Conference turris::cooks

    I found this recipe in the August 86 issue of New Woman magazine.
    I gave it a try a couple of days ago and it was delicious as well
    as being quick and easy.
                                         -sunny-
    
    %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
    
    Cornish Hens with Chili Butter
    
    10 tablespoons butter, softened (or margerine)
    1 tablespoon HOT chili powder
    1 teaspoon salt
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    4 Cornish hens, split down the back and flattened
    
    In small bowl, use a fork to mash together butter, chili powder,
    salt and garlic until smooth. Set aside.
    
    Place hens with breast side up in a shallow roasting pan and using
    your fingers, carefully lift breast skin away from flesh. With a
    spoon, spread some chili butter under the skin on both sides of
    the breastbone. Rub some butter over skin. Repeat with remaining
    hens.
    
    Broil 5 inches from heat, breast side down for 10 minutes. Turn
    hens and basting occasionally, continue broiling about 10 minutes
    more, or until juices run clear when hen is pricked with a fork.
    
    
    
    The meat was tender and spicy. Ole'

    Does anyone know the origin of rock cornish game hens?
    
    I was planning on serving them at a dinner party 'til someone said
    they are English pigeons - and I don't want to eat pigeon.  I don't
    know if they were kidding or not!  Can anyone out there help me?
    
    Thanks
      

>     I was planning on serving them at a dinner party 'til someone said
>     they are English pigeons - and I don't want to eat pigeon.  I don't
>     know if they were kidding or not!  Can anyone out there help me?
    
i think they're pulling your leg ... the only other name i know for pigeon is
"squab". cornish game hens are a lot like chicken, except they're all white 
meat. whether they were bred from chickens (or chickens from them), or whether 
they're just relatives, i think they're awfully good. a little leaner than 
chicken, i think ... and no dark meat to hide in casseroles later!

steve

    Listen to the name "CORNISH GAME HEN" - this is a game bird, not
    a pigeon - it simply means that it was originally a wild bird -
    similar to the turkey before mass production.
    
    Also, I have a wonderful recipe for stuffing a Cornish game hen
    and the best part is that you broil it, not roast it, so it doesn't
    take long.
    
    1/2 lb. bacon 
    2 large cloves garlic                    
    1 shallot
    1 cup fresh (this is necessary) parsley
    1 package of cooked wild rice mix or pilaf (add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts)
                                              
    
    Saute the bacon until fat is translucent. Place the bacon, garlic,
    shallot and parsley into a food processor or blender until it is
    very pasty.
    
    Lift the skin very gently away from the meat of the bird without
    ripping it. This is easier than it sounds - Just start at the top
    of the breast and work your fingers between the fine layer of 
    whatever it is that holds the skin to the meat. Stuff the past
    underneath the skin and massage all around - massage some of the
    past on top also. Once that is done, stuff with the rice and pin
    cavity opening or use wood picks to hold closed. Broil roughly
    15-20 minutes until skin is crunchy and meat is not pink.
    
    You will love this dish - very gourmet without too much effort.
    I was afraid to try it the first time too - but it was simple.
    
    Have fun.
             

    Why not eat a pigeon.  They are really not any different from other
    wild birds such as Ruffed Grouse, Pheasant, Quail, Doves, etc.  I will
    venture a guess that your idea goes along with the way most people see
    them, not as a wild bird but as a pest.  The fact is that outside of
    cities where the pigeons can readily find adequate nesting sites i.e.
    tall buliding, bridges, etc. because they are similar to the birds
    preferred nesting sites; cliffs and other inaccessible vertical
    surfaces you do not find large concentrated populations.

re  Note 1470.2		Listen to the name 
    
    This advice was correct, but I believe the conclusion is incorrect.
    I believe the full name is Rock Cornish Game Hen and refers to a
    cross breeding of a 
    
    	[White] Rock 	domestic chicken with a 
    
    	Cornish Game	chicken, a breed used for hybrid roasters and 
    			derived from breeds used for fighting game cocks.
    
    Game chickens are lean, long legged critters, with small bodies.
    
    As for the prejudice against eating a pigeon, perhaps a touch of
    naivete is a blessing.  I'll hide the truth behind a form-feed.
    A domestic chicken is an absolute omnivore; it will eat things a
    pig will refuse.  I think a rock dove (the proper name for a city
    pigeon) is mostly a seed eater.  Incidentally, chickens that eat
    worms and bugs taste a lot better than those fed chicken feed.

re .4
<    				...Incidentally, chickens that eat
<    worms and bugs taste a lot better than those fed chicken feed.

