Cornish Hens With Strawberry Balsamic Sauce Recipes

GLAZED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place hens, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes. , In a small bowl, combine spreadable fruit and orange juice. Spoon some of the apricot mixture over the hens. Bake until golden brown and juices run clear, 30-35 minutes, basting several times with remaining apricot mixture. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

HERB CORNISH HENS WITH CRANBERRY-ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. On rack in shallow roasting pan, place hens, breast sides up. Brush with oil. Sprinkle inside and out with salt, dried thyme and pepper. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh and does not touch bone.
• Bake uncovered 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes until juice of hens is clear when thickest pieces are cut to bone (at least 165°F).
• Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat cranberry sauce over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted. Stir in marmalade, gingerroot and clementine sections. Cook 1 minute.
• To serve, cut each hen in half along backbone and breastbone from tail to neck, using kitchen scissors. Serve hens with warm sauce. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

BACON-WRAPPED CORNISH HENS WITH RASPBERRY BALSAMIC GLAZE

Steps:

• Briskly simmer jam and vinegar in a small saucepan, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until glaze is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature (glaze will thicken slightly as it cools).
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Cook bacon in batches in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until some of fat is rendered but bacon is still translucent and pliable, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Cut out and discard backbone from each hen with kitchen shears, then halve each hen lengthwise. Pat hens dry and season with salt and pepper, then arrange, cut sides down, in a large roasting pan. Brush hens liberally with glaze, reserving remainder, and wrap 2 slices of bacon around each half hen, tucking ends under. Roast in middle of oven, brushing with pan juices and reserved glaze twice (every 10 minutes), until juices run clear when a thigh is pierced, 30 to 35 minutes.

MOROCCAN STYLE BALSAMIC CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Rinse the game hens under running water. Pat dry and cut them in half lengthwise (kitchen scissors work fine).
• Arrange orange slices in bottom of a 9x13" glass baking dish. Top with game hens.
• Mix 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped garlic and 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin in bowl. Rub mixture all over hens. Wash your hands well with soap and hot water.
• Whisk together port, sherry, oil, vinegar, and honey in small bowl. Taste it to see if the mixture is to your taste, then if it is, pour over hens. (There is quite a difference between the taste of balsamic vinegar - which is sweet - and red wine vinegar, so if you use wine vinegar you'll definitely want to taste the mixture and adjust the amount of honey to your preference before pouring it over the hens.).
• Tuck dates and olives between hens and season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours or overnight, turning hens once. (I've made this recipe beginning in the morning and marinated it 6-8 hrs during the day, too, and it was still delicious.).
• Remove hens from refrigerator and place on counter, covered, for at least 30 minutes. (You don't want to put a chilled baking dish straight into a preheated oven.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Turn the hens skin side up, then bake hens with marinade, dates and olives until hens are cooked through, basting occasionally, about 40 minutes.
• Transfer hens, dates and olives to serving platter. Discard orange slices. Pour the pan juices into a heavy small saucepan.
• Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin and 1 tsp butter and simmer until reduced to about half, whisking frequently, about 5 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon some sauce over hens. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro.
• Serve, passing remaining sauce separately in a gravy or sauce bowl.
• Note: when I first made this recipe, I didn't have fresh cilantro on hand, and couldn't even find dried in our herb stash, which surprised me. Mike collects herbs and spices, and we have a huge collection in the pantry. (I call him Condiment Man.) I had a bunch of a nice Italian dried herb mix (basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage), so used that instead. I know it's not really an equivalent to cilantro, but it smelled wonderful anyhow and it tasted great, too. I also add lots more green olives and dates, which the recipe reflects :)
• Note #2: if you want/need to serve more than two people, you can use the above marinade for up to 6 hens, then you'll need to begin adding more ingredients.

