Cornish Hens Martha Stewart Food

ROASTED CORNISH HEN AND GRAPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss grapes and shallots with thyme sprigs, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Tie legs with kitchen twine; nestle hens among grapes on baking sheet, breast side up. Season hens generously with salt and pepper; sprinkle with thyme leaves.
• Roast, basting hens occasionally with pan juices, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of leg (avoiding bone) registers 160 degrees. 30 to 35 minutes.

CORNISH HENS WITH LEMON AND HERBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place hens in a roasting pan, breast sides up. Place 2 thyme sprigs and 1 lemon half in cavity of each hen. Loosen skin from breast, and place remaining thyme and the parsley underneath. Squeeze remaining lemon halves over hens. Rub butter all over hens. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Roast hens, rotating pan halfway through, until skin turns golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise. Garnish with thyme sprigs, and serve with lemon wedges.

HERB-ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Place parsley, rosemary, thyme, garlic, lemon, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Blend until finely chopped. With machine running, add olive oil.
• Loosen skin from the hens. Put 1 tablespoon of herb mixture under skin of each hen, smoothing to cover breasts. Place the birds on a large rimmed baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove hens from refrigerator and bring to room temperature (about 1 hour). Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place hens on a clean rimmed baking sheet (it's okay if they touch). Brush butter over surface of hens and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast in oven, rotating pan once until golden brown and cooked through (meat thermometer should read 165 degrees when placed in the thigh), about 50 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let stand at least 15 minutes before placing on individual plates. No carving necessary!

CORNISH HENS WITH FORTY CLOVES OF GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut 6 garlic cloves crosswise into very thin slices. Set aside in a small bowl. In another small bowl, set aside 12 cloves. Pick leaves from 3 or 4 springs oregano, and set aside in a small bowl. Place remaining garlic cloves and oregano, onion, celery, and bay leaves in the bottom of a medium nonstick roasting pan.
• With your finger, gently loosen the skin on the breast of the hens. Gently slide a few garlic slices and a few oregano leaves under the skin in a single layer. Place 4 garlic cloves, 1 sprig oregano, and 2 lemon wedges in the cavity of each hen; set aside remaining lemon wedges.
• Tie each hen's legs together with kitchen twine. Tuck wings under breast; place hens in pan over the garlic mixture.
• Add wine and 1/2 cup chicken stock to pan. Brush the skin with melted butter; transfer pan to oven.
• Cook, basting occasionally and adding more chicken stock to pan if dry, until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.when measured with a meat thermometer, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove hens from pan, and set aside on a board to rest 5 minutes before serving with reserved lemon wedges.

CORNISH HENS ROASTED WITH TARRAGON AND ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Wash the potatoes under cold running water. Salt and pepper inside of birds cavity. Add tarragon to cavities. Rub each bird with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place in roasting pan. Toss all vegetables with remaining oil, salt and pepper and place around birds. Place in oven on middle shelf. Lower temperature to 400 degrees. Roast for 50 minutes. Remove tray from oven and drape with aluminum foil. Allow bird to rest for 7 minutes before serving. Place birds on plates with vegetables around. Garnish with tarragon and serve with mustard.

GARLICKY SMOTHERED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Prepare the hens: In a mini food processor, pulse the garlic and 1 teaspoon salt to a paste. Using your fingers, make a pocket between the flesh and the skin of each Cornish hen. Stuff half the garlic paste between the skin and the flesh of the hens, evenly covering by pushing the paste along the flesh from the outside. Rub both hens all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and a grind of pepper. Cross the legs of each hen and tie together with kitchen string. Set aside and allow to come to room temperature for about an hour.
• In a baking dish large enough to hold both hens, mix together the remaining garlic paste, the bell pepper, onions, cayenne pepper, paprika, a pinch of salt and a grind or 2 of pepper.
• Place the prepared hens on top of the vegetables in the pan and slowly pour in 2 cups chicken stock. Place in the oven and cook until the temperature reaches 160 degrees F between the leg and the body of the hen when tested with an instant-read thermometer, about 40 minutes.
• Remove the hens from oven and remove from the pan to a plate. Cover lightly with aluminum foil to keep them warm while making the gravy. In a medium saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the vegetables from the baking dish and the flour. Whisk the flour briskly until it is combined with all the pan contents. Add the wine and let reduce. Take a sip of wine for yourself; you've worked hard. Stir in the remaining 1 cup chicken stock. Taste and season with salt and pepper, and then cook until the sauce has thickened to a gravy consistency, about 5 more minutes. To serve, remove the aluminum foil from the hens. Remove the string and cut in the birds in half. Pour the gravy over the top and garnish with chopped parsley.

