Hubby came home with a couple of the little game hens yesterday, so they
are on the menu for tonight's supper. It has been years since I've
prepared them, and seems like I would just put some sort of dressing in
them and bake them whole?

I did find a recipe where you crush cheese flavored crackers and mix
with some thyme and pepper. Cut the hens in half lengthwise. Roll them
in some sour cream garlic dip and then coat well with the crumbs and
bake about 1 hour. I thought that sounded rather good, so may try them
that way.

If you ever cook them, what is your favorite way to prepare them?

Judy

On Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:00:27 -0800, (Judy Haffner)
wrote:

>
> Hubby came home with a couple of the little game hens yesterday, so they
> are on the menu for tonight's supper. It has been years since I've
> prepared them, and seems like I would just put some sort of dressing in
> them and bake them whole?
>
> I did find a recipe where you crush cheese flavored crackers and mix
> with some thyme and pepper. Cut the hens in half lengthwise. Roll them
> in some sour cream garlic dip and then coat well with the crumbs and
> bake about 1 hour. I thought that sounded rather good, so may try them
> that way.
>
> If you ever cook them, what is your favorite way to prepare them?
>
I spatchcock them and season them with the same herbs I would use on a
bigger chicken. You can always roast them on a bed of onions, carrots
and potatoes for a one dish meal. DD has a Rachael Ray cookbook
(don't remember which one) that I copied a little fancier Cornish hen
recipe from - here it is http://oi41.tinypic.com/11uw1vn.jpg

Om posted a yummy looking recipe here a couple of years ago (or maybe
she sent it to me).

Citrus and Tarragon Roast Chicken

Rinse and cut one whole fryer chicken in half down the middle.

Lay both halves in a roasting pan with the breasts towards the center
of the pan.

Sprinkle Salt and Pepper to taste over the bird and a generous
sprinkling of dried Tarragon and a light sprinkling of Paprika.

Take one lemon and one lime and juice them. Pour the mixed lemon and
lime juice liberally over the bird.

Take one more lemon and one more lime and slice thinly and layer over
the bird.

Cover the bird with some plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator
for an hour or two to marinate.

Remove plastic wrap and roast bird at 375 degrees for 15 minutes per
lb.

Remove bird from oven and let rest for 10 or 15 minutes before
carving.

This recipe also works well for Cornish game hens.

http://oi43.tinypic.com/ww0kdg.jpg


--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

Judy Haffner > wrote:

> If you ever cook them, what is your favorite way to prepare them?

I prepare them fairly regularly. As far as I'm concerned, the very best
way to prepare them is to pan-fry them under press. I have posted it
quite a few times in the years past. Here it is again.

It is an ancient Armenian-Georgian method rather than a recipe, called
_chicken tapaka (or tabaka)_ (from _tapa_ a kind of pan), but which is
also known in Italy as _pollastrino al mattone_ (poussin under bricks).
It is best to use a fresh, not frozen, poussin (baby chicken of about a
pound) or a Cornish hen (same thing nowadays) of that weight.

The way I make it, is first to bring the chicken to room temperature if
necessary, spatchcock it, brush it with oil, rub it with some salt,
pepper (I use hot peperoncini or good Cayenne), granulated garlic, as
well as some dry herbs (rosemary or basil) or, if the herbs are fresh,
insert them under the skin (and also garlic if it is pressed or very
finely minced). I then leave it for about 15-30 minutes. Then I heat a
cast iron pan, brush it lightly with oil, place the chicken onto it,
weighing it down with some considerable weight (I use a heavy cast iron
casserole filled with cans and topped with its heavy lid), and fry them
over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side. If I were you, I'd
practice ahead, for it is easy to burn the bird if the heat is too high
and just as easy to undercook it if it is too low. You also have to
experiment with the amount of herbs and spices. When made right, the
chicken is invariably very juicy, both white and dark meat.

Victor

Thanks everybody for giving me ideas of how to prepare the small hens,
as really do appreciate the info you passed on.

sf, the recipe you posted sure does sound really good, so will print
that off for sure.

Ironically today, I was going through magazines, and came across a
recipe for Stuffed Glazed Cornish Hens, and that sounds pretty good too.
It says to brown chopped shallots in butter with some Italian seasoning
until softened and then add a diced up apple and cook until brown. Add
chicken broth and some dried fruit bits and bring to boil, and stir in
chicken-flavored stuffing mix. Put whole hens in roaster pan, and rub
with salt, pepper and more Italian seasoning. Fill each cavity with
about 1 cup of the stuffing mix. Put remaining stuffing in covered
baking dish. Roast hens about 1 hour and 10 minutes, brushing with
melted apple jelly the last 10 minutes of baking time. Place dish of
leftover stuffing in oven 30 minutes before hens are done. Bake 20
minutes and uncover and bake about 10 minutes more until golden brown.
Skim and discard fat from pan juices; serve with hens.

