This can be Thanksgiving made easy. Not expecting a big crowd, don’t want to sweat cooking a huge bird, well this can be the answer to have an elegant Thanksgiving dinner without all the fuss and mess. This recipe is not only for Thanksgiving, it is really good for a throw back to an elegant meal at home.
Cranberry Apple Cornish Game Hens
Marinade Ingredients
- 1 12oz bag fresh cranberries
- 1 medium honeycrisp apple (or really any sweet apple) – chopped in small pieces
- 4 inches fresh ginger grated
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup XYLA
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Place all the ingredients into a pot on the stove top, bring to a boil, reduce to med/high and cook as you hear the cranberries popping, this takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
- After the marinade has cooled, set aside 1 cup to use as gravy for the hens. Place the remaining marinade in a large Ziploc bag with the hens and let sit on the counter at room temperature for 1 hours.
Cornish Game Hens:
please note that the hens come frozen so you need to plan a day ahead to defrost them in the refrigerator.
- 2 Cornish Game hens – defrosted
- fresh thyme
- fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- chives for garnish – chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Remove the hens from the marinade, place in a roasting dish, add the fresh thyme and oregano to the inside of the birds, sprinkle the top of the birds with the salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. Bake in oven for about 85 to 90 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 7 to 10 minutes. I topped the dish with chopped fresh chives.
- Remove the herbs from the inside to the birds. I served this over Shitake Mushroom RisottoShitake Mushroom Risotto. You can serve the hens whole or cut them in half.