mulberryshoots

One of our regular dinners is roast cornish hen with stuffing. The size of these small birds is ideal: half for each of us. Plus, they roast up beautifully with a glaze of orange marmalade & a dab of butter, set up on a bed of Pepperidge Farm stuffing.

The stuffing is made by sauteeing chopped a shallot with some chopped celery heart in butter and a sprinkling of Bell’s Seasoning. Then, I add the chopped up giblets and brown with the vegetables. Add some Pepperidge Farm stuffing crumbs and chicken broth to moisten.

I empty the skillet of the cooked stuffing and then melt some butter in the clean skillet. The hen is split in half by cutting through the breastbone. I dry the rinsed halves and  brown them in the medium-high skillet.

After the cornish hen is golden brown, the stuffing is divided and the two halves placed on top.  In the microwave, I heat up some orange marmalade with a dab of butter and brush it on the bird before sliding the pan  into a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 35 minutes.

When the hens are cooked through (meat thermometer at 165 degrees,) take them out of the oven. With a wide spatula, lift each serving with the stuffing on the bottom and place it on a plate. A salad of lettuce, avocado and blood orange goes along well with this dish.

As G. and I prefer the dark meat, so we usually finish that off and save the breast meat for a tender chicken salad sandwich for lunch the next day.  Bon Appetit!