When I was living/working/dating in New York and only had Champagne and ice cream in my refrigerator, I did occasionally invite someone over for dinner. When my guest was male, this was my go-to dish, courtesy of my mom: It was big, meaty and impressive (relatively speaking), all the ingredients a dinner “date” chez moi required.
I actually love these little birds with this rich stuffing. Basically, cornish game hens are pretty tasteless and this easy mix of mushrooms, ham and chicken livers really perks them up. A forkful combining meat and stuffing is a bite to remember!
1 T canola oil
4 slices ham, cut into 1-inch-by-1/4-inch pieces
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 lb. chicken livers
3 to 4 Rock Cornish Game Hens
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
To a saute pan, add the oil, ham, mushrooms and chicken livers and cook, stirring constantly, until livers are barely pink and the mushrooms are soft and have given off their liquid. Let cool. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Wash hens, removing fat. Pat dry, season liberally with salt and pepper and stuff loosely. Place in the oven in a roasting pan for an hour, or until the skin is crispy and the juices at the leg joint run clear. NOTE: Check the cooking after thirty minutes, and if the hens aren’t browning to your satisfaction you might want to cover them with bacon or a bit of butter.
My favorite choice of poultry. What a delightful way of roasting this hens. Look so delicious Catherine!
By: elra on August 31, 2009
at 9:40 am
Haha, the first thing I thought when I saw this was that Sean would love it! And then I saw it was your go-to date dish. I guess men are the same the world over…
By: lickedspoon on August 31, 2009
at 10:12 am
Oh, Yum! The stuffing sounds incredible!
By: Natasha - 5 Star Foodie on August 31, 2009
at 10:16 am
Nice, that is impressive.
I’ve only had game hens once, a long time ago. I should try them again.
By: Bob on August 31, 2009
at 11:10 am
The stuffing sounds really tasty. With most men you really can’t go wrong with meat!
By: Phoo-D on August 31, 2009
at 12:59 pm
What an impressive & chique meal this is!!
Fab!
By: Sophie on September 1, 2009
at 4:01 am
I’m afraid of cornish hens for some reason? I have no idea why? What do you call this odd fear? A CornoPhobe?
By: TheKitchenWitch on September 1, 2009
at 8:59 am
This cornish hens look so yummie and I love liver pate, such a nice way to stuff the hens…so tasty
By: Juliana on September 1, 2009
at 11:08 am
Ice cream and champagne…sounds good. These are beautiful!
By: noble pig on September 1, 2009
at 12:16 pm
Oh those olden days of ice cream and champagne. Love the combo – don’t miss the days! Now these hens I can wrap myself around. And you have all those juicy, rich ingredients inside – yes, Paul would be “wowed.” He’d marry me all over again if I make him those cornish hens!
By: Claudia on September 1, 2009
at 4:18 pm
Yum! I love all the meat inside. This reminds me that I haven’t eaten cornish hen in years.
By: Palidor on September 2, 2009
at 3:38 am
I love chicken liver. I can almost smell this chicken from here…..
By: peachkins on September 2, 2009
at 6:24 am
can’t say I’ve ever seen a pate stuffing but it intrigues me. I love pate!
I can see how this was a great date meal.
By: Monica H on September 4, 2009
at 11:17 am