I might try it this way another time, and sounds different.

Judy

Judy Haffner wrote:
> Thanks everybody for giving me ideas of how to prepare the small hens,
> as really do appreciate the info you passed on.
>
> sf, the recipe you posted sure does sound really good, so will print
> that off for sure.
>
> Ironically today, I was going through magazines, and came across a
> recipe for Stuffed Glazed Cornish Hens, and that sounds pretty good too.
> It says to brown chopped shallots in butter with some Italian seasoning
> until softened and then add a diced up apple and cook until brown. Add
> chicken broth and some dried fruit bits and bring to boil, and stir in
> chicken-flavored stuffing mix. Put whole hens in roaster pan, and rub
> with salt, pepper and more Italian seasoning. Fill each cavity with
> about 1 cup of the stuffing mix. Put remaining stuffing in covered
> baking dish. Roast hens about 1 hour and 10 minutes, brushing with
> melted apple jelly the last 10 minutes of baking time. Place dish of
> leftover stuffing in oven 30 minutes before hens are done. Bake 20
> minutes and uncover and bake about 10 minutes more until golden brown.
> Skim and discard fat from pan juices; serve with hens.
>
> I might try it this way another time, and sounds different.
>
> Judy
>
Deep fry them!

Earl wrote:
>Judy Haffner wrote:
>> Thanks everybody for giving me ideas of how to prepare the small hens,
>>
>> Judy
>>
>Deep fry them!

I don't care for cornish game hens at all, they are just
small/immature chickens, flavorless trailer trash poultry with nothing
to eat on them, more than half is waste. They were chi chi in the
'50s along with fondue pots and lava lamps, nowadays served by folks
who are attempting to show off that they know about fine cuisine, to
me all they show is low IQ.
From Epicurious:
chicken
History tells us that today's chickens are descendants of wild fowl
that roamed the dense jungles of primeval Asia. Thousands of years
later, France's King Henry IV stated in his coronation speech that he
hoped each peasant in his realm would have "a chicken in his pot every
Sunday" (a quote later paraphrased by President Herbert Hoover). It
surprises many people that chicken wasn't always the reasonably priced
meat it is today. Until after World War II, only the affluent (and
chicken farmers) could manage even the proverbial Sunday chicken.
Today, thanks to modern production methods, almost anyone can afford
this versatile fowl, which provides not only meat and eggs but
feathers as well. Chickens fall into several classifications. The
broiler-fryer can weigh up to 3 1/2 pounds and is usually around 2 1/2
months old. These chickens, as the name implies, are best when broiled
or fried. The more flavorful roasters have a higher fat content and
therefore are perfect for roasting and rotisserie cooking. They
usually range between 2 1/2 and 5 pounds and can be up to 8 months
old. Stewing chickens (also called hens, boiling fowl and just plain
fowl ) usually range in age from 10 to 18 months and can weigh from 3
to 6 pounds. Their age makes them more flavorful but also less tender,
so they're best cooked with moist heat, such as in stewing or
braising. A capon is a rooster that is castrated when quite young
(usually before 8 weeks), fed a fattening diet and brought to market
before it's 10 months old. Ranging from 4 to 10 pounds, capons are
full-breasted with tender, juicy, flavorful meat that is particularly
suited to roasting.

*Rock Cornish hen, also called Rock Cornish game hen , is a hybrid of
Cornish and White Rock chickens. These miniature chickens weigh up to
2 1/2 pounds and are 4 to 6 weeks old. Because of the relatively small
amount of meat to bone, each hen is usually just enough for one
serving. Rock Cornish hens are best broiled or roasted.

