Fricassee Of Cornish Game Hens With Walnuts And Mint Recipes

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together salt, lemon pepper, dried basil and poultry seasoning. Rub olive oil all over the hens and season each with the salt mixture. Place the hens on a baking sheet pan with plenty of space between them. You may need to use 2 pans. Loosely stuff the cavities of each hen with some green bell pepper, celery and onion. Roast the hens in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear. Remove the hens from the oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before carving or serving.

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.

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.

CORNISH GAME HENS FOR TWO

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients; sprinkle over hen halves. In a small skillet, cook hen halves over medium-high heat in oil until browned on both sides. Transfer to an ungreased 11x7-in. baking dish; set aside and keep warm., In the same skillet, saute green onion and garlic until tender. Stir in broth and orange juice concentrate; pour over hen halves. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until meat is tender and juices run clear. To serve, drizzle with pan juices and sprinkle with almonds and parsley.

FRICASSEE OF GAME HEN WITH CREAMY LEEKS AND VADOUM

Steps:

• Make stock:
• Heat oil in a heavy medium pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook backbones and wing tips until well browned on all sides. Add water and bring to a boil, skimming froth occasionally. Add remaining ingredients and boil, uncovered, 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing on and then discarding solids. Boil stock until reduced to about 2 cups.
• Make fricassee:
• Pat hens dry and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown hens in batches (without crowding), turning once, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
• Halve white and pale green parts of leeks lengthwise, then cut into 1-inch pieces and wash. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, then cook leeks with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally and scraping up brown bits, until leeks begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil. Stir in stock, cream, and vadouvan. Nestle hens, skin sides up, into leeks. Cover with a round of parchment paper. Gently simmer 10 minutes. Remove parchment and simmer until hens are cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Transfer hens to a platter and simmer sauce to thicken slightly if desired.

FRICASSEE OF CORNISH GAME HENS WITH WALNUTS AND MINT

Steps:

• Heat oil in large wide pot over medium heat. Working in batches, add hens and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer hens to large bowl. Add onions and garlic to drippings in pot; saute 10 minutes. Finely grind walnuts and 1 tablespoon mint in processor. Add nut mixture to onion mixture. Mix in tomato paste, then wine and 1 cup water. Return hens to pot. Cover; simmer 20 minutes. Turn hens over; simmer uncovered until cooked through, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer hens to platter. Tent with foil. Boil liquid in pot until reduced to sauce consistency, about 10 minutes. Pour over hens. Garnish with mint sprigs.