Cornish Game Hens With Pancetta Juniper Berries And Beets Recipes

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH PANCETTA, JUNIPER BERRIES AND BEETS

Steps:

• Position 1 rack in top third of oven and second rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Mix 1 1/2 cups chopped beet greens, pancetta and juniper berries in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fill hen cavities with pancetta mixture, dividing equally. Tie hen legs together. Place hens in heavy large roasting pan. Rub 1 tablespoon olive oil over hens. Sprinkle hens with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Roast hens on bottom rack in oven until golden and juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss chopped beets with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil on heavy large baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange beets in single layer. Roast beets on top rack in oven until tender and beginning to caramelize, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
• Transfer hens to plates. Remove string. Scrape up any browned bits from bottom of roasting pan. Pour pan juices through sieve into 2-cup glass measuring cup. Spoon fat off top of pan juices.
• Spoon beets around hens. Drizzle pan juices around hens and serve.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together salt, lemon pepper, dried basil and poultry seasoning. Rub olive oil all over the hens and season each with the salt mixture. Place the hens on a baking sheet pan with plenty of space between them. You may need to use 2 pans. Loosely stuff the cavities of each hen with some green bell pepper, celery and onion. Roast the hens in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear. Remove the hens from the oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before carving or serving.

CORNISH GAME HENS UNDER A BRICK

Steps:

• Garlic Oil: Gently heat garlic and oil in a small saucepan for 5 minutes, until bubbles form on top; turn heat off and add bay leaves and peppercorns.
• Steep and cool; can be kept, refrigerated, for 2 weeks.
• Cornish Hen: Cut the hen along its backbone with kitchen shears; butterfly with hands; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• In a nonstick skillet large enough to hold the flattened hen, heat the oil over medium heat; add the hen, skin side down and weight down evenly with an aluminum foil-wrapped brick.
• Cook, turning every 2-3 minutes until golden brown and cooked through; remove hen to serving plate (s).
• Pour the wine into the skillet, add the thyme and reduce over high heat, scraping up browned bits, until thickened; pour over hen and serve immediately, drizzling with Garlic Oil if desired.

ROAST CORNISH HENS WITH HERBS AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Chop the sage, rosemary and thyme and mix with the butter. Push the herb butter under the loosened skin of the breasts of the poussins or hens. Truss the poussins, season with salt and pepper and cover the breasts with pancetta. Sprinkle with olive oil.
• Place the poussins in a roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Degrease the pan juices and season to taste. Place each poussin on a heated plate and pour a serving of sauce around each one.

CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Sprinkle Salt on each Hen.
• Place Hen on a shallow baking pan.
• Mix butter, wine and the tarragon in a bowl.
• Pour 1/4 of the mixture over each hen.
• Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
• Pour 1/2 of the remaining butter mixture over each hen and bake 25 more minutes.

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).