12 oz baking potatoes
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
14 oz turnips, peeled & cut into
1 1/2 in. cubes
7 oz (1) golden delicious apple,
1 peeled & cut into 1/2 in.
1 cubes
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp rosemary
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oleo, unsalted
3 (1 lb) cornish game hens
2 tbsp clarified butter
1/4 cup calvados, applejack or
1 brandy
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 red and green skinned
1 appple
1 wedges
1 watercress
Directions
Position Rack in Center Of Oven & Bake Potatoes Until Tender, About45
Min.
Meanwhile, Combine 1 C. Broth With Next 6 Ingredients in Heavy Medium
Saucepan. Cover & Simmer Until Turnips & Apple Are Tender, About 30
Min. Drain Off Any Liquid & Reserve. Halve Potatoes And Scoop Flesh
Into Saucepan With Turnip Mixture. Mash To Lumpy Texture. Mix in 1
t. Oleo, Salt & Pepper. Cook Completely. Maintain Oven At 425
Degrees. Stuff Turnip Mixture Into Cavities Of Hens. Skewer & Lace
Closed. Truss Hens To Hold Shape. Heat Clarified Butter in Large
Heavy Skillet Over High Heat. Pat Hens Dry. Add To Skillet And Brown
On All Sides, 6 To 8 Min. Transfer Hens To Platter. Pour Calvados
Into Skillet. Boil Until Reduced To Rich Brown Glaze, Scraping Up Any
Browned Bits, About 20 Seconds. Mix in Remaining 3/4 C. Broth, Apple
Juice And Any Liquid Reserved From Turnips. Boil Until Thickened
Slightly, 4 To 5 Min. Return Hens To Skillet, Breast Side Up. Baste
Generously With Pan Liquid. Bake Until Hens Are Tender When Pierced
With Fork, Basting Every 10 Min., About 30 Min.
Cook Hens 15 Min., Basting Frequently With Pan Drippings. Remove
Pins And String. Split Each Hen Lengthwise. Transfer To Heated
Platter. Garnish With Apple Wedges And Watercress. Preheat Oven At
425.
Servings: 6 servings
Braised Cornish Hens Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Poultry
The History of Recipes
It is possible to read the history of meal recipes far back into distant history, in truth as far back into history as pharonic Egypt, and potentially, even further back. Interesting though that is, generally, these old recipes were just simple pictorial instructions for meal preparation.
In fact, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to experts are a few tablets in the Sumerian language which describe the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who drank it feel blissful and exhilarated. Later on, in The time of the roman empire 25BC a roman called Apicius wrote a collection of documents which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy Romans. In his scrolls, he tells us how the meals of wealthy Romans were split into appetizers, main course and afters, something that is very familiar to us today. Aspicius tells us how the Roman chefs made use of a wide range of herbs, including many that are still in use today like bay, rue and parsley. Later, in the fifteenth century, people returning from the crusades brought back many new foods and spices from the holy lands, including spices like basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new culinary ideas led to a torrent in cookery books, some of which are kept safe in private libraries. For the decades that followed, the powerful and wealthy tried to serve the most extravagent meals, and consequentially the best chefs and their collection of recipes became highly prized. However, it was during the nineteenth century the formal cooking and recipe publications became popular. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, verifying, and recording recipes to allow everyone to enjoy them. The arrival of television gave us celebrity chefs and the demand for the accompanying recipe books. And that pretty much brings us to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing us all to search through massive numbers of recipes just like those on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this Braised Cornish Hens recipe.
