Look. How many fried turkeys can you eat in a month? They’re delish, no doubt. But if you’re ready for a change of taste, roll that Butterball to the back of your freezer and give a Cornish Game Hen a chance! Chef Bill Gardner of Cynthia’s Ristorante shows us how to get game-hen ready just in time for the holidays!
Step 1: Grab a glass of holiday cheer and debone that bugger. Yep, somebody’s gotta do the deed, and that body probably belongs to you. Not to worry. Everything gets better after this icky step.
Step 2: See? That wasn’t so bad. Wash up, and then sprinkle some fresh herbs and olive oil on the little hen. Gardner uses garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper – whatever is available – and smushes a bunch of it up under the skin, too. “Herbs are everything,” he says.
Step 3: Plop him right on the grill to get those neato grill marks. Grab a pan, pour in some extra virgin olive oil and garlic, and get that nice and hot. Take the hen off the grill before he’s cooked through and cut him into quarters. Then place the hen pieces in the pan for a bit.
Step 4: OK, now this next step is important: Move the pan away from the stove and pour in a big 7-11-sized gulp of cognac. But make sure to do this away from the stove, otherwise you – and the bird – will go up in flames, and then what will you serve?
Step 5: Back on the stove he goes.
Step 6: Add a little balsamic vinegar, stock and honey, honey.
Step 7: And let him caramelize and sizzle.
Step 8: If you have a brick oven like Cynthia’s, then place the hen inside for a little extra roasting flavor. Otherwise, you can skip this step.
Step 9: Pull him out, pop him on a plate and drizzle all that fabulous sauce on top.
Step 10: Add some roasted potatoes and voilá! A holiday dinner to remember!
