Wedding Preparations

We have dinner with Scott and Jen just about every week. The week of their wedding, we were hosting them at our house, so it had to be special. We broke out the champagne and had to have a meal that matched the classiness of our drink. Seeing recipe for Cornish game hens, we knew we had to try them for this special occasion. We paired the game hens with butternut squash and potatoes that were roasted in the oven with olive oil and bleu cheese, as well as green beans almandine. The green beans were steamed briefly in the microwave until just tender. Then, they were tossed in a pan with butter and sliced almonds. The meal was perfectly rich, but light enough to make you not feel guilty at all.


Roasted Cornish Hens with Cherry-Port Glaze (Cooking Light, December 2009)

1/2 cup cherry preserves
1/2 cup port
1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 (1 1/2-lbs.) Cornish hens

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Combine preserves, port, ginger, vinegar, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 9 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard giblets and necks from hens. Rinse hens with cold water; pat dry. Remove skin; trim excess fat. Working with 1 hen at a time, tie ends of legs together with twine. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under hen. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper. Set on wire rack on baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Brush hens with cherry mixture; bake 40 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the meaty part of thigh registers 165, brushing with cherry mixture every 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove twine; split hens in half lengthwise.