Be the first to Cornish game hens are filled with a potato, apple, and turnip stuffing and braised in a Calvados apple brandy pan sauce.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 2 cups chicken broth, divided use
- 14 ounces turnips, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 12 ounces baking potatoes, baked until tender
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 (about 20 ounces each) Cornish game hens
- 1 Tablespoon (about) browning sauce (such as Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet)
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup Calvados, Applejack, or brandy
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
- Red and green apple wedges and watercress for garnish
Preparation:
Place 1-1/4 cups of the chicken broth, turnips, apples, onions, oregano, thyme, nutmeg, and rosemary in a heavy saucepan. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes until turnips are tender. Drain off liquid, reserving for later use, and return vegetables to the saucepan.
Cut baked potatoes in half. Scoop out the flesh and add to the turnips in the saucepan along with 1 teaspoon butter, salt, and pepper. Coarsely mash the vegetables, leaving some large lumps. Let cool to room temperature.
Rub the skin of the Cornish hens with the browning sauce. (This helps give that golden finish without adding flavor.) Stuff the hens with the vegetable mixture. Sew or skewer openings shut and tie legs together.
Preheat oven at 425 degrees F.
Heat a large, heavy, oven-proof skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil and butter, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan. Brown Cornish hens on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Place browned hens on a platter and keep warm.
Add Calvados to the skillet and boil, scraping up any browned bits, about 30 seconds. Stir in remaining 3/4 cup chicken broth, apple juice, and reserved liquid from the vegetables. Boil briskly until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Return Cornish hens, breast-side up to the skillet and spoon liquid over the tops. Place in preheated oven, uncovered, and bake about 30 minutes until tender. Baste with the pan juices every 10 minutes.
To serve, remove strings and skewers. Cut each Cornish hen in half lengthwise and place on a platter. Garnish with apple slices and watercress and pass the pan juices in a gravy boat.
Yield: 6 servings
Cut baked potatoes in half. Scoop out the flesh and add to the turnips in the saucepan along with 1 teaspoon butter, salt, and pepper. Coarsely mash the vegetables, leaving some large lumps. Let cool to room temperature.
Rub the skin of the Cornish hens with the browning sauce. (This helps give that golden finish without adding flavor.) Stuff the hens with the vegetable mixture. Sew or skewer openings shut and tie legs together.
Preheat oven at 425 degrees F.
Heat a large, heavy, oven-proof skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil and butter, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan. Brown Cornish hens on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Place browned hens on a platter and keep warm.
Add Calvados to the skillet and boil, scraping up any browned bits, about 30 seconds. Stir in remaining 3/4 cup chicken broth, apple juice, and reserved liquid from the vegetables. Boil briskly until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Return Cornish hens, breast-side up to the skillet and spoon liquid over the tops. Place in preheated oven, uncovered, and bake about 30 minutes until tender. Baste with the pan juices every 10 minutes.
To serve, remove strings and skewers. Cut each Cornish hen in half lengthwise and place on a platter. Garnish with apple slices and watercress and pass the pan juices in a gravy boat.
Yield: 6 servings
