Food@DominionPost.com
In The Dominion Post’s ongoing Wednesday feature, Quarantine Kitchen, we highlight dishes prepared by readers, staffers and chefs at our local restaurants, in an effort to keep us connected through food.
And with the cooler temperatures, the leaves on the ground and that jacket you now need to grab to head out in the evening, the food many of us are craving falls into the comfort variety.
Enter the roasted chicken dinner.
There’s a reason Queen of the Kitchen Ina Garten makes it every weekend for her husband. There’s just something ultra-comforting about the savory tradition of putting a juicy, golden brown bird on the table to warm up over.
But what if you live alone? Or want to feel fancy? Well, my friends, the Cornish game hen is for you.
Here, we give you a simple recipe to make what is essentially a chicken-for-one — of course, you can make several, if you’re feeding others.
In terms of seasoning, you can coat your game hen in any spice or herb blend you prefer — Italian seasoning, Herbs de Provence, lemon-pepper, smoked paprika, garlic and butter, it’s entirely up to you.
Our little hen pictured is seasoned with lemon juice, a liberal dose of kosher salt, freshly cracked pepper, olive oil and butter, and served with a small salad of Brussels sprouts and Popcorn microgreens from a Morgantown Farmer’s Market favorite, Olive Branch Farm. The sweetness of the microgreens pairs perfectly with the earthy, cabbage-y taste of the sprouts.
Of course, feel free to pile on the mashed potatoes, too — it is fall, after all.
If you make several hens, consider using the carcasses to make some homemade stock — just put what’s left into your slow cooker with some carrots, celery, onion (add a couple bay leaves if you’ve got them) and a bit of water and let it go on low all day. One hen won’t be enough to make a decent stock, but four would do the trick. Remember, you can always thin it out — but if it’s too weak in flavor it’s a wash. So go easy on the water.
ROASTED CORNISH GAME HEN
This recipe is for 4 hens, adjust amounts accordingly depending on how many you’re making — if you’re doing just one or two, keep an eye on time as cooking time may be reduced slightly. A meat thermometer will help test doneness.
- 4 Cornish game hens, patted dry with paper towels
- 8 thin slices of butter
- 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme or herbs of choice plus some extra leaves of each
- 4 large clove garlic, peeled
- 4 lemons, scrubbed well and cut into quarters
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine*
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
*optional, may double chicken stock instead
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Pat the hen dry with a paper towel. Use your index finger to loosen the skin on the top of the hen and slip a thin slice of butter under the skin on top of each breast. Add a few rosemary and thyme leaves (or herb of choice). Repeat for each hen, if making more than one. Put a quarter of a lemon in the cavity of each hen along with a clove of garlic and a sprig of fresh rosemary and thyme (or herb of choice). Truss the hens by tying the wings and legs.
Rub each hen all over with some extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the hens on the rack of a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil, spacing them out so they are as far apart from each other as possible. This will enable their skins to get browned and crispy.
Place the hens in the preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes.
While the hens are roasting, combine the chicken broth and wine in a bowl.
After the hens have been roasting for 25 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Pour the broth/wine mixture over the hens and continue to roast for 30 minutes, basting the hens with the juices at the bottom of the pan every
10 minutes or less. The hens are done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees and the juices run clear. If you prefer darker skins, turn up the temperature to broil for a couple more minutes, watching closely to prevent burning.
We put ours at 500 degrees for about 5-10 minutes to get it browned.
Carefully remove the hens and pour the juices from their cavities into the roasting pan. Transfer the hens to a warmed platter, remove the trussing string, and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan and boil for about 5 minutes until the liquid is a thin sauce-like consistency. Serve the hens whole per guest or cut in half lengthwise and place cavity-down on each serving plate. Drizzle the sauce over the hens and garnish with fresh herb sprigs and a slice of lemon. Serve immediately.
Adapted from daringgourmet.com
