Poussins Or Cornish Hens With Rosemary Orange And Shallots Recipes

CONTEST-WINNING ORANGE-GLAZED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to at 350°. Tie legs of each hen together; turn wing tips under backs. Place on a greased rack in a roasting pan. Brush with butter; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour., Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 15 minutes. Spoon over hens. Bake until a thermometer reads 170°, about 15 minutes longer.

POUSSINS OR CORNISH HENS WITH ROSEMARY, ORANGE AND SHALLOTS

Steps:

• The day before, start the stock. Roast the veal bones, chicken necks and bones, onion, garlic and carrots in the oven until well browned. Place in a stock pot with leeks, wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, peppercorns, thyme, parsley and water. Simmer uncovered, for four hours, adding water if necessary (cook for a half-hour after adding extra water). Strain the stock and refrigerate.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the orange in half and cut one half in four slices. Place half a slice inside each poussin; squeeze the juice from the remaining orange half over each poussin. Place some rosemary leaves inside, leaving plenty for the garnish. Sprinkle with oil, season with salt and pepper and truss.
• Place the poussins on their side in a roasting pan with the shallots. Roast for 15 minutes, turn on the other side and roast a further 15 minutes. Finish breast-up, place in a serving dish and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, remove stock from refrigerator and take off the fat, which will be solid. Put the stock in a saucepan and reduce to one-and-a-half cups. Remove the shallots from the roasting pan and keep warm. Degrease the cooking juices from the poussins and add to the stock. Reduce to one-and-a-half cups and correct seasoning. Just before serving, swirl in the butter. Place in a heated sauce boat and keep warm.
• Place the poussins on a serving dish and then arrange shallots around them and garnish liberally with sprigs of rosemary. Pass the sauce separately.

ROSEMARY ROAST CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Remove the giblets from the hens. Rinse the hens with cold water and pat them dry with paper towels.
• Combine the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place the hens in a large self-sealing food-storage bag and pour the marinade over them. Close the bag securely and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Shake the bag once or twice to coat the hens evenly with the marinade. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Remove the hens from the plastic bag and pat dry with paper towels. Season the hens inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity loosely with the Cornbread Herbed Stuffing. Rub or brush butter over the skin of the hens and place the hens breast side up in a shallow roasting pan, large enough to allow space between the hens.
• Roast for 15 minutes to brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and baste frequently with pan drippings and melted butter. Continue roasting for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the juices run clear when the flesh is pierced with a sharp knife.
• In saute pan, melt the butter. Saute the onions and celery in the butter until tender. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with onions, celery, poultry seasoning, and herbs. Add the eggs and enough chicken stock to slightly moisten and barely bind the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Yield: 9 to 10 cups;

ROAST POUSSIN/CORNISH HEN AND SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• This is my almost regular as clockwork Saturday night supper. I find it enormously easy and relaxing to make since all I do is go downstairs, put everything in the oven, and then go back up to Saturday evening tv in bed until it's ready - and then, frankly, back again.
• If I cook the poussins/ Cornish hens in the same pan as the sweet potatoes, I cut a couple of slices of bread and put 1 underneath each bird in the tin, so as to absorb the juices and stop them from seeping into the sweet potatoes which, in turn, would prevent them from crisping and browning. But more often than not, I dispense with the bread (you can imagine how good it tastes later though) and just get 2 disposable foil roasting trays about the size of brownie tins each and put the poussins/ Cornish hens in one and the sweet potatoes in another and reuinite on the plate with a little watercress and a squirt of lime juice later. I must have English mustard with. I know it's a weakness, but not one I'm willing to renounce.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the birds into a small baking tin or foil tray pouring over 1 tablespoon of oil.
• Cut the unpeeled sweet potatoes into 2 1/2-inch cubes and put them into another smallish tin or foil tray.Pour over the other tablespoon of oil and sprinkle over the spices, and then toss everything together by shaking the tin.
• Cook both the poussins/hens and sweet potatoes in the preheated hot oven for 45 minutes.
• Put each poussin/Cornish hen on a plate, with a tangle of watercress and the sweet potatoes alongside. Sprinkle with Maldon/kosher salt, to taste, and spritz with lime juice and go to it!

