Moroccan Style Balsamic Cornish Game Hens Recipes

Steps:

• Arrange orange slices in a 2 quart (13 x9 ) baking dish and sprinkle evenly with dates.
• Remove and discard giblets and neck (if included) and rinse hens with cold water. Pat dry. Remove skin & excess fat. Split hens in half lengthwise. Place hen halves, meaty side up, on top of dates. Prepare paste. Place cilantro in food processor; pulse 4 times or until coarsely chopped. Add cardamom, cumin, coriander and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Place cilantro mixture onto hens; arrange olives around hens.
• Prepare marinade. Combine vinegar, wine, & honey; stir well with a whisk until well blended. Slowly pour over hens. Cover and marinade in refrigerator 2-24 hours, basting once with vinegar mixture.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Uncover hens and bake at 250 for 1 hours 25 minute or until juices run clear. Baste occasionally with the vinegar mixture. Shield wings with foil, if needed.

Steps:

• Rinse the game hens under running water. Pat dry and cut them in half lengthwise (kitchen scissors work fine).
• Arrange orange slices in bottom of a 9x13" glass baking dish. Top with game hens.
• Mix 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped garlic and 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin in bowl. Rub mixture all over hens. Wash your hands well with soap and hot water.
• Whisk together port, sherry, oil, vinegar, and honey in small bowl. Taste it to see if the mixture is to your taste, then if it is, pour over hens. (There is quite a difference between the taste of balsamic vinegar - which is sweet - and red wine vinegar, so if you use wine vinegar you'll definitely want to taste the mixture and adjust the amount of honey to your preference before pouring it over the hens.).
• Tuck dates and olives between hens and season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours or overnight, turning hens once. (I've made this recipe beginning in the morning and marinated it 6-8 hrs during the day, too, and it was still delicious.).
• Remove hens from refrigerator and place on counter, covered, for at least 30 minutes. (You don't want to put a chilled baking dish straight into a preheated oven.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Turn the hens skin side up, then bake hens with marinade, dates and olives until hens are cooked through, basting occasionally, about 40 minutes.
• Transfer hens, dates and olives to serving platter. Discard orange slices. Pour the pan juices into a heavy small saucepan.
• Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin and 1 tsp butter and simmer until reduced to about half, whisking frequently, about 5 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon some sauce over hens. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro.
• Serve, passing remaining sauce separately in a gravy or sauce bowl.
• Note: when I first made this recipe, I didn't have fresh cilantro on hand, and couldn't even find dried in our herb stash, which surprised me. Mike collects herbs and spices, and we have a huge collection in the pantry. (I call him Condiment Man.) I had a bunch of a nice Italian dried herb mix (basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage), so used that instead. I know it's not really an equivalent to cilantro, but it smelled wonderful anyhow and it tasted great, too. I also add lots more green olives and dates, which the recipe reflects :)
• Note #2: if you want/need to serve more than two people, you can use the above marinade for up to 6 hens, then you'll need to begin adding more ingredients.

Steps:

• Arrange orange slices in bottom of 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Top with game hens. Mix 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped garlic and 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin in bowl. Rub mixture all over hens. Whisk tawny Port, oil, vinegar and honey in small bowl. Pour over hens. Tuck dates and olives between hens. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours or overnight, turning hens once.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Turn hens skin side up. Bake hens with marinade, dates and olives until hens are cooked through, basting occasionally, about 40 minutes. Transfer hens, dates and olives to platter; discard orange slices. Pour pan juices into heavy small saucepan. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin and boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, whisking frequently, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon some sauce over hens. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Line 2 baking pans with foil for easier cleaning. Set a baking rack in each pan. Split hens and butterfly open and place 3 hens in each baking pan. Season the hens with salt and pepper liberally. Mix the orange concentrate, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and pour evenly over the hens. Sprinkle with rosemary and roast 15 minutes at 425 degrees F and 30 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Finely grind first 7 ingredients in spice grinder or coffee grinder. Transfer to small bowl. Whisk in orange juice, oil and garlic. (Spice mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Rub spice mixture all over hens; place hens in large roasting pan. Sprinkle hens inside and out with salt and pepper. Tie legs together to hold shape. Arrange carrots in pan around hens. Sprinkle carrots with salt and pepper. Roast 30 minutes. Add stock to roasting pan. Roast hens until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced and carrots are tender, basting hens occasionally with pan juices, about 35 minutes longer. Place 1 hen on each of 4 plates. Arrange carrots alongside. Spoon warm Orange-Honey Sauce over and serve.

Steps:

• Mix 3 tablespoons of the oil with the paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Rub inside surfaces of hens with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, then smear them, inside and out, with the spice paste. Set aside 1 hour.
• Sauté onions in remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat until golden. Stir in raisins and remaining cumin and cook until onions are lightly browned. Fold in cooked couscous and season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat grill or heat oven to 375 degrees. If grilling, sear hens on the skin side over medium heat, then turn them over, basting a couple of times with remaining lemon juice, until cooked through, about 35 minutes. If using oven, roast hen halves skin side up in a roasting pan until cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes, basting a couple of times with remaining lemon juice.
• Reheat couscous, fold in cilantro, and mound on a platter. Arrange hen halves around couscous and serve hot or warm.

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler, and adjust the rack to about 4 inches from the heat source. Use a sharp, sturdy knife to split the hens through their backbones; it will cut through without too much effort. Rub the skin side with olive oil. Flatten the hens in a broiling or roasting pan, skin side down, and liberally sprinkle the exposed surfaces with salt and pepper. Slice one lemon as thinly as you can (a mandoline is best for this) and lay the slices on the birds.
• Broil for about 10 minutes, or until the lemon is browned and the birds appear cooked on top; rotate the pan if necessary. Turn the birds over, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and return to the heat. Cook another 10 minutes, or until the skin is nicely browned. Meanwhile, slice the remaining lemon as thinly as possible.
• Lay the lemon slices on the skin, and broil 5 minutes. The lemons should be slightly browned and the birds cooked through; if not, cook a couple of minutes more. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar, garnish with parsley and serve.