MAPLE-GLAZED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH CARROTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stir together maple syrup and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Using kitchen twine, tie hen legs together, then tuck wing tips underneath. Place hens on a rimmed baking sheet and rub with 1 teaspoon oil; season with salt and pepper.
• Roast 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and add carrots, onion, garlic, and thyme. Toss vegetables with 2 teaspoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes.
• Brush hens with maple mixture. Continue to roast, brushing twice more, until juices run clear when hens are pierced between breast and leg or an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, about 15 minutes. Transfer hens to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toss vegetables with lemon juice. Carve hens and serve with vegetables.

SEASONED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, and pepper. Place Cornish game hens in the mixture, and marinate 10 minutes.
• Transfer hens to a medium baking dish, and cover with the marinade mixture. Cover dish, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
• Remove cover from dish, and place 1/2 the butter on each hen. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Basting frequently with the marinade mixture, continue baking 30 minutes, or until exterior of the hens is lightly browned and crisp, the interior is no longer pink, and juices run clear.

CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Place hens on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Combine the apple juice, soy sauce and browning sauce if desired; pour over hens. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a thermometer reads 180°, basting occasionally with pan juices.

CORNISH HENS WITH BAGEL STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry and beginning to brown, 7 minutes, stirring halfway through. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion, celery, and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and mushrooms are golden, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in bread, thyme, and enough broth to moisten (stuffing should feel moist but not soggy). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix in egg.
• Place hens in a roasting pan and season inside and out with salt and pepper. Fill cavity of each with stuffing; tie legs together and tuck wing tips underneath. Roast, covering any exposed stuffing with foil if it begins to overbrown, until hens are golden brown and juices run clear when pierced between breast and leg (an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh, avoiding bone, should read 165 degrees), about 40 minutes. Tent hens with foil and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

CRANBERRY-STUFFED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread out diced bread on a rimmed baking sheet; toastin oven, turning occasionally, until light brown and dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside.
• Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add leek, mushrooms, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; stir in bread, chopped sage, parsley, mustard, thyme, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, and 1/2 cup broth.
• Spoon stuffing into bird cavities; tie legs together with kitchen twine. Rub birds with butter, then sprinkle with pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Arrange birds on a roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Roast until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thighs (avoiding bone) registers 170 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer rack with birds to a rimmed baking sheet, and let rest.
• Set roasting pan on top of stove across two burners; set heat to medium-high. Add port and remaining 1/4 cup broth; deglaze pan, scraping up any browned bits from bottom with a wooden spoon. Add remaining 1/4 cup dried cranberries; cook, stirring, until sauce reduces slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Place birds on a serving platter, and drizzle sauce over them. Garnish with sage leaves, if desired, and serve.

ROASTED CORNISH HENS WITH ROSEMARY AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Rub the hens inside and out with salt and pepper and remove any excess fat inside. Place one sprig of rosemary and one garlic clove in each cavity and truss the hens, if desired.
• Place the hens in a large metal roasting pan. Brush them with the oil. Arrange the birds on their sides. Scatter the necks, gizzards, hearts, livers and onion around the birds. Place the dish on top of the stove and heat until the oil is sizzling.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, basting occasionally.
• Turn the birds on the reverse side and cook for 15 more minutes, basting occasionally.
• Remove all the fat from the dish and add the wine and chicken broth.
• Reduce the heat to 425 degrees. Place the hens on their backs for a final 10 minutes of cooking. The simmering broth will deglaze the pan as the birds roast, making a gravy. Remove from the oven and pour the cavity juices, including the rosemary and garlic, into the pan. Remove the rosemary and the trussing string, and let the hens rest in a warm place for 5 minutes before carving. Serve with the giblets and onions, if desired.