Squab Chicken (poussin in French), different from the true SQUAB, is
a very small, 4- to 6-week-old chicken that weighs no more than 1 1/2
pounds. These tiny birds are best broiled, grilled or roasted. The
cock or rooster is an older bird and therefore rather tough. It's best
used in soups or to make broths. Free-range chickens are the elite of
the poultry world in that, in contrast to the mass-produced birds
allotted 1 square foot of space, each range chicken has double that
area indoors plus the freedom to roam outdoors. They're fed a special
vegetarian diet free (according to most range chicken breeders) of
antibiotics, animal byproducts, hormones and growth enhancers. The
special diet and freedom of movement is thought by some to give this
fowl a fuller, more "chickeny" flavor; the added amenities also make
these birds much more expensive than mass-produced chickens.
Free-range chickens average 4 1/2 pounds and are usually around 10 to
12 weeks old. Chicken grades: The government grades chicken quality
with USDA classifications A, B and C. The highest grade is A, and is
generally what is found in markets. Grade B chickens are less meaty
and well finished; grade C is usually reserved for scrawny turkeys.
The grade stamp can be found within a shield on the package wrapping,
or sometimes on a tag attached to the bird's wing. Chicken is
available in markets throughout the year either fresh or frozen, and
whole or cut into parts. The neck and GIBLETS (liver, gizzard and
heart) are either packaged separately and placed in a whole bird's
body cavity, or sold individually. Choose a meaty, full-breasted
chicken with plump, short legs. The skin — which can range from
cream-colored to yellow, depending on the breed and the chicken's diet
— should be smooth and soft. Avoid chickens with an off odor, or with
skin that's bruised or torn. Store chicken in the coldest part of the
refrigerator. If packaged tightly in cellophane, loosen packaging or
remove and loosely rewrap chicken in waxed paper. Remove any giblets
from the body cavity and store separately. Refrigerate raw chicken up
to 2 days, cooked chicken up to 3 days. For maximum flavor, freeze raw
chicken no longer than 2 months, cooked chicken up to a month.
Salmonella bacteria are present on most poultry (though only about 4
percent of salmonella poisonings are chicken-related). To avoid any
chance of bacterial contamination, it's important to handle raw
chicken with care. The first rule is never to eat chicken in its raw
state. After cutting or working with raw chicken, thoroughly wash
utensils, cutting tools, cutting board and your hands. Cook boneless
chicken until the internal temperature is 179°F, bone-in chicken to
180°F. Don't let any raw juice come in contact with cooked chicken.
The versatile chicken can be prepared in almost any way imaginable,
including baking, broiling, boiling, roasting, frying, braising,
barbecuing and stewing. Boning chicken will shorten any cooking time
but will also slightly diminish the flavor. Chicken is an excellent
source of protein, and a good to fair source of niacin and iron. White
meat and chicken without skin have fewer calories.

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

I like them but not as a crusted meat-I like their tender melt in your
mouth meat. I took one of those cooking bags for turkeys, filled with 6
stuffed cornish hens, and baked on a sheet cake pan. Delicious. Cornish
hen stuffing of wild rice mix and apples and/or sweetened dried fruits.
You dont need alot of stuffing. If you like a glaze just brush the skin
after baking.

We have a local specialty "healthy" grocery store w/attached deli bakery
restaurant. The deli meat case has cold cooked parmesan-crusted chicken
fillets stacked in a bin-usually around 50 are stacked up. I was in the
habit of buying these because they are so versatlle to use. Well one
day...I have never been that sick in my life. Lesson learned-buy and
cook your own chicken!

On 3/28/2012 9:21 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:

> © Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
> LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

Informative post for once.

I often wonder why salmonella is associated with chicken and eggs so
much when it's also associated with reptiles.

Judy Haffner wrote:

> Hubby came home with a couple of the little game hens yesterday, so
> they are on the menu for tonight's supper. It has been years since
> I've prepared them, and seems like I would just put some sort of
> dressing in them and bake them whole?
>
> I did find a recipe where you crush cheese flavored crackers and mix
> with some thyme and pepper. Cut the hens in half lengthwise. Roll
> them in some sour cream garlic dip and then coat well with the crumbs
> and bake about 1 hour. I thought that sounded rather good, so may try
> them that way.
>
> If you ever cook them, what is your favorite way to prepare them?

Dress and let sit for 2-3 hours, then bake under the oven broiler.
Classic dressing: EVO oil, rosemary, garlic.
Tandoor dressing: whole milk no-sugar yoghurt, curry powder, garlic.
Yesterday evening a made a classic one with some sage, a little sage plays
nice on these.

meh wrote:

>How often do you see reptile meat for sale in a grocery store, or o9n a menu??

Remember "The Freshman"? Those guys really dined on the edge.

Cheryl > writes:

> I often wonder why salmonella is associated with chicken and eggs so
> much when it's also associated with reptiles.

Birds are dinosaurs, so what's surprising about it?
--
David Dyer-Bennet, ; http://dd-b.net/
Snapshots: http://dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/data/
Photos: http://dd-b.net/photography/gallery/
Dragaera: http://dragaera.info

On Mar 29, 3:23*pm, David Dyer-Bennet > wrote:
> Cheryl > writes:
> > I often wonder why salmonella is associated with chicken and eggs so
> > much when it's also associated with reptiles.
>
> Birds are dinosaurs, so what's surprising about it?

Yummy little dinosaurs. BQQd chicken for the second time in 3 days.
I'm seriously careful about salmonella. I think I got it last
Summer.
It was like getting buggered by the Devil.

