Cornish Game Hens With Grape Sauce Recipes

ROASTED CORNISH HENS WITH GRAPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Place the hens in a shallow baking dish without crowding. Rub hens with oil and sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper. Cut onion in half. Place the halves cut side down around the hens. Arrange gizzards and necks around the hens.
• Place baking dish on top of stove over medium-high heat. Turn the hens over in the dish to coat them with the oil. Brown them for a few minutes. Arrange hens on their sides, place in the oven and bake 15 minutes, basting often.
• Turn the hens on the other side and continue baking 15 minutes, basting often.
• Turn the hens breast side up. Bake about 10 minutes, basting often.
• Transfer the hens to a heated serving platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.
• Skim off the fat from the pan liquid. Place the dish on top of stove and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the sherry and vinegar and stir to dissolve any brown particles that may cling to the bottom of pan. Strain sauce into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook down by half. Add the honey, broth and tomato paste. Stir and add any liquid that may have accumulated inside or around the birds. Add the grapes and bring to a boil.
• Cook about 1 minute, stirring. Swirl in the butter, add salt and pepper, if necessary. Pour the sauce over the hens and serve.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH GRAPE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Rinse the hens& pat dry inside& outside with paper towel.
• Place hens on a rack in a roasting pan.
• Season hens equally with salt, pepper, garlic, tarragon, rosemary, sage, thyme& paprika.
• Roast in oven until golden brown, or until juice runs clear& not red when hens are punctured between the thigh& breast.
• While the birds are in the oven, using a double boiler, melt the butter& stir in the flour.
• Once blended, add the chicken stock or broth& allow the mixture to thicken, stirring occasionally.
• Add the grape jelly, grape juice, sugar& the dissolved cornstarch.
• Continue to cook& stir until thickened again.
• To serve, pour some of the sauce onto the 2 plates.
• Place the hens on top of the sauce& then pour the rest of the sauce over the hens.
• Garnish the plates with a few small clusters of grapes& a few sprigs of herbs if desired.

STUFFED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season inside and out of cornish hens. In a bowl combine mushrooms, onions, carrots, peas, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stuff vegetables into cavity of each bird to full capacity. Drizzle hens with remaining oil. Criss-cross 2 bacon slices across each hen, tucking ends under birds to keep in place. Place hens on a roasting rack in a roasting pan and pour chicken stock in bottom of pan. Roast hens 45 minutes to 1 hour or until an instant reading thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 170 degrees. Allow hens to rest, loosely covered with foil, for at least 10 minutes while you finish sauce. Bring sauce to a boil in roasting pan, scraping bottom of pan to incorporate any drippings; season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, drizzle hens with sauce.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season inside and out of cornish hens. In a bowl combine mushrooms, onions, carrots, peas, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stuff vegetables into cavity of each bird to full capacity. Drizzle hens with remaining oil. Criss-cross 2 bacon slices across each hen, tucking ends under birds to keep in place. Place hens on a roasting rack in a roasting pan and pour chicken stock in bottom of pan. Roast hens 45 minutes to 1 hour or until an instant reading thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 170 degrees. Allow hens to rest, loosely covered with foil, for at least 10 minutes while you finish sauce. Bring sauce to a boil in roasting pan, scraping bottom of pan to incorporate any drippings; season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, drizzle hens with sauce.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Put the game hens in a shallow, flameproof baking dish without crowding. Rub the hens all over with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut the onion in half and place the halves, cut side down, around the hens. Arrange the gizzards and livers around the hens.
• Place the baking dish with hens on top of the stove over low heat. Turn the hens around in the dish to coat with the oil. Arrange the hens on their sides. Place in the oven and bake 15 minutes, basting often.
• Turn the hens to other side and continue baking 15 minutes, basting often.
• Turn the hens breast side up and continue baking about 10 minutes, basting often.
• Transfer the hens to a heated serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Skim off most of the fat from the pan liquid in the baking dish. Put the baking dish on top of the stove and bring the pan liquid to a boil. Add the wine and stir to dissolve any brown particles that may cling to the bottom of the pan. Strain the sauce into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook down to about half and add the honey, chicken broth and tomato paste. Stir. Add any liquid that has accumulated inside or around the hens. Add the cranberries and bring to a boil.
• Cook until the cranberries pop, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Swirl in the butter. Add salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the hens and serve.

