Roasted Game Hen With Citrus Clove Glaze Food

ROASTED CITRUS-HERB GAME HEN

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Rinse the game hens and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, shallots, orange zest, lemon zest, thyme, mint, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Rub 2 tablespoons of the zest mixture over the skins of the game hens. Place the remainder of the zest mixture under the skin and into the cavities of the hens. Using kitchen twine, truss the legs together. Place the hens in a shallow 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Add the chicken stock, Marsala wine, lemon juice, orange juice, and cranberries. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the leg juices run clear. Remove the game hens and set aside. Place the flour in a small saucepan. Whisk in the pan juices. Bring the juices to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Whisk in the butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• To serve, remove the kitchen twine and place the hens on 2 serving plates. Drizzle with the citrus-herb sauce.

ROASTED GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the game hens and pat them dry. Season the cavities with salt and pepper and place a quarter lemon and a quarter onion in each cavity. Place the birds, breast side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Dot with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the white wine into the pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the juices run clear when the hen is pierced in the thickest part of the thigh. Remove from the oven and serve with the pan juices spooned over the hens.
• ROASTED GAME HENS WITH ASIAN SPICE RUB: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the game hens and pat them dry. Season the cavities with salt and pepper and place a quarter lemon and a quarter onion in each cavity. In a small bowl, combine the butter, ginger and five-spice powder. Rub the five-spice mixture onto the hens. Place the birds, breast side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Pour the white wine into the pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the juices run clear when the hen is pierced in the thickest part of the thigh. Remove from the oven and serve with the pan juices spooned over the hens. Yield: 6 servings
• ROASTED GAME HENS STUFFED UNDER THE SKIN WITH HERBED RICOTTA: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the ricotta in a fine sieve and drain for 30 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the drained ricotta, Parmesan, egg yolk, herbs and lemon zest. Put the garlic clove through a garlic press and into the ricotta. Mix well, adding salt and pepper to taste. Rinse the game hens and pat them dry. Season the cavities with salt and pepper and place a quarter lemon and a quarter onion in each cavity. Loosen the skin on the breasts by sliding your fingers under the skin, being careful not to pierce it. Spoon the ricotta mixture under the skin (about 4 tablespoons of stuffing per bird.) Truss the birds. Place the birds, breast side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Pour the white wine into the pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until the juices run clear when the hen is pierced in the thickest part of the thigh. Remove from the oven and serve with the pan juices spooned over the hens. Yield: 6 servings

ROASTED ORANGE-TARRAGON CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Remove and discard giblet, if any. Rinse hens inside and out and pat dry. Loosen skin from the breasts and place hens in a large resealable plastic bag.
• Whisk orange juice, orange zest, tarragon, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Whisking continually, slowly drizzle in olive oil until combined. Pour marinade over the hens in the bag, making sure to get some under the skin. Seal bag and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Remove hens from the bag, letting excess marinade drip off; pour remaining marinade into a small saucepan and set aside. Place hens in a small roasting pan and season with salt and pepper. Tie legs together with kitchen twine and tuck wing tips underneath.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue cooking, basting with pan juices every 10 to 15 minutes, until hens are golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 25 to 30 minutes more.
• Transfer hens to a serving plate, pouring any cavity juices back into the roasting pan. Tent with aluminum foil and keep warm.
• Scrape pan juices and pour through a strainer into the saucepan with the reserved marinade. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Season sauce with salt and pepper, if necessary.
• Serve Cornish hens whole or cut in half. Spoon pan sauce over hens to serve.

ROASTED GARLIC-ROSEMARY CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Mix garlic and chopped rosemary together in a small bowl.
• Rinse each hen under cold water; pat dry. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast by gently inserting fingers between skin and meat. Place about 2 teaspoons of garlic mixture under skin and spread evenly over breast meat. Place 1 rosemary sprig in body cavity. Sprinkle hens with salt and pepper.
• Tie ends of legs together with cord. Lift wing tips out and tuck under hen. Place hens on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; bake for 1 hour or until juices run clear. Remove skin and cord before serving; split hens in half lengthwise.

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!