Cornish Game Hens, or WHY I LOVE FALL

My absolute favorite part of my favorite season, Autumn, is the food. Pumpkin. Squash. Stuffing. Cranberries. Apple cider. Cornish Game Hens.

Cornish game hens, you say?? What are they?? I have had a few friends ask me this question lately. I grow puzzled, only because it is one of my favorite fall dishes, and I cannot imagine it not being a part of my life! (Shout-out to my Aunt Amie, by the way, who introduced me to this incredible feast one night years ago at her house for dinner! Thanks, Amie!)

A Cornish game hen is quite simply a young chicken, sold whole. They come at about a pound each, and are cute and squat. With a little butter rubbed under the skin and stuffed with carrot, celery and onion, they are absolutely divine. I just call them bliss.

Last week (and then again 2 nights ago) I ventured out to the grocery store for my first Cornish game hen-buying jaunt of the season. Of the year, actually. It had been some time since I roasted one up, and I was pretty giddy. I knew exactly what I was looking for. A two-pack, so that I could roast them together and present a hot plate of food for the chef when he returned home.

I was delighted to find that they would come at a bargain: $9.30 for a two pack of the beautiful birds. I was really excited. Like jumping-up-and-down-in-the-poultry-section-of-Safeway-excited. It was a bit ridiculous. I actually told one gentleman "The hens are on SALE! They are so CHEAP! I'm so EXCITED!" But, alas, it is Washington. He just ignored me. :(

So I continued the celebration by throwing some carrots and onion into my cart (and a BOX of Stovetop stuffing, GASP) and was dashing back off to my apartment.

Now, Cornish game hens are really not "gamey". A friend asked me on Facebook if they were like Capons, which she didn't care for because of the dark meat, which I have never tasted, and I had to do some research. I read up on the hens online, and in my go-to cooking manuals, Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Queen Julia of course, and my new go-to guide, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.

In my foodie research I always tend to get way carried away, and this time was no different. I ended up composing a list of about 40 other dishes to try. The Poultry section of Mastering the Art of French Cooking alone is where I plan to hang out this entire Fall. "Coquelets sur Canapes" aka Roast Squab Chickens with Chicken Liver Canapes and Mushrooms?? Are you kidding me?? COMPLETE BLISS!!!

I found on Wikipedia that a Cornish game hen is not a game bird, but actually a typical chicken that is slaughtered at a young age and therefore smaller in size.

But for me, the fact that they are smaller in size makes them more delicious in flavor. These birds are literally bursting with flavor. First off, you have their innards...the neck, liver and I think kidneys? Mark Bittman advises to make a stock from the trimmings: by combining the neck, wing tips, gizzard, and any other scraps in a small saucepan, with water to cover. Add one small onion, one carrot, and one stalk celery, along with a pinch of salt and a few peppercorns. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to low and cook partially for a little under an hour.

Which is exactly what I did. And it was my happy thought. Because my dad, J, always makes an incredible "giblet gravy" every Thanksgiving. He takes the giblets of the turkey and "boils the heck outta them" pretty much all Thanksgiving morning, then drains and chops them up finely, to go into the most amazing concoction you have EVER tasted, I can assure you, GIBLET GRAVY. We really should bottle that stuff up and sell it on the black market. It tastes illegal, I tell you.

Bittman roasts his hens with sauerkraut on one recipe, and vinegar on another, but I just wanted to do them straight-up. Just roast them. So I seek Julia. Shout-out to my sister Lindsay who got me Mastering the Art of French Cooking this year for my birthday!!! It's pretty much changing my life.

Julia, like a good friend, always has the right answer. "Preheat over to 400 degrees. Season the cavities of the birds with a sprinkling of salt, shallots or onion, and tarragon, and 1 teaspoon of butter. Truss the birds, dry them, and rub with butter...Place the birds in the roasting pan, and set on a rack in the middle of the preheated oven. Baste and turn the birds every 5 to 7 minutes until they are done: Game Hens, as their flesh is usually firmer than chicken, take about 45 minutes; they are done when the flesh of their drumsticks is soft." Oh Julia, your instructions on game hens is like a sonnet being breathlessly whispered into my awaiting ears.

And, just like that, you have a gorgeous little dinner of a Cornish game hen. I like to roast it like Julia says, for 45 minutes, basting like crazy with the pan juices that fall into the bottom of the roasting pan. Then, broil for the last 3 minutes or so. You will know. It will start to brown perfectly, and sizzle and pop. Love that noise.

After removing the hens very carefully and with lots of love, place them onto a warm plate and cover. Then, ever so lovingly pour the remaining pan juices that dripped from the birds, into a small saucepan. Combine the juices with the stock that Bittman told you to make. But first, drain it. You don't want the carrot or celery or onion or peppercorns, but just the fine stock juice from the kidneys and livers. At this point I like to carefully and lovingly remove the meat from the neck that was boiling away. The neck meat is SO delicate and full of flavor and when chopped up finely with the livers and kidneys, goes so well into the gravy. I then make a reduction sauce, usually adding in white wine and a few more chopped shallots and some crushed herbs like thyme. You can salt as you go, making sure to taste with every addition. If you happen to oversalt, balance it out with adding in some water. If you have chicken stock on hand, perfect. But I like to just use the stock that comes from the innards of the hens. I like to use the whole beast.

Cornish game hens go so well with cornbread, stuffing, and some French bread. Toss a salad and it's a little mini-Thanksgiving. Like it was for me last night!

Then, afterwards, the best part for me, besides the enjoyment of the flavorful bird, is making a stock. Yes, yes, more stock. It's easy. Just take the bones and remnants of the little game hen, toss into a large pot, and cover with water. Season with salt and some black peppercorns, throw in more onion, celery and carrot (just castoffs that would be wasted anyways, from the scrap bin), and maybe a bay leaf. Let that simmer the rest of the night, and you've just made yourself liquid heaven.

Hope you all enjoyed the rather lengthy love letter to Cornish game hens.

Shannon