CORNISH HEN WITH TART CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine sea salt, black pepper, thyme, garlic powder, rosemary, and paprika in a bowl. Place hens on a baking sheet and evenly brush with 5 tablespoons butter. Rub hens with spice mixture.
• Bake hens in preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 1/2 hours, basting every 1/2 hour with white wine. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C).
• Mix cherries, red wine, orange juice, and brown sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in 2 tablespoons butter, and cook until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle flour into the sauce; whisk until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle cherry sauce over cooked hens.

TASTY TARRAGON CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Make basting sauce by melting butter in small sauce pan and stirring in wine (or broth) and tarrgon.
• Sprinkle inside of each hen with salt, pepper, tarragon, and garlic.
• Lightly coat outside of hen with olive (or other) oil.
• Liberally sprinkle outside of hen with garlic salt.
• Tie hen legs together if possible (I've also made these without doing this step).
• Place hens in oven.
• Let hens cook about 15 minutes before starting to use the basting sauce. After each basting, I will occasionally sprinkle more garlic salt over the hens.
• Continue to baste hens every 15 minutes or so until done. If hen wings or top start to darken too much, cover those areas with foil.
• When hens have finished cooking, remove to serving platter.
• optional - I place the strained drippings in a bowl (skimming off some of the butter) and use this as a 'gravy' for the hens and any suitable rice/potato dish that may accompany them.
• Use your meat thermometer to determine doneness as it varies according to hen weight.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Prepare hens by rubbing mixture of salt and pepper into skin liberally.
• Place on cookie sheet, breast side up.
• Roast for 15 minutes at 500°F.
• Remove from oven and turn breast down; pour 1 1/2 cups water over hens.
• Turn oven down to 425°F and continue to cook for 1/2 hour.
• Meanwhile, use a zester to obtain orange peel without cutting into pith of fruit.
• Slice oranges in half and squeeze juice.
• Place juice in saucepan with zest and heat thoroughly (do not boil).
• Remove hens from oven and turn breast-side up and continue cooking for additional 1/2 hour (total cooking time is 1 hour 15 minutes).
• Blend cornstarch with orange juice/zest mixture and heat to thicken, stirring constantly.
• To serve: Place hen on plate and pour sauce over. Sprinkle with additional orange zest and parsley.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH GRAPES IN VERMOUTH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Using a soft pastry brush, spread the soft butter all over the outside surface of hens & then put a hazelnut size piece in the cavity of ea hen. Mix shallots & parsley together & place 1/4 of the mixture in the cavity of ea hen.
• Put the hens side-by-side in a roasting pan & roast for 40-50 min or till the juices run clear when the thickest part of the flesh is pierced w/a skewer. When cooked, transfer the hens to a warmed serving platter, cover & keep warm.
• Skim most of the fat from the roasting pan, then add the grapes & vermouth. Place the pan directly over a low-heat for a few min to warm & slightly soften the grapes.
• Using a slotted spoon, lift the grapes out of the roasting pan, scatter them around the hens on the platter & cover again.
• Stir cornstarch into the cream & add to the pan juices. Cook gently (stirring) for a few min till the sauce thickens. Season w/salt & pepper to taste pref.
• Pour sauce around hens, sprinkle w/toasted pine nuts & garnish w/watercress sprigs, if using. Serve immediately.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH RAISIN SAUCE

Steps:

• Stuff hens with prepared stuffing; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Place trivet or crumpled piece of heavy-duty foil in slow cooker, to keep hens from sitting in juices.
• If you're using a deep and narrow crockpot, put Cornish hens in neck-side down.
• In a 1-quart saucepan combine jelly, raisins, butter, lemon juice and allspice.
• Cook over low heat, stirring, until hot and simmering.
• Brush some of the sauce on hens in the crockpot.
• Keep remaining sauce in refrigerator until serving time.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours, basting once about an hour before done. Bring remaining sauce to a boil and spoon over hens at serving time.