> --
> David Dyer-Bennet

--Bryan

"David Dyer-Bennet" > wrote in message
...
> Cheryl > writes:
>
>> I often wonder why salmonella is associated with chicken and eggs so
>> much when it's also associated with reptiles.
>
> Birds are dinosaurs, so what's surprising about it?
> --
> David Dyer-Bennet, ; http://dd-b.net/


Birds are allegedly decended from dinosaurs. And I can believe that. But
then again, how many people eat reptiles or reptile eggs? I have geckos
running around in my yard, and anole lizards. I don't eat them and I
certainly don't hunt down their nests looking for eggs.

Jill

On Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:20:50 -0400, "jmcquown" >
wrote:

>
>"David Dyer-Bennet" > wrote in message
...
>> Cheryl > writes:
>>
>>> I often wonder why salmonella is associated with chicken and eggs so
>>> much when it's also associated with reptiles.
>>
>> Birds are dinosaurs, so what's surprising about it?
>> --
>> David Dyer-Bennet, ; http://dd-b.net/
>
>
>Birds are allegedly decended from dinosaurs. And I can believe that. But
>then again, how many people eat reptiles or reptile eggs? I have geckos
>running around in my yard, and anole lizards. I don't eat them and I
>certainly don't hunt down their nests looking for eggs.

You don't need to eat reptiles to transfer the salmonella to your
system. We were warned at the pet shop about how turtles make
terrible pets for toddlers because their hands go from turtle to baby
mouth in a flash.

Jim

"Jim Elbrecht" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:20:50 -0400, "jmcquown" >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"David Dyer-Bennet" > wrote in message
...
>>> Cheryl > writes:
>>>
>>>> I often wonder why salmonella is associated with chicken and eggs so
>>>> much when it's also associated with reptiles.
>>>
>>> Birds are dinosaurs, so what's surprising about it?
>>> --
>>> David Dyer-Bennet, ; http://dd-b.net/
>>
>>
>>Birds are allegedly decended from dinosaurs. And I can believe that. But
>>then again, how many people eat reptiles or reptile eggs? I have geckos
>>running around in my yard, and anole lizards. I don't eat them and I
>>certainly don't hunt down their nests looking for eggs.
>
> You don't need to eat reptiles to transfer the salmonella to your
> system. We were warned at the pet shop about how turtles make
> terrible pets for toddlers because their hands go from turtle to baby
> mouth in a flash.
>
> Jim

Good thing I've never had a turtle or a lizard for a pet, then, isn't it? I
did grow up with parakeets. I'm sure handling them wasn't exactly
germ-free. But then again, I was taught to wash my hands before preparing
or eating food.

Jill

Judy wrote about Cornish hens:

> If you ever cook them, what is your favorite way to prepare them?

Under a brick.

Bob

On Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:34:56 -0700 (PDT), aem >
wrote:

> On Mar 28, 9:00*am, (Judy Haffner) wrote:
>
> > Hubby came home with a couple of the little game hens yesterday, so they
> > are on the menu for tonight's supper. It has been years since I've
> > prepared them, and seems like I would just put some sort of dressing in
> > them and bake them whole?
> a
> The basic problem with these little baby chickens is that they are
> bland. Dressing and baking doesn't do enough for them.
> >
> > I did find a recipe where you crush cheese flavored crackers and mix
> > with some thyme and pepper. Cut the hens in half lengthwise. Roll them
> > in some sour cream garlic dip and then coat well with the crumbs and
> > bake about 1 hour. I thought that sounded rather good, so may try them
> > that way.
> >
> Sounds awful,(which simply means not to my taste) I wouldn't do it.
>
> > If you ever cook them, what is your favorite way to prepare them?
> >
> When I asked this a few years ago Victor Sack had an answer that
> sounded plausible about pressing/frying them in a cast iron skillet
> under heavy weights. I tried it and didn't get it quite right but it
> showed enough promise to try again some future time. Maybe he'll post
> it again. -aem

Did you remember to preheat the pan? I don't bother with a brick or
weight and spatchcocked chicken turns out great IMO.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Thu, 29 Mar 2012 04:53:39 -0700 (PDT), Bryan
> wrote:

> On Mar 28, 8:21*pm, Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:
> > Earl wrote:
> > >Judy Haffner wrote:
> > >> Thanks everybody for giving me ideas of how to prepare the small hens,
> >
> > >> Judy
> >
> > >Deep fry them!
> >
> > I don't care for cornish game hens at all, they are just
> > small/immature chickens, flavorless trailer trash poultry with nothing
> > to eat on them, more than half is waste. *They were chi chi in the
> > '50s along with fondue pots and lava lamps, nowadays served by folks
> > who are attempting to show off that they know about fine cuisine, to
> > me all they show is low IQ.
>
> There were no lava lamps in the '50s:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava_lamp#History
>
> You just like to blow out your ass.
>

Fondue was a '60s thing too.

I like cornish hens, but apparently we're not big eaters because one
of those makes two servings in my world. I'd never dream of plopping
a whole one in front of anyone.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.