   I'll second the better taste and texture of a chicken allowed to
range...  It was great fun to turn over a rock and watch 10 chickens
fight over the earthworms.  We even had a couple that would jump about
a foot in the air to get the ones held in your hand, especially the BIG ones.

		Al

    
    	LEMON BUTTER CORNISH
    
    4 Cornish Game Hens
    Vodka
    8 thin slices lemon
    8 thin slices butter
    2 ts salt
    1 tsp white pepper
    2 tsp crushed tarragon
    1 1/2 sticks butter
    2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
    1 tbls lemon juice
    1 1/2 c chicken broth
    2 tbls heavy cream
    1/2 cup sour cream
    1 tbls chopped parsley
    
    Coat cornish with Vodka inside and out; let rest 15 minutes.  Carefully
    loosen skin over breast with fingers making a pocket.  These hens
    are not like chicken as their skin is very thin.  Place 2 slices
    lemon and 2 slices butter in the skin pocket of each hen.  Season
    inside and out with mixture of salt, white pepper and tarragon.
    Place cornish on Spanek Roasters, coat with Lemon Basting Sauce
    (butter, rind and lemonjuice) generously.  Place in roasting pan
    with chicken broth to cover the bottom.  Bake at 450 degrees for
    15 minutes, baste. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and cok foe 30 to
    45 minutes or until done.  REmove cornish from pan.  For sauce,
    reduce pan liquids to 1/2 quantity; add cream, sour cream and parsely,
    Simmer to thicken. Serves 4.          
    
                      
    Spanek roasters are metal cone shaped things that fit up inside
    the cavity of the cornish, and you cook the standing up.

    I finally got around to making Cornish Game Hens with Crabmeat stuffing
    this past weekend.  They were absolutely delicious.  They came out
    nice and moist.  
    
    For some strage reason though, I only ended up with enough stuffing
    to make 2 hens, which luckily was my original intention.  I made
    up the whole batch of stuffing hoping to have extra, but no luck.
    Maybe I just buy large Cornish Game Hens?
    
    Thanks for the receipe.  I'm sure I'll be making it many more times
    in the days to come.
    
    	-Nancy

    
    When I make it, I don't fill the cavity with the stuffing, I just
    divide it up evenly, so every one gets some. If you are serving
    a whole hen, that could be plenty.

    I never even thought of not stuffing the hens.  And I even watched
    the Julia Child episode when she told us that nowadays it's tacky
    to stuff your hen/chicken/turkey.
    
    Next time I make these I'm still going to stuff my hens.  And If
    I want to cook 4 hens, I'll just double the recipe.

    	The following is an Hawaiian recipe that my mother used to make
    	and i'm going to make this weekend.  Its delicious!
    
    	Karen

                        Cornish Game Hens Miko Moko

             6 1-lb Cornish Hens
             3 pineapples

             Marinade :
             1/2 C soy sauce
             2 T sugar
             2 slices fresh ginger root, minced
             2 T sherry wine
             2 minced garlic cloves
             dash of pepper
             dash of cinamon
             dash of ground cloves

             Meat Stuffing :
             2 garlic cloves, minced
             3 scallions, diced
             1-1/2 lbs ground pork (or 3/4 lb pork, 3/4 lb
             hamburg)
             1/4 C soy sauce
             3 T sherry
             1 tsp sugar
             dash pepper
             2 T cornstarch mixed with 4 T water

          Combine ingredients for marinade and marinate chicken
          3 hours to overnight.

          Saute garlic and scallions in oil. Add meat and cook
          till pink is gone. Add soy sauce, sugar, sherry and
          pepper. Then still in cornstarch with water. Cool, and
          stuff birds. Tie birds closed.

          Put hens in pan, breast side down and pour in
          marinade. Roast for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn,
          reduce heat to 325 degrees and roast 30 to 35 minutes.
          Can add broth or water to marinade to keep moist.
                                  
    	  Cut pineapples in half and serve each hen over a half.

    For something easy and tasty, prepare your favorite brand of long
    grain and wild rice (I use Uncle Ben's) and prepare it according
    to the package.  Then take the long grain and wild rice and stuff
    the Cornish Game Hen and cook as you normally would.  It tastes
    great and is really easy.
    