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Rub hens with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Lightly season hens with salt and pepper. Place 1 lemon wedge and 1 sprig rosemary in cavity of each hen. Arrange in a large, heavy roasting pan, and arrange garlic cloves around hens. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a mixing bowl, whisk together wine, chicken broth, and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil; pour over hens. Continue roasting about 25 minutes longer, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear. Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes.
• Transfer hens to a platter, pouring any cavity juices into the roasting pan. Tent hens with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices and garlic cloves to a medium saucepan and boil until liquids reduce to a sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise and arrange on plates. Spoon sauce and garlic around hens. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, and serve.

ROAST CORNISH HENS WITH ROSEMARY, POTATOES, LEMONS & WINE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the chicken or game hens liberally with some of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper inside and out. Sprinkle with paprika.
• Place the lemon quarters in the cavity, giving each (lemon) a little squeeze to release the oil from the skins.
• Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and toss them with the rest of the olive oil and the rosemary leaves. Spread them around the chicken in a large baking pan.
• Fold a piece of aluminum foil double into a rectangle about the size of the chicken. Grease it down the middle, making a little tent, and lay the foil loosely over the breast.
• Roast the chicken for 45 minutes, basting 2 to 3 times with the fat in the pan.
• Add the wine (it will quickly evaporate in the hot oven, leaving a lovely flavor in the potatoes), remove the foil, and cook for 15 to 20 more minutes.
• If the breast is not browned enough, turn on the broiler for a few seconds to crisp the skin, but watch carefully so as not to burn your masterpiece.
• Carve the large chicken or split the game hens and serve with the potatoes and the pan juices poured over the chicken.

ORANGE BALSAMIC CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°.
• Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil; set a baking rack in each pan.
• Using poultry shears or a sharp chef's knife, cut along both sides of each hen's backbone and discard.
• Open the birds up and turn skin side up, pressing lightly on the breastbones to flatten them a bit.
• Arrange 3 hens on each baking rack, skin side up, and season liberally with salt and pepper.
• Mix the orange juice concentrate, balsamic vinegar, and oil together; pour evenly over the hens, and sprinkle with rosemary.
• Roast hens for 15 minutes at 425°, then decrease heat to 375° and roast for 30 minutes more, OR until the juices run clear (I'd check doneness with an instant read thermometer).
• Let the hens rest for 5 minutes before serving.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH SWEET ONION COMPOTE

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and 3 tablespoons sugar. Cook until onions are golden, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add wine and cook until onions are very tender and mixture is reduced to thick jamlike consistency, stirring frequently, about 40 minutes. Set compote aside.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add hen quarters and brown well on all sides, about 8 minutes. Place hen quarters on rimmed baking sheet (do not clean skillet). Sprinkle hens with salt and pepper. Bake hen quarters until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer hen quarters to bowl; cover to keep warm. Add drippings from baking sheet, vinegar and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar to skillet used to brown hens. Bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add stock and bring to boil. Mix remaining 4 tablespoons butter and flour in small bowl, forming paste. Whisk paste into stock mixture. Boil until thickened to sauce consistency, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Rewarm onion compote; spoon onto center of each plate. Arrange 2 hen quarters around compote. Spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

HEATHER'S ROSEMARY CITRUS CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Bring the vegetable broth, 4 1/2 cups of water, the allspice berries, black peppercorns, and kosher salt to a boil in a large pot, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove the brine from the heat, and set aside to cool. When the brine is cool, place the Cornish hens into the brine and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove the game hens from the brine, and pat dry. Discard the brine.
• Place the cut-up grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime, rosemary, and thyme into a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 2 minutes; with tongs, stuff the fruit and herbs into the cavities of the Cornish hens. Slather each hen with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Place the stuffed hens into a roasting dish, breast sides up.
• Roast in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). For extra-crispy skin, turn the oven heat up to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for the last 15 minutes of cooking. Allow the hens to rest for 10 minutes before serving.