game time.

cornish game hen, that is. picked a couple of these up in walmart the other day and wanted to see if i can do anything with it. searched around on a few sites then saw a reference for cooking light's roasted cornish game hen. i happen to love cooking light's cookbooks and for the most part, their recipes have always been spot-on with me. so...decided to give it a try. :D


i followed the recipe for the most part. anything i didn't have, i substituted as usual. the glaze itself has a pretty similar base to the balsamic one i always do. so, to change it up a bit, i added a touch of rose water, a pinch of savory, and a dash of pepper give it a little bit of complexity. the side was just asparagus with crispy pancetta, garlic, and red onion sauteed in a little bit of olive oil. also, butterflying the hen turned out to be super-duper easy! thank you, youtube! and thank you, mr. ramsay, for showing how to do the drumsticks! XD

one thing i have to say tho...it definitely needed a starch of some sort. the portion still left me and the boyfriend a tad bit peckish and i think having some sort of starch would have probably fixed that problem. that or serve a whole cornish hen to each instead of halving it. who knew they were such small portions? :/ ah, well...c'est la vie.
 

Roasted Cornish Hens with Cherry-Port Glaze
(from Cooking Light)

1/2 cup cherry preserves
1/2 cup port
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tbsp rose water
1/4 tsp savory
1/4 tsp paprika or ancho chile powder
2 (1 1/2-pound) Cornish hens
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray.

Combine preserves, port, ginger, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan (added the rosewater, savory, and paprika/ancho chile here as well). Bring to a boil; cook 9 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.

Remove and discard giblets and necks from hens. Rinse hens with cold water; pat dry. Remove skin; trim excess fat. Working with 1 hen at a time, tie ends of legs together with twine. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under hen. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Set on wire rack on baking sheet.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Brush hens with cherry mixture; bake 40 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the meaty part of thigh registers 165°, brushing with cherry mixture every 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove twine; split hens in half lengthwise.
 

Asparagus and Pancetta Saute
(makes 2 servings)

half bunch asparagus, cut into thirds
2 to 3 slices of pancetta, roughly chopped
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
salt and pepper

Slightly caramelize onion and garlic together in a little olive oil. Add pancetta and cook until crispy. Add the asparagus and saute until tender, about 2 to 5 minutes depending on thickness. Season with salt and pepper to taste.