My sister and I were visiting with my cousin Ashley one day and she told us she had a Restaurant Depot card on loan. We both lit up and asked if we could go since we had never been. She of course, said yes, and we packed our sweaters and got on the road. The sweaters came in handy because the refrigerated area is like Antarctica!
While there, we all picked up cornish hens for our respective families. My sister and cousin asked me for tips and I gladly gave them out and they impressed their husbands and kiddos. And I forgot about my cornish hens. Then one Tuesday (our usual date night) Gentleman Caller had to work late and knew ahead of time. I was going to cook us a nice dinner and the hens suddenly popped in my head! Our Tuesday would be a night of celebrating that trip to the frozen tundra!
I went searching for an unusual recipe and found this one from Tori Avey for marinated cornish hens with citrus and spice. I would call them brined and not marinated but potato/puhtahtoe. This was soooo good. I mean so good. Gentleman caller was very impressed and so was I. But we both wanted one change which I will just make when I flesh out the recipe below. Have you ever made cornish hens? What is your go to recipe? Full recipe to follow the montage.
 |
| Hello hens! |
 |
| The spicy cast. |
 |
| I feel like this is like a Van Gogh! |
 |
| Goodnight little birds! |
 |
| Looking good! |
 |
| All trussed up with nowhere to go, except into my belly! |
 |
| Fancy BBQ sauce! |
 |
| So pretty with risotto and a salad! |
2 Cornish game hens
3 cups cool water
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 medium orange
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp turmeric
In a medium mixing bowl combine water, orange juice, sugar, salt and spices. Whisk to combine thoroughly. Rinse hens and trim off any excess fat or skin. Place them in a big container or large ziplock bag and pour marinade over. Marinate in the fridge overnight.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Place the hens in a roasting pan and reserve the marinade. Tuck an orange quarter inside of each hen, then truss with twine. Brush each hen with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the hens for 20 minutes, and then reduce heat to 350 and roast for an additional hour, turning the roasting pan halfway through cooking to ensure even heat distribution. Meanwhile, strain the remaining marinade into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a a simmer and cook, letting the liquid slowly reduce until the the mixture is the consistency of a thick sauce. After an hour, remove the hens from the oven and brush them with a lot of the sauce. Return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes, or until the hens are 165 degrees F.
Happy Cooking!
Missy
Happy Cooking!
Missy
No comments
Post a Comment