Spice Roasted Cornish Hens With Cucumber Yogurt Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Position rack in top third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Arrange hens, skin side up, on large rimmed baking sheet. Finely grind cumin and next 3 ingredients in spice mill.
• Brush hens with oil. Sprinkle on both sides with spice mixture. Roast hens until cooked through, about 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients in processor. Blend until almost smooth. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
• Place hens on plates. Serve with sauce.

Steps:

• Position rack in top third of oven; preheat to 450°F
• Arrange hens, skin side up, on large rimmed baking sheet.
• Finely grind cumin and next 3 ingredients in spice mill.
• Brush hens with oil.
• Sprinkle on both sides with spice mixture.
• Roast hens until cooked through, about 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients in processor.
• Blend until almost smooth.
• Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Place Cornish game hens in a large resealable plastic bag.
• Mix Greek yogurt, lemon juice, paprika, olive oil, garlic salt, thyme, black pepper, oregano, rosemary, and savory together in a small bowl. Pour yogurt mixture over game hens, turning to coating them completely and get some of the mixture into their cavities. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible, and refrigerate, 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat grill for low heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove game hens from bags and pat dry. Discard yogurt mixture. Grill until skins starts to brown, about 3 minutes per side. Cover grill and cook game hens, rotating if needed, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest parts of the thigh, near the bone, reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove game hens from the grill and slice open on the breast side, flattening them out like open books. Return to the grill, cut-side down, cover grill, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes.

Steps:

• For Hens: Halve the hens through the breast. Flatten the breasts with the palm of your hand.
• In a mortar or food processor, pound or mince the garlic, shallots and sugar. Add the salt, pepper, five-spice powder, fish sauce, soy sauce and sherry. Mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture over the hens. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Prepare a fire in a barbecue. Let the coals burn down to medium-hot. Set the hens skin-side down on the rack and grill over medium-hot coals for 15 minutes. Turn and grill for 15 minutes longer, or until they are thoroughly cooked and the skin is crisp and browned. Serve with Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce.
• For Dipping Sauce: In a mortar, pound the garlic, chile pepper and sugar into a paste. (Or blend in a food processor or blender.) Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the fish sauce, lime juice and water; stir to blend. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, or until ready to serve. Strain into dipping saucers. Yields about 3/4 cup.