The Tale of Two Cornish Hens

I often experiment with recipes and rarely make one exactly as it reads. I am definitely a kitchen witch . . . a little bit of this, a little bit of that (no, I don’t use eye of newt). My one-of-a-kind cast iron cauldron makes whatever I cook turn out wickedly good. And recently, Condon resident Rick Knoernschild carved me a lovely soup ladle out of juniper so now the cauldron is complete. Thank you, Rick, for such a thoughtful gift.

When I met with Rick to pick up the ladle, we talked favorite recipes over a beer at the Wild Sage. He told me about his red currant glaze for poultry. The recipe is equal parts melted butter and red currant jelly.

I ordered Wilken & Sons red currant jelly from Amazon (which, by the way, was the best jelly I have ever eaten) and bought two Cornish hens. I brushed the glaze on one of the hens, covered the other with Dijon mustard and put a chunk of butter in its cavity. I stuffed the jelly/butter one with Stovetop dressing. I cut up some russet potatoes into big cubes, tossed them with olive oil and salt and arranged them around the hens.

I popped the hens in the oven at 375⁰ for just under an hour until a meat thermometer read 165⁰. The glazed hen had a beautifully shiny skin that looked like it belonged on the cover of a gourmet magazine, the result of frequent basting. However, the glaze didn’t impart much flavor to the meat. The mustard bird had a tangy depth and the butter kept the meat moist. But as compared to the glazed hen, it looked boring and ho-hum.

But real magic happened when I tasted the drippings from both hens. The sweetness of the red currant jelly, the richness of the butter, and the tanginess of the mustard melded together to create a sauce that was extraordinary. What a happy accident! Now I am going to try this recipe:

Holiday Hens

2 Cornish hens

4 tablespoons red currant jelly

4 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Salt

Preheat oven to 375⁰. Mix the jelly and the butter. Rub salt and mustard all over the hens, inside and out. Place a chunk of butter in each hen, put them in a roasting pan and baste with the jelly/butter. Roast for about an hour or until a meat thermometer reaches 165⁰. You can use the fat drippings to make gravy.

This recipe combines the best of both worlds ‒ the beautiful shiny skin from the jelly and butter and the rich, tangy flavor from the mustard and butter. I’m going to make them for Christmas. Festive, fun and fast!

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 01/07/2025 10:09