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HENS-TARRAGON - Cornish game hens basted in tarragon butter
This method of ``basting'' fowl by spreading an herb butter
under the skin infuses the meat with the flavor of the herbs
which usually is kept on the skin with normal external bast-
ing.
2 Cornish game hens
100 g butter, at room temperature
30 ml lemon juice
30 ml dried tarragon, (or 15 ml of fresh tarragon)
0.5 ml salt
(1) Preheat oven to 220 deg. C.
(2) Prepare the hens by rinsing thoroughly, checking
for pin feathers, and patting dry. Be sure to
remove yellow fat found at the cavity opening.
(3) Gently separate the skin from the flesh by sliding
your fingers between and tearing the connecting
membrane. It is easiest to begin at the cavity
opening and work up the breast. Leave skin
attached at the lower two-thirds of the wings and
base of the legs. Work carefully over the breast-
bone area so as not to tear the skin which is
firmly attached at this point.
(4) Thoroughly blend the butter, lemon juice, tarragon
and salt. If the butter is not soft, it will be
difficult to incorporate the lemon juice.
(5) Using your fingers, spread a layer of herb butter
under the loosened skin of each hen. Spread a
small amount on the skin.
(6) Tuck wings under the back of the hen and set each
hen on its side, breast down on a roasting rack
over a roasting pan.
(7) Roast for 15 minutes, then turn hens to other
side. Roast for another 15 minutes, then set hens
on their backs with breast up and roast for a
final 15 minutes (total cooking time about 45
minutes). Each time the hens are turned, baste by
spooning pan juices over the bird. Hens are fully
cooked when juices run clear and drumstick moves
easily in its socket.
(8) Remove birds to a warm platter and let sit for 5
minutes. Reduce pan juices to a thin glaze con-
sistency over high heat and serve as a sauce.
(You may want to flavor the pan juices with a lit-
tle dry white wine.) Quarter birds before serv-
ing. Each bird should serve two people.
This basting method can also be used when grilling, either
over a barbecue or in the broiler. I prefer barbecuing to
oven roasting in the summer (I tend to roast along with the
birds) and prepare the birds a little differently in this
case. Rather than grilling whole, before the butter is
spread under the skin, each bird is split along the spine
using a sharp heavy knife. This is quite easy since the
spine and ribs are easily cut with moderately heavy pressure
and rocking motion on the knife blade. I then spread the
bird, breast up, and crack the breast bone to flatten with a
sharp blow on the breast with the heel of my hand. The
wings are tucked under themselves and the legs and thighs
left loose. The birds can be cooked ahead of time and taken
on a picnic or prepped in advance and grilled at the picnic.
Margarine may be substituted for the butter without major
noticeable effects on the flavor.
In the summer, I like to serve either a tabbouleh or Italian
tomato salad (quartered RIPE tomatoes sprinkled with chopped
fresh basil and drizzled with olive oil) and a white zin-
fadel.
Since I like herb butters with all kinds of fish and fowl
and have an herb garden, I generally make up 2 cups or more
of herb butter at a time, using a food processor to assure
thorough blending. The butter keeps well in the fridge for
2-3 weeks.
Difficulty: moderate. Time: 15 minutes preparation, 45
minutes cooking. Precision: approximate measurement OK.
Pamela McGarvey
UCLA Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Los Angeles, California
{hao,sdcrdcf}!cepu!pam
| Last modified: 9 May 2006 | 1 hits in May 2012 |
