Your Christmas Dinner Menu 1094Just the two of us on Christmas Eve. Our big celebration is Christmas Day. By the time Carols by Candlelight comes on the television, I hope to have pretty much finished preparing for...
On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 22:34:55 -0600, Damsel in dis Dress snip
I'll continue to let notbob run his Frankensteinian freezer experiments on reproduction. I'll stick to the more conservative methods for providing me my game hen fix.
I batch up eight at a time when making Cornish Game Hens because even Spawn goes cave girl on them two at a time. Here are the two recipes I flop back and forth between to provide a little variety.
Game Hens with Ancho Rub
INGREDIENTS: 12 ancho chilies, dried 10 cups boiling water 8 cloves garlic, minced 3 tsp. salt 1cup cilantro -- minced 4 cups cornmeal 8 Tbs. curry powder 8 Tbs. cumin, ground salt and pepper 8 Rock Cornish game hens 1 cup olive oil METHOD: Preheat the oven to 400¡F. Clean birds' cavities out completely. Pat dry.
Set the ancho chilies in a large Pyrex bowl and cover with the boiling water. Soak them for approx. 30 minutes. Drain the chilies completely then remove and discard the stems (and as much membrane and seeds as you appreciate for heat). Place the chilies in a blender with the garlic, salt, and cilantro. Puree and set aside.
Combine the cornmeal, curry powder, cumin, salt, and pepper into a Ziploc bag; mix up thoroughly. Spread chili puree on each hen, then dredge them in the seasoned cornmeal.
Place into oven for 80* minutes. Cook to preferred doneness (for Clan Ranger, that's well-done, flesh parting from bones.)
* This time is variable depending on how many game hens you are cooking. If only 2 game hens were being cooked, the time could be reduced to 20-30 minutes.
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Roasted Game Hens
Dinner Tonight 1091Well, I made it to Kris' farm. What a place this is. I'm overwhelmed. My friend...
INGREDIENTS: 8 Cornish Game Hens 1 Apple, sliced into 8 slices 3 Lemons salt and pepper 2 cups white wine METHOD: Clean birds' cavities out completely. Pat dry. Preheat oven to 450¡F.
Rub birds inside and out with lemon and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set a single apple slice into cavity. Place birds, breast side up, in roasting pan. Cook for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325¡F and add white* wine. Roast for another 80 minutes, basting every 20 minutes. Add more wine if needed.
* I use chenin blanc or pinot grigio but a drier white can also be used.
The Ranger
