Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Cornish Game Hens

For those of us who live by ourselves, it's kinda hard to find dishes to cook just for one. I looked forever for a "cooking for one" cookbook (they do exist, but they all suck...suggestions welcome). So of course cooking a whole chicken never even crossed my mind. But aha, the cornish game hen....perfect. It's like a littler cuter chicken, and things are always better when they're small and cute. So below is what happened for dinner...yum. It could have had garlic in the stuffing (probs 3 or 4 cloves, sliced), but that's about all the complaints I have.

1 cornish game hen
2 slices bacon

Stuffing
6 pearl onions, peeled and sliced in half
1/4 c frozen peas
1/4 c carrots, finely chopped
4 button mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Herb Rub
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper

Sauce
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp dry white wine
2 tsp flour

Season the outside and inside of the hen with the herb mixture.
Combine the vegetables with 1 tbsp olive oil and stuff the hen to capacity
Place the hen in a small pan, sprinkling the remaining vegetables around it
Criss cross the bacon around the hen, tucking it under to secure it
Drizzle it with remaining tbsp olive oil
Pour one cup of chicken stock around the hen
Roast at 400 for 45 minutes or until a thermometer in the thickest part reads 170
Remove from oven, pour remaining stock and vegetables into a sauce pan
Add mustard, wine and flour and simmer, whisking often, until the sauce thickens, approx 3 minutes