    
    Re: .7
    
    I went to get the rest of the ingredients last night and couldn't
    find pineapples!  I guess they are out of season or something but
    I didn't have time to check anywhere else so I got some canned
    pineapple slices in unsweetened juice.  I guess I'll use these as
    a garnish.  I'm making it tonight.  Already made the stuffing (it
    tastes great!) and the chicken is sitting in the marinade.  I can't
    wait!  Its been years (10?) since I've had this dish!
    
    Karen

    Karen,
    
    Try grilling/broiling the pineapple slices a bit before you garnish
    them.  They look prettier when they are browned a little, and the
    grilling takes out a bit of the moisture so that they aren't as
    soggy tasting.  If you want to get really advernturess, try basting
    the pineapples with some marinade while grilling.
    
    Hopefully we will decide to eat home for at least one meal this
    weekend so that I can try this out.  I just hope that I stil have
    Hens in the freezer.
    
    	-Nancy

re .-2

Karen- 

Pineapples are in season year round.  If it's nearby, try Idylwilde Farms in 
West Acton.  They always have whole ones, as well as peeled, cored ones ready 
to slice and eat.

						     
							- JP

Cut the back bone out of each hen (easy to do with scissors or a sharp knife).
Open the hen and place it skin side up on the board.  Flaten them by pressing 
the breast with the palm of your hand.  In a baking dish, dump a package of 
seasoned croutons.  Place the hens on top, aranging the legs and wings neatly
(any way you want).  Pour 1 bottle of zesty Italian dressing (not creamy) over
the top.  Sprinkle the hens with some paprika, and bake in a 325 oven.  Baste 
every 20 minutes.  I check the leg bone for doneness.  If I can wiggle it, they 
are done.  (Hard to describe this technique, but an hour will usually do, and 
meat will not dry out.)


				-JP

ps I use a standard bottle of mixed dressing, not the "large economy size", or
   I use 1 batch of good seasons mix.

	This recipe is absolutely delicious.  I just served it the other 
	night to my boyfriend for a special dinner.  Yum Yum!

	Karen

P.S.  The following recipe has document tags.  You can extract the recipe
into recipe.sdml and edit off this top portion.  Then run VAXdocument :
$ document recipe.sdml report postscript


<chead>(Cornish Game Hens Miko Moko)

<list>(simple)
<le>6 1-lb Cornish Hens
<le>3 pineapples
<le>
<le><emphasis>(Marinade :\bold)
<le>1/2 C soy sauce
<le>2 T sugar
<le>2 slices fresh ginger root, minced
<le>2 T sherry wine
<le>2 minced garlic cloves
<le>dash of pepper
<le>dash of cinamon
<le>dash of ground cloves
<le>
<le><emphasis>(Meat Stuffing :\bold)
<le>2 garlic cloves, minced
<le>3 scallions, diced 
<le>1-1/2 lbs ground pork (or 3/4 lb pork, 3/4 lb hamburg)
<le>1/4 C soy sauce
<le>3 T sherry
<le>1 tsp sugar
<le>dash pepper
<le>2 T cornstarch mixed with 4 T water
<endlist>

<p>Combine ingredients for marinade and marinate chicken 3 hours to overnight.

<p>Saute garlic and scallions in oil.  Add meat and cook till pink is gone.
Add soy sauce, sugar, sherry and pepper.  Then still in cornstarch with
water.  Cool, and stuff birds.  Tie birds closed.

<p>Put hens in pan, breast side down and pour in marinade.  Roast for 45
minutes at 400 degrees.  Turn, reduce heat to 325 degrees and roast 30 to
35 minutes.  Can add broth or water to marinade to keep moist.

>    Sounds very good and relatively easy. What do you do with the 3
>    pineapples?
    
	Oops...  You serve the hens with 1/2 pineapple each.

	Some notes... I made this recipe using only 2 hens.  I used
	the regular amoung of marinade and halved the stuffing 
	recipe.  That way, each hen has a bit more stuffing which
	is delicious.

	Instead of fresh pipeapple, I bought canned sliced pinapple.	
	I put two rings on the plate and placed the hens on top.

	I served this with salad and french bread.  

	Karen

HI.

I need some help !!  I had a great recipe that was on a set of pull out cards,
of Grand Marnier recipes.  They came out of a addition of Gourmet magazine,
within the last 12 months.  They were in sets of 3, and I have all the other
except the one I love the best.  It was for Grand Marnier glazed cornish game
hens, and they were YUMMY !!!!  If anyone has this recipe, could you please
post it, I would be eternally grateful.  
       
Thanks in advance,

Robbin

    
    The Sahari would be nice....(8
    
    For dessert, something light and chocolate, perhaps?
    
    Mousse....