Martha Stewart Cornish Hen Food

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

BUTTERFLIED CORNISH HENS WITH SAGE BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place hens on a sheet tray fitted with a cooling rack in the refrigerator to dry skin out for 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a small pan over medium heat, melt butter with sage, zest, salt and pepper. Remove hens from refrigerator. Preheat 2 large saute pans over medium heat, lightly coat with oil. Season hens with salt and pepper and sear, skin side down, in the pans. Sear until skin caramelizes and turns golden brown and crispy, about 7 to 10 minutes. Flip birds over, and baste with sage butter. Sprinkle tops with chopped bacon and place in preheated oven to finish cooking, 25 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

EASY CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients except hens.
• Clean & cut hens in half.
• Pour sauce over hens & bake 1 hour at 350°F.

PAN SEARED CORNISH HEN

Steps:

• For the potatoes: In a bowl smash the boiled potatoes. Add the sour cream, onions, parsley and egg yolk, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Form the mashed potato mixture into 4 cakes and coat with the breadcrumbs. Refrigerate and hold for later use.
• For the Cornish hens: Sprinkle the Cornish hens on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over high heat, add the grapeseed oil and heat until it just begins to smoke. Carefully lay the hens in the pan, skin-side down. Sear the hens until the skin is golden brown and releases from the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-high, turn the hens over, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the chicken stock and cover the pan with a lid. Continue to cook the hens until they are cooked through, or when an internal thermometer reaches 160 degrees F along the thigh bone. Remove the hens from the pan and let rest.
• Add the demi glace and garlic to the stock in the pan and reduce by half.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, and then whisk or swirl in the pan to incorporate. Add the tarragon and season the jus with salt and pepper.
• Finish the potato cakes. In a saute pan over high heat, heat the grapeseed oil until it just begins to smoke. Place the potato cakes in the pan and cook until the cakes are golden brown. Reduce the heat to medium and flip the cakes and cook until both sides are golden brown. Remove the potato cakes and hold hot for plating.
• For the broccoli rabe: In a saute pan, heat the grapeseed oil and add the broccoli rabe. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the butter. Remove from the pan to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• To plate, spoon 2 ounces of the tarragon jus on to the center of each plate. Place a portion of the broccoli rabe in the center of the sauce. Place a potato cake on top each broccoli rabe pile, then place either half or a whole hen over the potato cakes. Pour the remainder of the sauce over the hens.

SMOTHERED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Brown hens in the butter in a large skillet over a medium-high heat.
• Then place with breast up in a 13x9 baking dish.
• Add flour into the skillet stirring until smooth.
• Cook 2 minutes; stirring constantly over medium heat.
• Slowly stir in the broth and sherry; cook over medium heat, constantly stirring, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.
• Stir in salt and pepper.
• Pour sauce over hens and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour covered.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HEN WITH MUSTARD GLAZE

Steps:

• Remove the backbone from the hen with poultry shears or a sharp knife, place the hen, skin side up, on a work surface, and press down the breastbone to flatten the hen.
• In an ovenproof skillet roast the hen, skin side up, in a preheated 450°F oven for 10 minutes.
• While the hen is roasting, in a small bowl whisk together the oil, the mustard, rosemary, the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Remove the hen from the oven, spread the mustard mixture over the skin, and roast the hen for 15 minutes.
• Transfer the hen to a preheated broiler and broil it about 4 inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes. Now put the mustard seed in with the mustard mixture and broil for 2-3 more minutes(this is so the mustard seeds won't burn).
• Transfer the hen to a platter and keep it warm.
• To the skillet add the wine and boil the mixture over high heat until it is reduced by half. Add the broth, boil the mixture for 1 minute, scraping up and brown bits, and add any juices that have accumulated on the platter. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve onto 2 plates. Cut the hen in half with a sharp knife, and arrange each half on top of the sauce.
• Serve and enjoy!