Spiced Grilled Cornish Hen Food

BARBECUED VIETNAMESE 5-SPICE CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• For Hens: Halve the hens through the breast. Flatten the breasts with the palm of your hand.
• In a mortar or food processor, pound or mince the garlic, shallots and sugar. Add the salt, pepper, five-spice powder, fish sauce, soy sauce and sherry. Mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture over the hens. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Prepare a fire in a barbecue. Let the coals burn down to medium-hot. Set the hens skin-side down on the rack and grill over medium-hot coals for 15 minutes. Turn and grill for 15 minutes longer, or until they are thoroughly cooked and the skin is crisp and browned. Serve with Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce.
• For Dipping Sauce: In a mortar, pound the garlic, chile pepper and sugar into a paste. (Or blend in a food processor or blender.) Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the fish sauce, lime juice and water; stir to blend. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, or until ready to serve. Strain into dipping saucers. Yields about 3/4 cup.

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.

GRILLED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and place the Cornish hens skin side down on a cutting board.
• Using kitchen shears cut along one side of the backbone from the tail towards the neck. Cut along the other side of the backbone to remove it completely.
• Turn the hen over and bend the legs so they face outward. Using two hands, press down firmly on the breast until you hear the breastbone cracking. Repeat with the remaining birds.
• Add olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, parsley, salt, and pepper to a large bowl or large Ziploc bag and mix everything together. Add in the hens and use your hands to move everything around making sure they are coated well in the marinade.
• Preheat half the grill to 350°F/180°C. Clean and oil the grilling grates to help prevent the birds from sticking.
• Place the hens skin side up over the heat/coals and brush them with the remaining marinade. Cover and cook for 5 minutes then flip and cook for another 15-25 minutes.
• Remove from the grill and serve.

SPICED GRILLED CORNISH HEN

Steps:

• Prepare grill.
• In a small saucepan melt butter with honey, chili powder, and cayenne. Remove pan from heat and stir in juice and salt and pepper to taste.
• Rinse and pat hen halves dry and season with salt. Grill hen halves, skin sides down, on an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals 5 minutes. Turn halves over with metal tongs and grill, basting with spice mixture, 20 minutes more. Grill halves, without basting, until cooked through, about 10 minutes more. (Alternatively, grill hen halves in an oiled, hot, well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat.)

SPECIAL CORNISH HEN

Steps:

• Pre heat oven to 350o F.
• Mix the vegetables,wine, herbs, and oil together in a bowl.
• Chop and sweat the bacon in a cast iron skillet, add to vegetable mixture grease and all. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Stuff the hen with this mixture and sew closed tightly ( this is needed to maintain moisture in the finished product ).
• Salt and pepper the stufffed hen well.
• Place hen on rack in shallow oven proof pan*. Brush with melted butter.
• Roast for 1.5 to 2 hours, basting often, until juices run clear or instant read thermometer reads 180 o. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
• Cut hen in half lengthwise and serve with the stuffing.

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.

GRILLED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the butter, onions, parsley, ginger, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. , Rub mixture under the skin and over the top of each game hen. Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper inside the hen cavities. , Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Prepare grill for indirect heat, using a drip pan. , Place hens breast side up over drip pan; grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 45-60 minutes or until a thermometer reads 180° and the meat juices run clear.

GRILLED MEDITERRANEAN CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Mix spices in a small bowl.
• Rub all over hens and grill immediately, or cover airtight and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
• Heat barbecue grill.
• Place hens, skin side down, 4 to 6 inches above heat source.
• Grill 20 to 30 minutes, turning once, until meat is opaque near the bone and juices run clear when thigh is pierced.
• Serve with lemon wedges.
• Enjoy!

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.