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My review
Glazed Cornish Game Hens With Apricot Pistachio Dressing
USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson
"Cornish game hens are festive and readily available. I've even made them the centerpiece of a holiday meal. These little birds cook much more quickly than other holiday roasts, such as lamb or ham. I normally figure on one hen (in the 1 1/2- to 2-pound range) to serve every two guests - especially if you also plan to have a first course and a dessert."
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Ingredients
servings 866Original recipe yields 8 servings
- Adjust
- US
- Metric
Directions
{{model.addEditText}} Print- Brining the hens before roasting improves their flavor: Dissolve 2 cups of kosher salt in a clean bucket filled with 5 quarts of water. Add prepared hens and soak for 2 hours. Rinse thoroughly; pat dry.
- Adjust oven rack to upper middle position, and heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Heat oil in a large skillet. Saute onions until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in apricots, then spread mixture onto a large (about 18-by-12-inch) lipped cookie sheet. Lay hens over the mixture. Mix jam and vinegar, and brush all but a few tablespoons over hens.
- Bake hens, brushing 2 or 3 times with remaining jam mixture and accumulated pan juices, until hens are golden brown and juices run clear, about 45 minutes. Turn heat from bake to broil, then cook until hens are spotty brown, watching carefully so they don't burn, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer hens to a large platter with tongs, then cut in half at the breastbone to create individual servings.
- Return apricot dressing to the oven and broil to evaporate some of the excess liquid, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in pistachios and parsley. Spoon in a mound next to hens.
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Footnotes
- Copyright 2004 USA WEEKEND and columnist Pam Anderson. All rights reserved.
- Tip
- Aluminum foil can be used to keep food moist, cook it evenly, and make clean-up easier.
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Reviews
Read all reviews 26Most helpful
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Newest
12/31/2005
With the exception of putting it on the upper level of the oven. I found that @ 450 degrees this browned it way to fast. I would cook it at 350 and then a little higher at the end to darken th...
11/22/2007
This recipe is great. I made a one as a test before Thanksgiving, and then made some modifications and made a full batch for Thanksgiving. Salt water bath made all of the difference. Had to t...
12/10/2009
The Cornish Game Hens had a nice sweet crispy apricot glazed skin and the breast meat was tender and juicy with a nice hint of citrus zest. I would recommend lowering the temperature and coverin...
12/23/2007
This turned out extremely well although the "Stuffing" was a bit on the oniony side. I used 4x the amount of apricot jam and only 2x the amount of vinegar and it turned out great. The birds were...
12/18/2007
These hens are a wonderful holiday or company entree making a lovely presentation. I'm glad I read the other reviews; even at 350-degrees the hens started to get dark brown before they were cook...
1/1/2008
The Cornish hens made a wonderful Christmas Day dinner. We adjusted the time and temperature according to a previous reviewer. And, as suggested by others, we ultimately covered the hens with ...
12/25/2006
I wish I would have read the comments regarding the recipe. It did brown too quickly. I ended up tenting with aluminum foil to avoid over browning. I didn't use the pistachio garnish on the s...
11/25/2010
This was delicious! I made it in place of a traditional turkey for Thanksgiving and we really enjoyed it. I didn't use the pistachios and parsley and like others, I lowered the cooking tempera...
1/21/2007
I was impressed with how the Cornish hen came out (tasty, moist, very yummy) However, although we love all of the ingredients in the apricot pistachio dressing, it was just 'okay'. Noting other...