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Toss the Brussels sprouts with the remaining oil and place in a medium roasting pan and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Roast until just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Add the ham and stir to combine.

FIVE-SPICE ROASTED GUINEA HENS

Steps:

• In a small bowl stir together the five-spice powder and 2 tablespoons of the oil, rub the mixture on the guinea hens, and season the hens with salt. In a large heavy skillet heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it brown the hens lightly, 1 at a time. Arrange the browned hens, breast side down, in 2 roasting pans and roast them in a preheated 350°F. oven, switching the pans from one rack to the other after 30 minutes, for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the fleshy part of the thigh registers 170°F. Transfer the hens to a cutting board and let them stand, covered loosely with foil, for 15 minutes.
• Make the sauce while the hens are standing:
• Skim the fat from the pan juices, divide the wine between the pans, and deglaze the pans over high heat, scraping up the brown bits. Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan, add the zest, the gingerroot, and the star anise, and boil the mixture until the liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup. Add the broth, the water, and the soy sauce and cook the mixture at a slow boil for 5 minutes. Stir the cornstarch mixture, stir it into the zest mixture, and simmer the sauce for 2 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a saucepan and keep it warm.
• Carve the guinea hens, divide the broccoli rabe among 8 heated plates, and arrange the meat on it. Spoon some of the sauce over each serving and serve the remaining sauce separately.
• To make steamed broccoli rabe:
• Trim and discard any yellow or coarse leaves and the tough stem ends from the broccoli rabe and wash the broccoli rabe well in several changes of cold water. In a steamer set over boiling water steam the broccoli rabe, covered, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the stems are tender.

STUFFED GUINEA HEN

Steps:

• To prepare the hens: Remove the dark meat from the legs and chop it very finely. Lay the main part of each bird flat, skin-side down. There will be a rough rectangle of skin with the two breasts and their smaller fillets attached at the top. Remove one small fillet and lay it between the breasts to fill the indentation. Use the other to fill any other gaps. Lay a piece of plastic over top, and pound the whole flat. Remove the plastic. Push the meat around a little, if you need to, to achieve and even square of white meat, roughly centered on the skin. Season the hens with salt, and pepper. To make the stuffing: Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter, and saute the onion until soft. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more. Remove the onion mixture to a bowl. Heat the remaining butter in the pan, and toast the bread crumbs. Add them to the onions. Stir in the figs, Cognac, and thyme. Season the mixture with salt, and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Lay the prosciutto slices, slightly overlapping, on a piece of foil. Lay 1 bird on top, and season with salt, and pepper. Spread over the half the stuffing, and then roll into a log. Wrap in foil, twisting the ends to make a tight cylinder. Repeat with the other hen. Bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and return to the oven 10 minutes longer. Remove. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing to serve with Watercress Salad.
• In a medium bowl, toss the greens with the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, to taste. Arrange on a serving platter and scatter over the almonds and grapes. Serve.

GUINEA HEN BREAST, CHANTERELLES AND POLENTA

Steps:

• Begin the polenta recipe as you start to make the guinea hens.
• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.
• Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add the bacon cubes and cook until evenly browned. Remove the bacon and reserve on paper towels, leaving the bacon fat in the skillet. Saute the pearl onions in the fat over moderate heat for about 3 minutes, until they begin to caramelize. Being careful not to let them burn, reduce the heat and continue to saute another 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften. Remove the onions and reserve.
• Season the guinea hen breasts with salt and pepper and saute in the skillet that the bacon and onions had been browned in, adding some olive oil if necessary. Cook over mediumhigh heat until brown on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Remove the hen from the pan, place in a small roasting pan and into the oven for 8 to10 minutes to continue cooking while the remainder of the dish is finished.
• Pour off any excess fat from the saute pan and add the mushrooms. Cook the chanterelles for 3 to 4 minutes, return the onions to the pan, add the bacon and saute for a moment to combine. Add the wine and allow to reduce for 1 minute.
• Add the stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, return the hens to the pan to braise for a few minutes with the mushrooms, onions and bacon.
• When the liquid has reduced by half and the hens are sufficiently cooked (test by piercing the flesh with a knife to see if the juices run clear) add the butter and swirl in to combine. Add the tarragon and serve on a bed of herbed polenta.
• Note: roast game or chicken stock is made by using game bird or chicken bones that have
• been roasted in an oven, (along with the appropriate stock vegetables) until richly browned,
• before a standard stock making recipe is followed.

ROAST GUINEA HEN

Steps:

• Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Place the guinea hen in a large, deep bowl, pour the marinade over and inside the hen, cover the bowl, and marinate, refrigerated, overnight, turning occasionally to ensure that all parts of the bird are covered.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the hen from the marinade. Reserve the marinade. Put the hen in a roasting pan and brush with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Turn the hen breastside down in the pan and roast for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the hen onto its back, decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees, and roast for 1 hour. While the hen is roasting, place the reserved marinade in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and reduce to approximately 1/4 cup. When the hen has 15 minutes left to cook, pour the reduced marinade over the hen and return it to the oven for its final 15 minutes of cooking. Remove from the oven, and let the hen rest for 10 or 15 minutes before dividing into serving portions.