Life is cray. On the real.
This made a self-proclaimed holiday, which the husband and I celebrated several days after Thanksgiving one of the best days I've had lately. The blustery weather outside beckoned for a time of cooking, organizing, and ushering in the Christmas season.
Endless hours juggling events, employees, clients, and career changes—all while managing a good bit of grief have made some recent days feel impossible. The preparation and effort put into our Thanksgiving dinner was really more of an unspoken declaration that this day was meant for us alone (a rare occasion lately). It was an opportunity to raise a glass to each other and recognize that even through the silent (or not-so-silent) battles we've been fighting, that at the end of the day, we're still able to realize all the beauty and loveliness in our world.
I hope you find yourselves creating similar moments over this holiday season—moments meant only for your heart and happiness; they really do help us power through the craziness that's out there.
Herb Roasted Cornish Hens
Served with cranberry-apple sauce, homemade dinner rolls,
fresh peas in butter, and a sweet potato galette.
INGREDIENTS
Stuffing:
Cranberry-Orange pork sausage - Boulder Sausage > 1 lb
Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing - Glutino > 1 package
3 stalks celery
1 extra large shallot
Poultry:
2 Cornish game hens
Unsalted organic butter or ghee
Olive oil
Seasoning > sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika
Fresh herbs > sage, rosemary, thyme
Small red potatoes > 1 -2 lbs.
Whole mushrooms > 1 - 2 containers
Fresh garlic > 6 cloves finely chopped
Shallot > 1 large shallot chopped
Onion > 1 cup chopped
Chicken stock > 1 cup
Turkey livers > not required, but the Sicilian in me called out for it
INSTRUCTIONS
Stuffing:
1. Brown sausage in cast-iron pan then set aside
2. Make cornbread stuffing according to package (I'll figure out a scratch recipe someday). Add sausage and then bake according to package instructions.
Poultry:
1. Rinse hens and pat dry. Melt butter and use your fingers to rub melted butter all over the birds. As you rub, gently llift the skin on top of the bird and rub some butter under the top layer of the bird's skin.
2. Take some of that cornbread stuffing and stuff the cavity of the hens until full.
3. Season hen with salt, pepper, and paprika. Place fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, and sage) liberally in the bird's cavity, on top of it, and all around. If you have kitchen twine to tie off the legs, then do it. I didn't have any on hand...so, oh well.
4. Add hens to cast-iron pan (or roasting dish if you have one). Disperse the shallots, onions, garlic, potatoes, and turkey livers in the pan.
4. Pour in the chicken stock and drizzle all ingredients with olive oil.
5. Pop that beauty in the oven and bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours. Every 20 minutes, baste the birds, livers, and potatoes until the last half hour.
6. Don't baste for the remaining 30 minutes so the skin can get nice and crispy. You may have to re-season the birds with salt, pepper, and paprika after you're done basting, as the liquid may have washed some of the seasoning away during the basting process.
6. I added whole mushrooms into the pan for the remaining 30 minutes of roasting because, yum.
7. Once the hens were perfectly cooked I extracted the pan juices and made a delicious gravy.
It was a low key night and I kept everything else in the pan to dish out and enjoy with the husband while we watched Home Alone 1 and 2. Macaulay Culkin for the win.