Fricassee Of Cornish Game Hens With Walnuts And Mint Recipes

Steps:

• Make stock:
• Heat oil in a heavy medium pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook backbones and wing tips until well browned on all sides. Add water and bring to a boil, skimming froth occasionally. Add remaining ingredients and boil, uncovered, 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing on and then discarding solids. Boil stock until reduced to about 2 cups.
• Make fricassee:
• Pat hens dry and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown hens in batches (without crowding), turning once, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
• Halve white and pale green parts of leeks lengthwise, then cut into 1-inch pieces and wash. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, then cook leeks with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally and scraping up brown bits, until leeks begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil. Stir in stock, cream, and vadouvan. Nestle hens, skin sides up, into leeks. Cover with a round of parchment paper. Gently simmer 10 minutes. Remove parchment and simmer until hens are cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Transfer hens to a platter and simmer sauce to thicken slightly if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Using the fingers, separate the skin from the breast meat to make a cavity for stuffing.
• Combine the walnuts, butter, mustard and Cognac in the container of a food processor or electric blender. Blend to make a paste. Fill the cavities with equal portions of the mixture. Tie up the birds or truss them neatly with string. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and rub them all over with oil.
• Arrange the birds breast side up in a shallow, heatproof roasting pan and scatter the necks, gizzards and hearts around the birds. Set the livers aside. Place the pan on the stove and heat until the oil sizzles. Put the birds into the oven and bake, basting often, about 20 minutes.
• Turn each hen on its side and continue baking, basting often, about 10 minutes. Turn each again and bake 5 minutes. Add the livers and cook 10 minutes longer. To test for doneness, lift one of the birds; the liquid from the inside should run clear.
• Untruss the hens and serve.

Steps:

• Don't fill your stockpot more than half full with shortening/oil, to allow for the inevitable boiling up when the hens are added.
• Also, be sure the hens are at room temperature so the fat temperature doesn't drop dramatically from the shock of an ice-cold bird.
• Rinse the hens and pat completely dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Place a large wire cake rack over a jelly roll pan/cookie sheet.
• In a stockpot, melt vegetable shortening over high heat to a depth of 2 to 3 inches and heat it to 375 degrees F.
• Carefully put 1 Cornish hen in the hot shortening. Deep fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown.

Steps:

• Rinse Hens inside and out with cold water. Blot dry with paper towels. Prick skin of each Hen in several places with a fork. Place in a deep baking dish. Combine rest of the stuff except stuffing and corn starch and pour over Hens. Cover and put in the Ice Box for 12 to 24 hours. Turn the Hens many times. Drain and save the marinade. Stuff each bird with the stuffing and place in a shallow baking dish on a rack in the WOK over simmering water. Loosely cover Hens with foil. Cover WOK and steam for 1 hour check the water in the bottom from time to time. Remove from WOK. Strain the reserved marinade into saucepan. Place over medium heat, simmer until reduced by about half. Stir in cornstarch and cook till thickened. Spoon over Birds in baking dish. Again place dish in WOK on rack over simmering water and cover loosely with foil. Cover WOK and steam for 15 minutes. Baste a few times.
• Stuffing Directions:.
• mix flour with walnuts and dates. chop fine and mix with minced onion, Stuffing mix and water.

Steps:

• Make stock: Heat oil in a heavy medium pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook backbones and wing tips until well browned on all sides. Add water and bring to a boil, skimming froth occasionally. Add remaining ingredients and boil, uncovered, 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing on and then discarding solids. Boil stock until reduced to about 2 cups.Make fricassee: Pat hens dry and season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Heat oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown hens in batches (without crowding), turning once, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. Halve white and pale green parts of leeks lengthwise, then cut into 1-inch pieces and wash. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp fat from skillet, then cook leeks with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally and scraping up brown bits, until leeks begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil. Stir in stock, cream, and vadouvan. Nestle hens, skin sides up, into leeks. Cover with a round of parchment paper. Gently simmer 10 minutes. Remove parchment and simmer until hens are cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Transfer hens to a platter and simmer sauce to thicken slightly if desired. Cooks' note: Fricassee can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Reheat gently.

Steps:

• Heat oil in large wide pot over medium heat. Working in batches, add hens and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer hens to large bowl. Add onions and garlic to drippings in pot; saute 10 minutes. Finely grind walnuts and 1 tablespoon mint in processor. Add nut mixture to onion mixture. Mix in tomato paste, then wine and 1 cup water. Return hens to pot. Cover; simmer 20 minutes. Turn hens over; simmer uncovered until cooked through, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer hens to platter. Tent with foil. Boil liquid in pot until reduced to sauce consistency, about 10 minutes. Pour over hens. Garnish with mint sprigs.