Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Fresh Herbs

From the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Serves

Introduction

Serving little whole such as quail or poussin (very young chicken) is an elegant but simple way to approach entertaining. Specialty markets are usually required to find either of these expensive birds, but nearly every supermarket has affordable Cornish game hens, most often in the freezer case. They provide the elegance of a whole bird on each plate, while avoiding the cook’s possible bankruptcy! Dijon-style mustard blended with fresh herbs, salt, and pepper gives the hens a brightly flavored coating.

Ingredients

	10	Cornish game hens (about 18 ounces each), thawed (see Cook’s Notes)
	½	cup loosely packed fresh tarragon leaves (about 1 medium bunch), minced
	1	cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (about 1 medium bunch), minced
	1	cup Dijon-style mustard
	1½	tsp. salt
	~	Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps

Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove giblets from hens and reserve for another use. Rinse each bird inside and out under cold running water, and dry with paper towels. Line 1 or 2 baking pans (about 12 by 16 inches) on which the birds will fit with aluminum foil to make cleanup easier. Place a roasting rack or a baker’s wire rack in pan. In a small mixing bowl, combine herbs, mustard, salt, and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Use your hands to spread mixture evenly over birds. Arrange birds breast side up on rack. Roast until thigh juices run clear when pricked with a small knife or an instant-read thermometer inserted between thigh and body registers 170°F, about 1 hour. Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving on individual plates with rice pilaf.

Notes

Thaw frozen birds for 2 days in refrigerator or under very slowly running cold water in a large pot for several hours.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart.