12 days of christmas treats: traditional carol edition
day 3 – three french cornish hens drizzled with a cranberry orange holiday glaze
welcome to the intersection of the french and cornish!
From time to time, it is fun to look back at recipes that you used to make on the regular. This is especially fun around the holidays, when you are truly up to your knees in family recipe ideas! Cornish hens has always been a special dinner that we have enjoyed at our house. It is such an easy dinner to prepare, because everyone gets their own little hen. All that is left to do is make a little rice, and decide what vegetable you are in the mood for. For this reason, I decided to revisit this old family classic just in time for the holidays.
get your cranberries and oranges ready!
The first thing to remember about roasting cornish hens is that it is very important to have a special sauce to drizzle over the top of them when they come out of the oven. I thought it would be festive to develop a special holiday glaze for my 12 days of Christmas treats. In my opinion, the best holiday glazes begin with cranberries. Cranberries are hard to beat whether you are cooking something sweet or succulent for your family. A great holiday companion for cranberries have always been fresh juicy oranges. Both fruits are enjoying peak season, so it just make sense to combine them in a delicious holiday glaze.
It is easy to whip up the glaze while your cornish hens are roasting away in the oven. Pour some cranberries in a saucepan and mix them together with some apple cider, orange zest, and fresh orange juice. After the cranberries start to pop, it is time to add the maple syrup , mustard, and the secret ingredient. You all know how much I love a secret ingredient! The best part of a secret ingredient is when your family and friends try to guess what it is!! And this makes for much more interesting table conversations instead of the daily news!
and the secret ingredient is….
Have you guessed yet?? The secret ingredient is prosecco! Prosecco adds a bright and bubbly flavor to the holiday glaze, and also makes it just the right thickness to pour over your perfectly roasted cornish hens. I like to serve these holiday hens with a wild and brown rice mixture. Winter is the best time to enjoy a rich and full bodied rice. The wild rice adds a delicious texture to this holiday meal. All that is left to do is a pomegranate sprinkle, and you will be ready to enjoy a fun and unexpected holiday meal.
3 french cornish hens drizzled with a cranberry orange holiday glaze
get your holiday on with a cranberry, orange and secret ingredient sauce that will make your roasted cornish hens be the toast of your family and friends dinner!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1.5 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: main dish
- Method: stove top and oven
- Cuisine: holiday
Ingredients
6 cornish game hens
butter, salt and pepper for roasting hens
Cranberry and orange sauce:
2 cups of fresh cranberries
1 cup apple cider
zest form 1 orange
juice form 1 orange
2 TB fig preserves
2 TB maple syrup
2 TB grainy mustard
1 sprig of fresh rosemary chopped
1 TB white balsamic vinegar
1 cup prosecco
salt and white pepper to taste
For serving:
wild rice blend
pomegranate garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Prepare cornish hens for roasting by placing them on a rack in a roasting pan and rubbing them with softened butter and sprinkling them with salt and pepper
Roast according to package directions – until golden brown and juices are running clear – about 1.5 hours depending on the weight of the hen
While hens are roasting prepare cranberry orange glaze:
Pour 2 cups of fresh cranberries and apple cider in a medium sized saucepan
Cook on medium heat until cranberries start to pop
Remove from heat and add orange juice/zest, fig spread, maple syrup, and mustard
Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened
Remove from heat and add chopped rosemary, balsamic, and secret ingredient prosecco,
Simmer for a few minutes
salt and white pepper to taste
Prepare wild rice blend according to package directions for the amount of people you will be serving
Remove roasted hens form the oven and place on serving platter with wild rice mixture
Ladle on cranberry orange glaze and top with pomegranates
Keywords: cornish hens, cranberry, orange, prosecco, wild rice
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