HONEY GINGER CORNISH GAME HENS GRILLED WITH CRANBERRY STRAWBERRY

Steps:

• Thaw hens place in large bowl and set aside.
• Take the next 5 ingredients and put in blender or food processor.
• Pour mixture over hens, cover with plastic and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
• About 20 minutes before you take out the hens begin the basting sauce and preheat the grill to about 400 degrees.
• First saute onion with butter in a small sauce pan.
• Add broth, cranberry sauce, sugar , strawberries and allspice bring to a boil.
• Add heavy cream as needed to bring to desired thickness.
• Strain the sauce then divide mixture in half.
• Sprinkle parsley and thyme on hens before grilling. I like to place hens directly on the grill to sear them then I move them to a pan to finish (because of grease and drippings).
• Use one half of the mixture to brush on hens while grilling to really pop the flavor. I baste around every 15 minutes or so. Again, do to your preference.
• When inside temp reaches 180 degrees the hens are finished usually takes at least 40 minutes. Use the thermometer it is the most accurate way to cook to perfection.
• Warm the other half of the sauce and serve with the hens and your favorite side dish.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Put the game hens in a shallow, flameproof baking dish without crowding. Rub the hens all over with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut the onion in half and place the halves, cut side down, around the hens. Arrange the gizzards and livers around the hens.
• Place the baking dish with hens on top of the stove over low heat. Turn the hens around in the dish to coat with the oil. Arrange the hens on their sides. Place in the oven and bake 15 minutes, basting often.
• Turn the hens to other side and continue baking 15 minutes, basting often.
• Turn the hens breast side up and continue baking about 10 minutes, basting often.
• Transfer the hens to a heated serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Skim off most of the fat from the pan liquid in the baking dish. Put the baking dish on top of the stove and bring the pan liquid to a boil. Add the wine and stir to dissolve any brown particles that may cling to the bottom of the pan. Strain the sauce into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook down to about half and add the honey, chicken broth and tomato paste. Stir. Add any liquid that has accumulated inside or around the hens. Add the cranberries and bring to a boil.
• Cook until the cranberries pop, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Swirl in the butter. Add salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the hens and serve.

CORNISH HENS WITH STRAWBERRY-BALSAMIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Set a metal rack over a baking sheet.
• Rub Cornish hens with olive oil; season inside and out with salt and pepper. Place 1 sprig rosemary in the cavity of each hen. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Place hens breast side-up on the rack.
• Roast hens in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh, near the bone, reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 25 to 35 minutes.
• Combine strawberry jam, white wine, balsamic vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until jam starts to melt, about 3 minutes. Add Thai chile pepper; let steep for 5 minutes.
• Remove sauce from heat and discard pepper. Serve alongside Cornish hens.

CORNISH HEN WITH TART CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine sea salt, black pepper, thyme, garlic powder, rosemary, and paprika in a bowl. Place hens on a baking sheet and evenly brush with 5 tablespoons butter. Rub hens with spice mixture.
• Bake hens in preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 1/2 hours, basting every 1/2 hour with white wine. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C).
• Mix cherries, red wine, orange juice, and brown sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in 2 tablespoons butter, and cook until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle flour into the sauce; whisk until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle cherry sauce over cooked hens.

ROASTED CORNISH HEN WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425° F. Remove all visible fat and the neck and giblets from the Cornish hens. Rinse the hens under cold water and pat them dry inside and out with paper towels. Season the birds generously with salt and pepper, inside and out. Place one rosemary sprig, 2 sage leaves, and 1 bay leaf in the body cavity of each bird.
• Heat the oil in a heavy, flameproof roasting pan or very large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions, carrots, celery, porcini, and the remaining rosemary and sage leaves and cook, stirring, until the scallions are wilted, about 4 minutes. Smooth the vegetables into an even layer and nestle the prepared birds, breast side up, over them. Roast, basting frequently with enough of the chicken stock to keep the vegetables well moistened, until the vegetables and hens are golden brown-about 45 minutes.
• Carefully tilt the pan and spoon off enough of the roasting juices to measure 1 cup, not including fat. Stir the balsamic vinegar and honey into the measured juices until the honey is dissolved. Return the birds to oven and roast, basting occasionally with the honey mixture, until the birds are a rich mahogany color and the leg joint moves easily when you wiggle it, about 15 minutes.
• Remove the birds from the oven, transfer them to a platter or plates, and cover with a tent of aluminum foil to keep them warm. Strain the pan juices through a sieve into a small saucepan, pressing as much of the liquid from the vegetables as possible. Skim the fat from the surface of the sauce, and bring the sauce to a simmer while carving the birds. With a pair of kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbones to remove them. Cut the birds in half through the center breastbone. Cut each half into leg and breast portions. Arrange the pieces on a platter or plates, and spoon some of the roasting juices over them. Pass the remaining sauce separately.