I’m on vacation this week in scenic Sturgeon Bay, so let’s keep things simple, with a sweet and spicy roasted Cornish hen recipe.
This recipe came about because I had, stoopidly, bought a bottle of ridiculously sweet red wine that was really not good for much…
well, not around our house, anyway.
So, I found a recipe for wine spiced rice and used the rest for these two hens.
More about the rice, tomorrow, for today, let’s talk Cornish hen.
INGREDIENTS
•2 Cornish hens, spatchcocked
•1/2 cup pepper jelly
•1/2 cup sweet red wine
•1 tbsp lemon juice
•1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
•2 tbsp tomato chutney*
•1/2 sweet onion, sliced
•2 small lemons, sliced
•2 plums, stoned and sliced
•Sea salt
•Black pepper
•Aleppo pepper
*I know I just made a batch of tomato chutney, but I had another bowl of tomatoes getting old before we headed out on vacation, so made another, larger batch; this time with a bit more spice and mostly yellow tomatoes. Check out that recipe, in Friday’s Parfait!
Heat oven to 350º
Spatchcock the hens, season with the salt and peppers, then arrange, skin side down, over the onion, plum and lemon slices. Brush with a bit of the wine and jelly mixture.
Roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Flip over and roast for another 30 minutes, brushing with remaining wine and jelly mixture.
Add the last of the wine mixture and return to the oven for 30 more minutes.
Remove from the oven, let rest for ten minutes, then serve.
Nice hens!