Grilled Cornish Game Hens With Jamaican Basting Sauce Food

GRILLED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• In a large, non-reactive bowl, mix onion, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, pepper, celery salt, and salt. Place Cornish game hens in the bowl, coating evenly with the marinade mixture. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil grate.
• Cook hens about 1 hour on the prepared grill, brushing occasionally with remaining marinade, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

TUSCAN GRILLED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Sprinkle the Cornish hens with 1 teaspoon salt on each side.
• Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold the flattened hens. Add the hens, and turn to coat. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning once or twice.
• When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on one side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread 1/4 of the coals across the other side of the grill. Place the hens on the cooler side skin-side up and weigh them down with a gratin dish with a foil-wrapped brick inside.
• Cook for 12 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Turn the hens skin-side down, weigh them down again, and cook for another 12 minutes until the skin is golden brown and the hens are cooked through.
• Place the lemon halves on the cool side of the grill, cut-side down, for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the Cornish hens and lemons to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut the hens in half, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and serve with the grilled lemon halves.

BAKED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a small bowl combine the 1/2 cup melted butter, onion, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, basil, oregano and parsley.
• Season hens inside and out with salt and pepper to taste, then stuff with equal amounts butter/vegetable mixture. Place stuffed birds in a 9x13 inch baking dish, breast side up. Drizzle with 1/4 cup melted butter.
• Cover dish and bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover and brown at 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).

GRILLED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH JAMAICAN BASTING SAUCE

Steps:

• Basting sauce instructions; In a small bowl, stir together ginger, onions, garlic, orange zest and juice, lime zest and juice, sugar, soy sauce, salt and pepper, cinnamon, and cloves; add the oil. Mix wel and then let stand 10 minutes (or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days).
• About 10 minutes ahead, preheat gas grill or about 1/2 hour ahead, light charcoal briquettes.
• Use poultry shears to or knife to cut hens in half, cutting through the breast and backbones.
• Grill hens, covered over low to medium heat until golden brown, turning as needed to prevent burning; Basting with sauce during grilling; reduce temperature or transfer hens away from direct heat and finish cooking with indirect heat; Grill until no longer pink at the bone, about 40 to 45 minutes (stop basting at least 10 minutes before cooking time is up to avoid contaminating cooked chicken with raw chicken juices). Discard leftover basting sauce.
• To use sauce as marinade; arrange hens in dish, cover with sauce, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours, Grill as directed.

HOISIN MARINATED GRILLED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Put the hens in a baking dish.
• Mix the hoisin sauce, red wine, scallions, ginger, garlic and sesame oil together in a bowl and pour the marinade over the hens.
• Cover and refrigerate the hens for 1-2 days.
• Preheat grill to medium heat.
• Put the hens on the grill bone side down and grill, covered, about 10 minutes.
• Gently turn them over and continue grilling for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the juices run clear.
• Let the hens rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

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.

GRILLED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Cut off the wing tips of the Cornish hens.
• Split open, cutting through the breast.
• Split in half through the back by cutting on both sides of the backbone.
• Using a small, sharp knife, remove the ribs and breastbone.
• These bones are easily removed and doing so makes it much easier for the diner to enjoy.
• Slip your fingers under the skin to separate it from the meat. Go in from the side which was next to the backbone. This is where the pesto stuffing goes. Set hen aside while preparing the pesto.
• Give the garlic cloves a firm whack with the side of a knife to remove the skin.
• Crush to release the oils then place in a food processor along with the parmesan cheese, pine nuts, basil leaves,parsley,salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Process until finely ground.
• Slowly add just enough olive oil to make the pesto pasty and moist, but not runny.
• Place about 2 tablespoons of the stuffing under the skin of each half and evenly distribute it by applying gentle pressure to the skin.
• Any remaining pesto can be placed in a covered container and refrigerated for several weeks. Because the parsley has been added it will retain its bright green color.
• Sprinkle the skin with salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Lightly drizzle with olive oil.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Close to serving time, place about six pieces of pecan or oak chips in water to soak.
• Get a charcoal fire ready to grill on or turn on the gas grill if using that.
• Place the wet wood chips on the coals/ burner to create flavorful smoke.
• Grill the stuffed hens until richly browned on both sides, about 10-20 minutes in all, depending on size of hen.
• Serve immediately.

GRILLED MEXICAN-STYLE CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• To butterfly the hens, turn them breast side down and using poultry shears, cut down each side of the backbone and discard it. Turn the birds over and open them out flat, pressing down hard on the breastbone. Thread 2 skewers diagonally through each hen from the wings to the thigh bones.
• To make the marinade, skewer the chili peppers and garlic together and cook on a preheated medium-hot outdoor grill or under a broiler for 10 minutes, turning frequently until evenly browned. Scrape off and discard the skins from the peppers and chop the flesh coarsely. Put the flesh (and seed if you like the heat) into a blender. Add garlic and all the remaining marinade ingredients and blend to a puree. Pour the marinade over the hens and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Return them to room temperature for 1 hour before cooking.
• When ready to cook, remove the birds from their marinade and grill over preheated medium-hot coals for 12 minutes on each side (or until juices run clear), basting occasionally. Remove from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes, then serve with corn salsa.

MARINATED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH SWEET CHILI SAUCE

Steps:

• Marinade: thinly slice lower 6 inches of lemongrass stalks, discarding remainder of stalks.
• In a food processor or blender, finely grind together sliced lemongrass, coriander, shallot, garlic, and ginger root.
• Add brown sugar, curry, pepper, salt, fish sauce, and 1 cup of the coconut milk and puree.
• Quarter each hen and divide the hen between 2 large plastic zip lock bags and divide the marinade and seal the bags, pressing out all air.
• Put bags in a large shallow dish and marinate hens, chilled, turning bag once or twice overnight.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. and line a large shallow roasting pan with foil.
• Remove hens from the marinade, reserving marinade, and arrange hens, skin side up, in the prepared pan. Roast 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
• While hens are roasting, in a small saucepan, combine reserved marinade and remaining 1 cup of coconut milk and cook sauce at a slow boil, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, and strain through a sieve into another small saucepan to keep warm.
• Serve hens with the marinade sauce and/or the Sweet Chili Sauce.
• For the Sweet Chili sauce, in a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Cool sauce to room temperature. Sauce may be made up to 3 days ahead and kept chilled, covered. Serve at room temperature though. (Yield: 1 1/2 cups).

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.

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.